Gulf of Aden Security Review – March 13, 2023

Yemen: Houthi-ROYG prisoner exchange negotiations officially resume; UN Special Envoy to Yemen meets with Iranian foreign affairs advisor; Iran agrees to stop encouraging Houthi cross-border attacks into Saudi Arabia; AQAP targets UAE-backed forces with mortar fire

Somalia: Al Shabaab attacks a military base in southwestern Somalia; al Shabaab continues its anti-drug operations in Mogadishu; US-trained special forces clear al Shabaab from a village in southwestern Somalia; al Shabaab attacks a police station in Mogadishu; al Shabaab and Islamic State militants fight in northeastern Somalia

Yemen Security Brief

The Yemeni government (ROYG) and the Houthis officially resumed negotiations on prisoner exchanges under the auspices of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland on March 11.[i]

UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg met with Iranian Senior Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Asghar Khaji to discuss the recent developments in peace talks and Houthi-ROYG prisoner exchanges in Tehran, Iran on March 12.[ii]  

The Wall Street Journal reported on March 12 that Iran has agreed to “stop encouraging [Houthi] cross-border attacks on Saudi Arabia from Yemen.”[iii] The Journal cited unnamed Saudi, Iranian, and U.S. officials.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) fired mortar shells targeting a leadership meeting of UAE-backed forces in the al Baqira village, Mudiyah district, Abyan governorate, Yemen on March 10.[iv] AQAP and southern Yemeni sources did not report casualties.

Somalia Security Brief

Al Shabaab attacked a military base in Goof Gaduud-Burey area, Baidoa district, Bay region, southwestern Somalia, on March 12.[v] Regional security forces reported they thwarted the attack.[vi] The attack injured one soldier.

Al Shabaab killed two alleged drug dealers in Wadajir district, Mogadishu, southern Somalia, on March 10.[vii] This attack is part of the anti-drug campaign that al Shabaab launched on February 26.[viii]

US-trained Danab special forces and Jubbaland State forces cleared al Shabaab from Mido village in Afmadow district, Lower Jubba region, southwestern Somalia, on March 12.[ix] The raid killed seven al Shabaab militants, including a regional commander.[x]

Al Shabaab militants attacked a police station in Heliwaa district, Mogadishu, southern Somalia, on March 11.[xi] Somali police officers responded to the attack by raiding an al Shabaab hideout and capturing several attackers.[xii]

Al Shabaab and Islamic State–Somalia militants clashed in Dadamale and Quracda valleys, Bari region, northeastern Somalia, on March 12.[xiii]