Gulf of Aden Security Review - June 4, 2019

Yemen: Al Houthi forces arrest 25 worshipers in Sana’a for ignoring fatwa; STC President issues decree to establish office in New York City; Hadi government forces claim advances in Sa’ada

Horn of Africa: Suspected al Shabaab militants attack Kenyan police near Somali border

Yemen Security Brief

Al Houthi forces arrested 25 people for ignoring an al Houthi religious decree at a mosque in the Yemeni capital Sana’a on June 4, according to anti-al Houthi media. The individuals were celebrating Eid al Fitr, the last day of Ramadan. Al Houthi religious authorities had previously declared that Eid al Fitr would start on June 5 in contrast to a decree from President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government that it would start on June 4.^[1]

Transitional Political Council for the South (STC) President Aydarus al Zubaidi issued a decree to establish an STC Office of Foreign Affairs in New York City on June 3. The STC, an Emirati-backed southern Yemeni separatist organization, recently gained approval from the Russian government to open an office in Moscow.[2]

Hadi government forces claimed to advance towards the center of Kitaf district in Sa’ada governorate in northern Yemen on June 4. Hadi government forces separately claimed to destroy an al Houthi military position in al Hudaydah city in western Yemen.^[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

Suspected al Shabaab militants attacked Kenyan security forces near the Somali border in Fino village in Mandera County in northeastern Kenya on June 3. The attack killed one police officer. Suspected al Shabaab militants previously detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a Kenyan police vehicle in Mandera County on June 1. The IED missed its target and the vehicle escaped undamaged.[4]

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