Gulf of Aden Security Review – September 26, 2023

Yemen: Houthis launch drone attack targeting Bahraini Defense Forces on Saudi-Yemen border; Houthi chief negotiator blames Saudi Arabia for undermining peace; UAE Foreign Ministry condemns Houthi attack; Saudi-led Coalition condemns Houthi attack; US State Department condemns Houthi attack

Somalia: Al Shabaab SVBIED attack kills dozens in central Somalia; US airstrike targets regional al Shabaab officials in central Somalia; US defense secretary tours Horn of Africa discussing al Shabaab

Yemen Security Brief

The Houthi movement launched a one-way suicide drone targeting Bahraini Defense Forces near the Saudi-Yemen border on September 25, killing two Bahraini servicemembers.[i]

Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdul Salam told Reuters that the Saudi-led Coalition killed 12 Houthi fighters near the Saudi-Yemeni border in August, and emphasized the importance of a “serious peace.”[ii]

The UAE Foreign Ministry said on September 25 that the Houthi drone attack targeting Bahraini forces on September 25 was a “flagrant violation of international laws and norms,” and called on the international community to “take a decisive stance” and “return to a political process.”[iii]

Saudi-led Coalition Spokesperson Turki al Maliki condemned the attack on September 26, adding that the attack was “not consistent with…efforts” to end the war in Yemen.[iv]

US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller condemned the Houthi attack against Bahraini forces in a statement on September 26. Miller said that US officials are in contact with their Bahraini counterparts, and added that the attack “threatens the longest period of calm since the war in Yemen began.”[v]

Somalia Security Brief

Al Shabaab conducted a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack targeting a Somali Federal Government checkpoint in Beledweyne, Hiraan region, central Somalia, on September 23.[vi] The attack killed at least 36 people and wounded at least 40 others.[vii] Al Shabaab has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

A likely US-supported airstrike targeted a meeting house for al Shabaab officials near El Bur, Galgudud region, north-central Somalia, on September 23.[viii] US-trained Danab special forces officials said the strike killed the al Shabaab regional finance head.[ix]

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with several African officials across the Horn of Africa on September 24 and 25. Austin met with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Djibouti on September 24. Mohamud urged the US to support Somalia’s efforts to lift the UN arms embargo on Somalia.[x] Austin praised Somali forces progress against al Shabaab in central Somalia.[xi] Austin met with the Kenyan defense minister and signed a defense agreement in Nairobi, Kenya, on September 25. The five-year agreement is intended to combat al Shabaab in East Africa by providing US training and financial and technical assistance to Kenyan forces.[xii] The two officials also discussed the need to “maintain momentum” in the fight against al Shabaab in Somalia.[xiii]