Gulf of Aden Security Review - June 24, 2013

Yemen: Security forces find landmine in market in Ahwar, Abyan; tribal sheikh wounded in IED attack in Rada’a, al Bayda; tribes clash in Ma’rib; gunmen sabotage water pipeline in Taiz; assistant deputy in Hajjah governorate escapes assassination; fistfight breaks out in NDC session; gunmen cut off road in Taiz; two die in land dispute in al Dhaleh; engineers repair oil pipeline in Ma’rib

Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab forces caught in standoff in Hudur, Bakool region; al Shabaab militants fire RPGs at AMISOM base in Taabta, Lower Jubba region; suspected al Shabaab militants kill Somali MP in Mogadishu; unknown gunmen attack police station in Kismayo, Lower Jubba region; unknown gunmen attack vehicles traveling in Wajir county, Kenya; 100 gunmen attack villages in Banisa county, Kenya; RPG fired in refugee camp in Mandera county, Kenya; Kenyan president threatens force to quell clan fighting; Somali troops conduct security operations in Wanlaweyne and Afgoi districts, Lower Shabelle region; police conduct demining operations in Kismayo, Lower Jubba region; British government to spend £14 million to rebuild Mogadishu prison; AMISOM troops train 100 Somali police officers in Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• Security forces foiled a plot on June 24 to blow up a market in Abyan governorate. Security forces found a landmine on Main Street in Ahwar directorate.[1]

• A tribal sheikh and three others were wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) on June 22 while driving in Rada’a, al Bayda governorate.[2]

• Barakish Net reported that six people died and others were wounded on June 24 during a clash between a tribe from Ma’rib and another from Shabwah. The tribes were fighting over disputed oil land between their territories. Mareb Press reported that there were over 20 casualties.[3]

• An armed gang sabotaged the main water pipeline from Sana’a to Taiz in al Hawjila, Taiz governorate on June 23. Security forces were already escorting engineers to repair the damage that afternoon.[4]

• The Assistant Undersecretary for Hajj Affairs Affairs, Munir Mohammed Dabwan, escaped an attempted assassination on Cairo Street, Sana’a on June 23.[5]

• A fistfight broke out between the leader in the General People’s Congress, Abdulrahman al Awka, and the Southern Movement leader Mohammed Halboob at the National Dialogue Conference (NDC) session on June 22.[6]

• Gunmen cut off a road in al Qadi Valley, Taiz governorate on June 22. Clashes with police left one dead and three wounded. A separate ambush by tribal militants killed a colonel and two soldiers in Osifra, Taiz governorate on June 23.[7]

• Two people died during a land dispute which escalated to violence in Qatabah, al Dhaleh governorate on June 21.[8]

• Workers repaired the oil export pipeline in Ma’rib on June 20 from the damage caused by tribesmen last week.[9]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Two different al Shabaab factions were caught in a standoff in Hudur, Bakool region on June 21. Al Shabaab leader Mukhtar Abu Zubair is reportedly in the town and initially caused the tensions.[10]

• Al Shabaab militants fired rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) at an AMISOM base in Taabta, Lower Jubba region on June 22. The attack targeted a Sierra Leonean base but the number of casualties is not known.[11]

• A suspected al Shabaab militant shot and killed a Somali member of parliament on June 24 in Mogadishu. The gunmen were able to flee the scene.[12]

• Unknown gunmen attacked a police station in Kismayo, Lower Jubba region on June 22. One of the soldiers guarding the station was killed and two others were wounded. The patrolling forces ultimately repelled the attack.[13]

• Unknown gunmen attacked two vehicles traveling near Wajir county, Kenya on June 21. Four people were killed in the attack. The motivation behind the shootings is believed to be clan-based violence.[14]

• Over 100 gunmen attacked two villages in Banisa district, Kenya on June 22. Four civilians and one attacker were killed in the raid. Clan rivalries are the reported cause of the fighting.[15]

• An RPG was launched in an internally displaced persons camp in Banisa, Kenya on June 23.  At least fifteen people were killed and dozens were injured in the blast. The reason behind the attack is believed to be clan based, but those responsible have not been caught.[16]

• Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta gave a speech in Nairobi, Kenya on June 24 saying that the Kenyan Army would use force to bring an end to the clan violence in Wajir and Mandera counties. So far at least 22 people have died as a result of the fighting.[17]

• Somali troops conducted security operations in Wanlaweyn and Afgoi districts in Lower Shabelle region on June 22. Somali forces were stopping vehicles on major roads. Several people were arrested but the exact number is not known.[18]

• Police in Kismayo, Lower Jubba region conducted demining operations on June 22. Two IEDs were found and cleared in the search.[19]

• The British government is giving Somalia £14 million in order to rebuild the central prison in Mogadishu to properly secure terrorists and pirates captured in the country.[20]

• AMISOM troops began training 100 Somali police officers in Mogadishu on June 22.[21]