Gulf of Aden Security Review - June 26, 2013

Yemen: Armed men kidnap Air Force colonel in Ghayl Ba Wazir, Hadramawt; new British ambassador to Yemen appointed; tribesmen seize trucks in al Hudaydah; governor of Taiz announces crackdown on drug smuggling; tribal conflict in Ma’rib kills six; tribal conflict reignites in Taiz; IED found and disarmed in Sana’a

Horn of Africa: Hassan Dahir Aweys surrenders to Himan and Heeb administration in Adado, Galgudud region; al Shabaab attacks Kenyan base in El Adde, Gedo region; al Shabaab official threatens continued terrorist attacks in Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• Armed men kidnapped an Air Force colonel in Ghayl Ba Wazir, Hadramawt governorate on June 25.[1]

• The British Foreign Office announced on June 26 the appointment of a new ambassador to Yemen. Jane Marriott will succeed Ambassador Nicholas Hopton in early July.[2]

• Tribesmen seized 35 trucks in Bani Matar and al Haymah, al Hudaydah governorate on June 26. The trucks, belonging to the Yemen Economic Corporation (YECO), were carrying flour, rice, and sugar for the holy month of Ramadan.[3]

• The governor of Taiz said on June 26 that drugs are a major threat to Yemen and called for increased laws and efforts by security forces to crack down on smugglers.[4]

• The Abu Tahif and Belhareth tribes renewed a conflict on June 25 over disputed oil land in Harib district on the Ma’rib-Shabwah border. The clash killed six and wounded ten before tribal mediators from the al Aqil, Jadaan, al Awariq and Jehm tribes established a fragile truce.[5]

• Renewed tribal conflict between al Marzouh and Qaradha killed a man in Sabir, Taiz governorate late June 24. He was going to fill water from his roof when he was shot five times.[6]

• Security forces found and disarmed an improvised explosive device (IED) at the industrial complex in Sana’a on June 24. The bomb was in front of the house of Sheikh Abdul Karim Zahra.[7]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Senior al Shabaab official Hassan Dahir Aweys reportedly turned himself in to the pro-Somali government Himan and Heeb administration in Adado, Galgudud region on June 26. Ten additional al Shabaab commanders were also taken into custody with Aweys. Local militia leaders from Ahlu Sunna wa al Jama’a accused the Himan and Heeb administration of harboring the al Shabaab fugitive and demanded Aweys be turned over to them.[8]

• Al Shabaab attacked a Kenyan base in El Adde, Gedo region on June 23. Heavy artillery was used on both sides. Casualties are confirmed, but exact numbers are not known.[9]

• Al Shabaab leader in Banadir region Ali Mohamed Hussein threatened to carry out additional terrorist attacks bigger than the June 19 attack on the UN compound in Mogadishu.[10]