Gulf of Aden Security Review - May 17, 2013

Yemen: Red Cross workers released in Abyan; Military Committee defuses tensions between Third Mountain Infantry Brigade and Military Police in Ma’rib; oil pipeline in Sirwah, Ma’rib attacked; two men killed attempting to pass wedding convoy in Sana’a; five journalists kidnapped in Habab, Ma’rib; President Hadi meets with Chinese ambassador to Yemen; U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator discusses Yemen’s dire need for aid money

Horn of Africa: Somali government rejects Jubbaland presidential claims, worries about potential fighting in Kismayo, Lower Jubba region; al Shabaab attacks Somali military bases in El Barde, Bakool region; al Shabaab launches grenade attack on Somali troops in Baidoa, Bay region; two civilians killed in Burow, Middle Shabelle region; three civilians are shot and killed in Mandera, Kenya; Somali security officials hold security meeting in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region; South Korea appoints ambassador to Somalia; Kenya calls for AMISOM to increase troop presence in Somalia

Yemen Security Brief

• Three employees of the Red Cross who were captured in Jaar, Abyan on May 13 were released on May 16 and transported to Aden.[1]

• Yemen’s Military Committee was reportedly able to diffuse tensions between the Third Mountain Infantry Brigade, the military police, and tribes in Ma’rib governorate during talks on May 14 and 15.[2]

• Two men from Sirwah, Ma’rib attacked the oil pipeline in nearby al Hanaq, Ma’rib on May 16. The men were reportedly demanding government jobs.[3]

• Two young Adeni men were killed by the entourage of a sheikh of the al Awadhi tribe when they attempted to overtake a wedding convoy in al Khamseen Square in southern Sana’a on May 16.[4]

• Tribesmen captured five journalists in Habab, Ma’rib governorate on May 16 and took them to an unknown area in Sirwah, Ma’rib.[5]

• President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Chinese Ambassador to Yemen Chang Hua met in Sana’a and discussed their countries’ economic partnership on May 16.[6]

• U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed delivered a briefing about Yemen in Geneva, Switzerland on May 16. He emphasized the need for financial support for the country to advert a humanitarian crisis.[7]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon rejected the two Jubbaland presidential declarations of May 15. Somali Interior and National Security Minister Abdikarin Hussein Guled expressed concern over the situation in Kismayo and its potential to erupt into war. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) convened a meeting in Mogadishu on May 17 to seek a solution to the rising tensions in Kismayo.[8]

• Al Shabaab attacked Somali military bases in El Barde, Bakool region on May 16. Four civilians were killed and three were injured.[9]

• Al Shabaab militants launched a grenade attack on Somali troops in Baidoa, Bay region on May 16. A firefight between the two sides followed. Casualties from the incident are not known.[10]

• Two civilians were killed in Burow, Middle Shabelle region on May 17. The reason behind the killings is not known.[11]

• Three civilians were shot and killed in Mandera, Kenya on May 16 in what was likely a retaliation related to earlier clan violence. The shooters were believed to be Ethiopian nationals.[12]

• Somali security officials from the Middle Shabelle region held a meeting on May 16 to discuss security concerns in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region.[13]

• Newly appointed South Korean Ambassador to Somalia Kim Chan Woo presented his credentials to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu on May 16.[14]

• Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto is called on AMISOM to increase the number of troops in Somalia in order to ensure Kenya’s safety.  Ruto said that small arms are leaking into Kenya from Somalia. The United States and Japan are equipping the Kenyan government with drones in order to monitor small arms trafficking across the country’s border.[15]

• U.S. federal prosecutors sentenced two Somali-American women to prison in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 16. Hawo Mohamed Hassan was given 10 years in prison and Amina Farah Ali was give 20 years. Both raised money for the Somali terrorist organization al Shabaab.[16]