Gulf of Aden Security Review - March 10, 2014

Yemen: al Houthi rebels clash with tribesmen in al Jawf and Sana’a governorates; AQAP militants attack Yemeni military compound in Abyan governorate; suspected AQAP militants attack Yemeni military vehicle in Abyan governorate

Horn of Africa: AMISOM and Somali forces seize territory from al Shabaab in Bakool and Gedo region; al Shabaab launches mortar strikes at Ethiopian forces in Gedo and Hiraan region, al Shabaab leader calls for Somalis to unite in struggle against Ethiopian forces; unidentified armed militants attack a Somali government base in Mogadishu; AMISOM and Somali government forces clash with al Shabaab in Lower Shabelle region

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Houthi rebels clashed with tribesmen on March 7 and 8 in al Jawf governorate. Related fighting continued on March 9 in Hamdan district in Sana’a governorate before Yemeni government mediators intervened and secured a truce. At least forty people were killed in the three days of fighting.[1]

• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants attacked a Yemeni military compound in Lawdar in Abyan governorate on March 8. According to the Yemeni Defense Ministry, four militants and two Yemeni soldiers were killed in the ensuing confrontation.[2]

• Suspected AQAP militants attacked a Yemeni military vehicle near Ahwar in Abyan governorate on March 10. Militants fired upon the vehicle, wounding six Yemeni soldiers.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• AMISOM and Somali forces seized Weel-Dheyn military base near Garbaharey in Gedo region after al Shabaab vacated the base on March 7. Separately, AMISOM and Somali forces seized Burdhubo town in Gedo region from al Shabaab on March 9 after three days of fighting. Reports indicate at least fifteen people were killed in the fighting, including nine al Shabaab militants, before al Shabaab fled toward Bay region.[4]

• Ethiopian AMISOM and Somali National Army forces seized Wajid in Bakool region from al Shabaab on March 8. Brief skirmishes occurred on the outskirts of Wajid before the al Shabaab militants fled. Casualty figures from the fighting remain unclear. Ethiopian and Somali forces then conducted search operations throughout Hudur and Wajid in Bakool region, detaining as many as thirty suspected al Shabaab militants.[5]

• Al Shabaab militants launched mortar strikes at Ethiopian AMISOM bases near Beledweyne in Hiraan region on March 7. Ethiopian forces responded by shelling the suspected source of the mortar strikes. Separately, al Shabaab launched mortar strikes near the airport in Burdhubo in Gedo region on March 10, a day after AMISOM and Somali forces seized the town. Casualty figures from both attacks remain unclear.[6]

• Al Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Aw Mohamed "Godane" released an audio statement in which he called for the people of Somalia to unite in support of al Shabaab’s struggle against Ethiopian forces. Godane referred to Ethiopia as Somalia’s “arch enemy,” alluding to historical confrontations between the countries.[7]

• Unidentified armed militants attacked a Somali military base in the Yaqshid district of Mogadishu on March 7. Somali government forces resisted the attackers for several hours before the assault subsided.[8]

• Al Shabaab militants attacked AMISOM and Somali military bases in Janaale in Lower Shabelle region on March 8. At least three were killed and dozens injured before fighting subsided and al Shabaab militants fled. Separately, AMISOM and Somali forces clashed with al Shabaab militants near Shalanbood in Lower Shabelle region on March 10.[9]