Gulf of Aden Security Review - February 28, 2014

Yemen: Clashes kill at least nine people in al Jawf; soldier’s body found mutilated in al Dhaleh; Saleh rejects UN resolution

Horn of Africa: al Shabaab advises civilians to avoid government locations in Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• Clashes between al Houthi militants and Yemeni security forces on February 28 in al Jawf killed at least two soldiers and seven militants. Local sources reported that the militants attempted to seize control of government installations in Hazm, the capital of al Jawf. Al Houthi militants opened fire on the troops, killing the deputy commander and another soldier.[1]

• An al Dhaleh resident reported that the mutilated body of a soldier who had been kidnapped by Southern Movement militants was found on February 27 in a sewage-disposal area.[2]

• Former President Ali Abdullah Saleh condemned UN Security Council Resolution 2140, stating that the decision “returned Yemen to the era of occupation.” He called the decision to place Yemen under UN Chapter VII as a threat to the country and that it will eliminate new-found freedoms in the country.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief  

• Sheikh Ali Mohamed Hussein, al Shabaab’s regional commander in Banadir, declared that al Shabaab plans to continue targeting government buildings and officials in Mogadishu. Hussein advised residents to “keep away from government centers, so that they won’t be harmed during attacks against our enemy.”[4]