Gulf of Aden Security Review - October 14, 2014

Yemen: Al Houthi gunmen seize port city al Hudaydah; president Hadi appoints new Prime Minister in Sana’a; Yemen’s southern movement organizes protests in Aden and Hadramawt; AQAP militants attack Yemeni military in Hadramawt

Horn of Africa: Suspected al Shabaab militants conduct multiple VBIED attacks in Mogadishu; Kenyan AMISOM forces conduct complex operation targeting al Shabaab in Middle Jubba region; suspected al Shabaab militants kidnap five civilians in Kenya’s Coast Province; unidentified assailant beheads civilian in Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Houthi militants seized al Hudaydah city, a strategic port city on Yemen’s Red Sea coast 200 km west of Sana’a, on October 14. The militants reportedly seized the city’s airport and have set up checkpoints along roads throughout Hudaydah. Reports indicate that Yemeni security forces in the city put up little to no resistance as the al Houthis seized the city.[1]

• President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi appointed Khaled Mahfoodh Abdulla Bahah as Prime Minister of Yemen on October 13. Bahah has previously served as Ambassador to Canada and as a representative to the United Nations (UN). Abdelmalek al Ejri, a spokesman for the al Houthi movement approved Bahah’s nomination[2]

• Yemen’s Southern Movement organized massive protests in Aden City, Aden and al Mukalla, Hadramawt on October 14, calling for secession from Sana’a. Separately, suspected AQAP militants planted a car bomb on the vehicle of Southern Movement leader, Mohammed Saleh Timah, on October 14. Security forces were able to dismantle the bomb. [3]

• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants detonated a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) near a military vehicle in Shibam, Hadramawt on October 11, killing two and wounding three soldiers. Separately, suspected AQAP militants attacked al Houthi gunmen in Rada'a, al Bayda on October 14, resulting in the death of two AQAP gunmen and two al Houthis. Lastly, Ansar al Sharia claimed credit for the October 9 bombings in Sana’a and Hadramawt on October 11.[4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Suspected al Shabaab militants detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) near a café in Mogadishu, killing more than 15 civilians and injuring 18 others, on October 12. Separately, a suspected al Shabaab militant detonated a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED) near a public garage, injuring five civilians, in the Hodan district of Mogadishu on October 13.[5] 

• Kenyan African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces conducted a complex operation, featuring air strikes and a ground assault, targeting al Shabaab militants near Jilib, Middle Jubba region, Somalia on October 10. Kenyan security officials reported that the AMISOM forces killed sixty militants and destroyed five vehicles. Separately, Somali security forces conducted a security operation in Mogadishu, arresting 15 suspected al Shabaab militants on October 14.[6]

• Suspected al Shabaab militants kidnapped five civilians from Lamu in Kenya’s Coast Province on October 10. The militants reportedly transported the hostage to an al Shabaab safe haven in Jilib, Middle Jubba region.[7]

• An unidentified assailant beheaded a civilian outside a mosque in the Karan district of Mogadishu on October 14. Somali security forces later arrested the culprit.[8]