Gulf of Aden Security Review - July 9, 2013

Yemen: Yemeni electric system faces collapse; security director in Mukayras, al Bayda survives assassination attempt; increased security planned for Dhamar; gunmen detain oil tankers in Taiz; Yemeni Air Force launches raids in Ma’rib governorate; General Ali Mohsen al Ahmar threatens to overthrow President Hadi; gunmen kidnap relative of Sadiq al Ahmar

Horn of Africa: Explosion targets Somali police officers in Bakara Market, Mogadishu; grenade attack targets Somali soldier in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region; Somali defense minister denies holding talks with Sheikh Mukhtar Robow; hijacked cargo ship sinks off coast of Somalia; Somali president travels to Juba, South Sudan; Somali prime minister travels to Baidoa, Bay region; Somali interior minister meets with Somaliland trade minister in Istanbul, Turkey

Yemen Security Brief

• The director general of the Yemeni Electricity Foundation, Abdul Rahman Saif Aqlan, announced on July 9 that the company was facing bankruptcy due to continued attacks on power lines. He went on to say that Yemen’s electric infrastructure is in danger of collapsing.[1]

• The security director in Mukayras, al Bayda governorate survived an assassination attempt in Umshabah village on July 8. Gunmen ambushed his car, killing one bodyguard and wounding another.[2]

• The security director in Dhamar announced a security plan including an increased state of readiness and more patrols to protect citizens during the month of Ramadan.[3]

• Tribal gunmen detained dozens of tank trucks in al Rahida city, Taiz governorate on July 9. The action is due to a conflict between the al Sabbeiha and al Saloo tribes.[4]

• Yemeni fighter planes launched raids against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) hideouts in Ma’rib and Abyan on July 9. U.S. drones reportedly provided low-altitude reconnaissance of the terrorists.[5]

• Major General Ali Mohsen al Ahmar threatened to expel President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi from his palace like Mohammad Morsi after President Hadi congratulated Egyptians on overthrowing Morsi on July 9.[6]

• Gunmen from the Jehm tribe kidnapped a relative of Sadiq al Ahmar in Ma’rib on July 7. They said al Ahmar had stopped paying them.[7]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• An explosion targeted a car carrying Somali policemen in Bakara Market, Mogadishu on July 9. Al Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the attack but the cause of the blast is disputed, with some sources reporting a grenade and others an improvised explosive device. Casualty counts from the explosion vary. Al Shabaab claims to have killed three Somali officers and injured three others. Witnesses report one dead policeman and at least four more wounded.[8]

• A grenade attack injured a Somali government soldier in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region on July 8. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.[9]

• Somali Defense Minister Abdihakim Haji Mohamud Fiqi denied reports stating that the Somali government was conducting talks with senior al Shabaab official Sheikh Mukhtar Robow.[10]

• A Malaysian-owned cargo ship that was hijacked by Somali pirates in November 2010 sank off the coast of Somalia on July 8. Four crew member and seven pirates were killed. Thirteen crew members are reported missing.[11]

• Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud traveled to Juba, South Sudan in order to discuss bilateral relations and celebrate South Sudan’s second anniversary.[12]

• Somali Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon traveled to Baidoa, Bay region on July 8 in order to discuss security measures in the region.[13]

• Somali Interior Minister Abdikarin Hussein Guled met with Somaliland Trade Minister Muhammad Omar in Istanbul on July 7 for reconciliation talks.[14]