Gulf of Aden Security Review - November 12, 2019

Yemen: President Hadi claims Riyadh Agreement paves way for Yemen’s liberation from al Houthis; Hadi government and al Houthis exchange prisoners in al Jawf; Hadi government-aligned forces repel al Houthi attack in Taiz

 Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab militants detonate IED targeting AMISOM convoy in Lower Shabelle region; al Shabaab attacks Kenyan and Jubbaland bases in Lower Jubba region; al Shabaab withdraws from villages in Mudug region; Islamic State claims attacks in northern Mozambique

Yemen Security Brief

President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi stated on November 10 that a recently signed power-sharing with southern separatists will establish a new stage of stability in Yemen and pave the way for liberating the country from the al Houthi movement. President Hadi’s government and the Transitional Political Council for the South (STC) signed the Riyadh Agreement on November 5 to end three months of conflict over control of Yemen’s de facto capital, Aden.[1]

The Hadi government and al Houthi movement exchanged 20 prisoners in al Jawf governorate in northern Yemen on November 11. Each side exchanged ten prisoners.[2]

Hadi government-aligned forces repelled an al Houthi attack on the al Hamra plateau in southwestern Taiz governorate in southern Yemen on November 12.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

Al Shabaab militants detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a Ugandan convoy of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces in Muuri area in Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia on November 11. AMISOM and Somali National Army forces launched operations in the area following the attack.[4]

Al Shabaab militants attacked a Kenyan AMISOM base on the outskirts of Afmadow town in Lower Jubba region in southern Somalia on November 8. Al Shabaab separately attacked a military base manned by Jubbaland Security Forces on the outskirts of Kismayo port city in Lower Jubba on November 10.[5]

Al Shabaab militants withdrew from Deeqlo and Marale villages, located on the outskirts of Harardhere district in Mudug region in north-central Somalia, on November 11. The militants withdrew following regional security force operations in the area.[6]

The Islamic State’s Central Africa Province claimed two attacks in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province on November 10. The group claimed to kill eight soldiers in Macomia district and separately burn multiple Christians’ homes in Angongol village.[7]

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