Gulf of Aden Security Review – May 3, 2023

Yemen: UN envoy to Yemen meets with Houthi officials in Sana’a to discuss framework for ceasefire and Saudi-Houthi peace negotiations; UN envoy to Yemen meets with Yemeni president in Aden to discuss peace negotiations; US special envoy to Yemen meets with Saudi ambassador to Yemen to discuss Saudi role in peace negotiations; Yemeni defense minister meets with Egyptian military commander-in-chief to discuss bilateral military cooperation; AQAP leader urges Yemeni Sunnis to unite in jihad against Houthis

Somalia: Somali forces ambush an al Shabaab convoy transporting weapons and explosives along the Somali coast in north-central Somalia; NISA forces with clear al Shabaab camps with international partner support in southern Somalia; al Shabaab kills police in IED attack in northeastern Kenya

Yemen Security Brief

UN Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg met with Houthi officials in Sana’a, Yemen on May 3 to discuss a new ceasefire agreement and preparations for the next round of negotiations between the Saudis and Houthis. Grundberg met with Yemeni President Rashad al Alimi in Aden on the same day to discuss developments in the peace talks.[i]

US Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking met with the Saudi ambassador to Yemen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 3 to discuss developments in the peace process and the Saudi role in ceasefire and peace negotiations.[ii]

The Yemeni defense minister met with the Egyptian defense minister in Cairo, Egypt to discuss bilateral military cooperation and issues of mutual security concern on May 2.[iii]

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader Khalid Batarfi released a video on April 29 in which he urged Sunni Muslims in Yemen to unite in jihad against the Houthis. Batarfi argued in the video that the Saudis and Emiratis are “disengaging militarily” in Yemen and blamed them for leaving Yemenis worse off in Houthi control.[iv]

Somalia Security Brief

Turkish-trained Gorgor special forces and local militia ambushed an al Shabaab convoy near El Qabobe, El Dheere district, Galgudud region, north-central Somalia, on May 2.[v] The Somali National Army (SNA) head said informants alerted the SNA that al Shabaab was unloading explosives and other weapons from a boat along the coast.[vi] Somali officials claimed that the ambush killed at least 67 al Shabaab militants—including foreign fighters—and destroyed at least one vehicle carrying explosives.[vii] Somali forces arrested two al Shabaab militants fleeing the fighting near the Howldey area, between El Dheere and Harardhere.[viii]

Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) forces with unspecified international partner support cleared al Shabaab camps near Nungare, Afgoi district, Lower Shabelle region, southern Somalia, on May 2.[ix] Somali officials claimed the operation killed more than 40 al Shabaab fighters—including at least 10 foreign fighters.

Al Shabaab detonated an improvised explosive device targeting Kenyan General Service Unit police between Rhamu and Mandera town, Mandera County, northeastern Kenya, on May 2. The attack killed at least one officer and critically wounded two others.[x] Al Shabaab claimed the attack killed four soldiers and wounded eight others.[xi]