Gulf of Aden Security Review - March 15, 2013

Yemen: Tribesmen behind recent attacks on oil and electricity lines reach agreement with Yemeni government; al Ahmar militias cut off airport road in Sana’a; Islah leader’s car set on fire in Aden; Saleh issues GPC decree; Yemeni Army newspaper disrupted by hacking attempt; gunmen attack court and police heads’ homes  in Socotra

Horn of Africa: Somali troops capture three towns in Bay region; grenade attack targets home of Waberi district commissioner; Ahlu Sunna wa al Jama’a travels to Nairobi; Kenyan presidential nominee Raila Odinga to file election petition on March 17; Djibouti constitutional court rejects claims of rigging in parliamentary elections; Somaliland graduates new Rapid Response Unit Forces in Mandera, Woqooyi Galbeed

Yemen Security Brief

• Tribesmen from Sirwah, Mar’ib governorate behind the recent attacks on an oil pipeline in Ma’rib and electricity lines in Sana’a are reportedly demanding reinstatement into the army, as well as better services and governorate rights. The government pledged to meet their demands within ten days, according to a March 15 report.[1]

• Men from the Al Ahmar militias cut off roads leading to the Sana’a International Airport on March 14, demanding their full monetary compensation.[2]

• Unknown actors set on fire the car of prominent Islah Party member in Aden Sheikh Saleh bin Hilays in front of the al Rada mosque in Aden’s al Mansoura neighborhood on March 15.[3]

• Former President Ali Abdullah Saleh issued an “organizational” decree appointing Ahmed al Soufi as his secretary within the General People’s Congress (GPC) Party on March 14.[4]

• The Yemeni Army newspaper 26 September was temporarily knocked offline by a foiled hacking attempt on March 13.[5]

• Gunmen attacked the homes of the chief of the Socotra primary court and the chief of rescue police in Socotra on March 14 in protest of the sentencing of fisherman of Somali origin.[6]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Somali troops captured Bulo Jadid, Wariri and Seydelow, Bay region on March 13 without encountering al Shabaab resistance.[7]

• An unknown attacker threw a grenade at the house of the Waberi district commissioner in Mogadishu on March 14. The grenade was aimed at the house’s security guards and injured five civilians. The attacker, who was also injured in the blast, was apprehended at the scene.[8]

• Ahlu Sunna wa al Jama’a Chairman Abdi Ali Fidow traveled to Nairobi on March 15 to talk with Somali residents about the new agreement signed between Ahlu Sunna and the Somali government.[9]

• Kenyan presidential nominee Raila Odinga has announced that he will delay his challenge to the election outcome until March 17 for tactical reasons. A record-breaking 86% of the Kenyan population voted in the March 5 elections.[10] 

• The Constitutional Court of Djibouti rejected claims that the February 22 Djibouti parliamentary elections were rigged, making the ruling party the official majority winner.[11]

• Somaliland graduated a new group of Rapid Response Unit Forces from a training facility in Mandera, Woqooyi Galbeed region on March 13. The team is tasked with responding to acts of terrorism and other rapid response incidents.[12]