Gulf of Aden Security Review - June 17, 2013

Yemen: Dutch couple kidnapped in Sana’a; tribesmen attack oil pipeline, power lines in Ma’rib; soldiers in al Hudaydah and Sana’a demand pay; police discover IED outside government official’s home; gunmen attack oil field; citizens protest power cuts

Horn of Africa: IED detonates in Beledweyne, Hiraan region; Somali and AMISOM troops capture towns in Hiraan region; Somali and Ras Kamboni troops fight in Hoosingow, Lower Jubba region; Ras Kamboni forces attack home of government official in Kismayo, Lower Jubba region; unknown gunmen rob Somali MPs in Nairobi, Kenya; Kenyan police kill wanted terrorist in Mombasa , Kenya; senior level al Shabaab official dies in Buulobarde, Hiraan region; Somali troops clash with militiamen in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region; heavy artillery targets Villa Somalia, Mogadishu; explosions occur at a political rally in Arusha, Tanzania; conference on Jubbaland is held in Nairobi, Kenya; Ahmed Madobe travels to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Djiboutian troops train 500 Somali soldiers in Beledweyne, Hiraan region; Norwegian delegation arrives in Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• Yemeni security officials say a Dutch couple was kidnapped in Sana’a.[1]

• Tribesmen attacked an oil pipeline transporting crude from Ma’rib to the Red Sea on June 14. Separately, an attack sabotaged power lines in al Damashqa, Ma’rib governorate on June 17.[2]

• Soldiers in al Hudaydah demanding they receive their wages closed the eastern road linking the city to Taiz on June 16. Fifty soldiers in al Sharza, Sana’a governorate, also cut off a street.[3]

• Police discovered an improvised explosive device (IED) outside the house of the head of traffic police in al Bayda city on June 15.[4]

• Gunmen from the Hamoom tribe attacked an oil field in Hadramawt, killing one soldier and injuring four others on June 14.[5]

• Demonstrators in al Hudaydah protesting against the power cuts threatened to separate from the central government on June 15.[6]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Two IEDs detonated in a tea shop in Wanlaweyn, Lower Shabelle region on June 15. The tea shop was frequented by Somali and AMISOM troops. At least seven soldiers and civilians were killed in the blast. Twelve additional people were injured in the explosion. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.[7]

• Somali and AMISOM troops captured Luq Jesow, Baar, El Ali and Bardhere in Hiraan region on June 16. Eleven al Shabaab militants were apprehended during the peaceful seizures.[8]

• Fighting broke out between Somali and Ras Kamboni militia troops in Hoosingow, Lower Jubba region on June 15. The cause of the clash is not known but at least 14 soldiers were killed in the fighting. Reportedly, rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) were launched at Somali troops from a Kenyan military base in the town but it is not known whether Kenyan troops were involved in the fighting.[9]

• Ras Kamboni forces attacked the home of a government official in Kismayo, Lower Jubba region on June 16. Somali government troops intervened and repelled the Ras Kamboni aggressors. Casualty numbers from the incident are not known.[10]

• Unknown gunmen attacked and robbed three former Somali members of parliament in Nairobi, Kenya on June 16. The gunmen were reportedly officers from Kenya’s intelligence service. The Somali MPs were not harmed in the robbery. [11]

• Kenyan police shot and killed wanted terrorist, Kassim Omolo, during a raid on his home in Mombasa, Kenya on June 17. Grenades, guns and ammunition were found in Omolo’s house.[12]

• Senior level al Shabaab official in Hiraan region, Abdullahi Gesey, died in Buulobarde, Hiraan region on June 14 from wounds received during a battle with Somali troops.[13]

• Somali government troops fought militiamen in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region on June 17. Somali officials say they were fighting al Shabaab however, local elders claim its clan fighters battled the government troops after attempts to forcibly remove them from their homes. Ten people from both sides were killed in the fighting.[14]

• Heavy artillery was launched at Villa Somalia in Mogadishu on June 17. The mortars landed on civilian houses near the Prime Minister’s residence. Somali troops conducted security operations following the shelling and arrested 100 suspected militants. No group has yet to claim responsibility for the attack.[15]

• Three bombs detonated at a political rally in Arusha, Tanzania on June 15 killing at least 3 civilians and injuring 20 more. The reason for the attack, and those responsible for it, are not yet known.[16]

• A conference was held in Nairobi, Kenya on June 14 to discuss the ongoing political problems in Jubbaland. Somali MPs and international representatives attended the conference.[17]

• Ahmed Madobe traveled to Addis Ababa on June 16 to meet with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn to discuss the ongoing political crisis in Jubbaland.[18]

• Djiboutian troops began training 500 Somali soldiers in Beledweyne, Hiraan region on June 15.[19]

• A Norwegian delegation met with Somali Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Osman Jawari in Mogadishu on June 15.[20]