Gulf of Aden Security Review - February 26, 2014

Yemen: UN Security Council authorizes sanctions in Yemen; gunmen kill intelligence officer in Hadramawt; Southern Movement criticizes freedom of press in Yemen; army troops shell position in Ma’rib; Shabwah governor signs four deals

Horn of Africa: AMISOM and Somali government soldiers face opposition in Mogadishu; string of attacks target civilian women in Mogadishu; unidentified gunmen injure four civilians in Mudug region; demonstration against AMISOM Ethiopian forces held in Gedo region

Yemen Security Brief

• The UN Security Council passed a resolution unanimously that authorizes sanctions on individuals or organizations inhibition the successful political transition in Yemen, so-called “spoilers,” and establishes a committee to determine who would face sanctions.[1]

• Two gunmen riding a motorcycle killed Yemeni intelligence General Rishad al Kaladi in al Mukalla in Hadramawt governorate on February 25. Gen al Kaladi was leaving a restaurant when the attack occurred.[2]

• Southern Movement militants spoke out against the refusal of state-owned publishing house 14 October Printing to print the paper, al Ghad, on February 24. The paper is publicly associated with the Southern Movement and has repeatedly published critiques of the government.[3]

• Yemeni army troops fired artillery on February 26 at positions occupied by the individuals who attacked the oil pipeline in Ma’rib. The Third Military Region bombed sites in Ma’rib after tribesmen refused to allow repairs to be made.[4]

• The Governor of Shabwah, Ahmed Ali Salem Bahaj, met with Yemen LNG General Manager to sign four agreements. The agreements include support for local refugees, new schools, irrigation improvements, among others.  Separately, Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi met with a delegation from Total to discuss Yemen’s gas sector. Hadi emphasized that there was pressure to modify agreed-upon gas prices to align with the global price.[5]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Somali government troops clashed with armed militants in the Wadajir district of Mogadishu on February 25. One Somali soldier was killed in the confrontation, which occurred as Somali troops searched for al Shabaab militants in the district. Separately, a blast targeted AMISOM soldiers in Mogadishu’s Yaqshid district on February 26. Casualty figures associated with the explosion remain unclear.[6]

• Three separate targeted killings of civilian women occurred in Mogadishu from February 24 to February 25. Assailants killed a mother and her son in Yaqshid district. Gunmen killed a polio vaccinator, Sharifo Yusuf Mohamed, in Wardhigley district. Finally, a gunman killed a female teashop owner in the Suqa Hoolaha neighborhood of Heliwa district. Al Shabaab is suspected of involvement in the killings, despite the lack of identified suspects or a formal claim.[7]

• Unidentified gunmen fired on civilians, wounding four in Galkayo in the Puntland-administered Mudug region on February 25. Mudug governor Ahmed Ali Salad reported that the gunmen were arrested by Galmudug administration security forces after fleeing south. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.[8]

• A demonstration against the presence of Ethiopian AMISOM forces was held in the Bardhere district of Gedo region on February 26. An al Shabaab official, Sheikh Fuad Mohamed Khalaf, lectured during the demonstration.[9]