Gulf of Aden Security Review – November 9, 2022

Yemen: Houthis deny targeting weapons depot in Ma’rib; US Ambassador visits Hadramawt; US Secretary of State meets with Omani Foreign Minister for US-Oman Strategic Dialogue; Houthi drone targets oil facility in southern Yemen

Somalia: Anti-al Shabaab forces and al Shabaab militants clash in several offensive actions in central and north-central Somalia

Yemen Security Brief:

The Houthis denied targeting the Yemeni government 3rd Military Region weapons depot in Ma’rib city, Yemen, on November 7.^[i] The weapons depot exploded on November 7. The Houthis blamed the detonation on corruption and “conflicts and disputes” between the Yemeni government factions. The Yemeni government blamed the Houthis on November 7.^[ii]

The US Ambassador to Yemen met with the Yemeni governor of Hadramawt on November 8 to discuss “sustainable development.”^[iii] The Houthi deputy prime minister called the visit a “provocation,” adding that the United States does not account for “the requirement… of peace” or respect Yemeni sovereignty.^[iv]

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr al Busaidi discussed Yemen’s peace process during the first US-Oman Strategic Dialogue in Washington DC on November 8.^[v] Blinken and al Busaidi reiterated their support for Yemen’s “territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.” They also said that “there is no military solution” to the war in Yemen and called for a truce extension.

The Houthis launched at least one explosive-laden drone targeting Qena Port, Radhum district, Shabwah governorate, southern Yemen, on November 9. The attack may have injured two Indian workers at the port.^[vi] Another source reported that the attack caused no casualties.^[vii] An oil tanker at the port stopped unloading its oil and left the port after the attack.

Somalia Security Brief:

Somali National Army (SNA) and local Ma’awisley militia forces cleared al Shabaab militants from four villages in Elbur district, Galgadud region, north-central Somalia, on November 9.[viii] The SNA claimed the fighting killed 24 militants.[ix] Al Shabaab militants ambushed Ma’awisley militia forces along the road between Mahas and Elbur near Gorof, Elbur district, north-central Somalia, on November 8. Al Shabaab claimed the fighting killed two militia members and two al Shabaab militants.[x]