Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Saudi court convicts man for recruiting for AQAP; U.S. targets terror finance network with sanctions; National Dialogue Conference to end this month

Horn of Africa: Clashes in Uforow district in Bay region kill two people; local residents refuse to listen to al Shabaab-affiliated radio station

Yemen Security Brief

• A Riyadh court convicted an unnamed man on charges of recruiting 14 Saudi nationals to join al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) on December 19, according to al Hayat newspaper. The Saudi defendant reportedly provided fake Yemeni identification cards to seven individuals and facilitated travel to the country for all 14 recruits.[1]

• The U.S. Department of Treasury designated two al Qaeda supporters as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) on December 18. Abdul Rahman bin Umayr al Nu’aymi provided financial support to al Qaeda, al Qaeda in Iraq, al Shabaab, AQAP, and Asbat al Ansar for over a decade. He is one of the top supporters for Iraqi Sunni extremists based in Qatar. Abdulwahhab Muhammad Abdulrahman al Humayqani has financed and acted on behalf of AQAP. He used his Yemen-based charity to help finance the group and to provide cover for travel throughout the Arabian Peninsula for AQAP. He also served as AQAP’s leader in al Bayda governorate as of mid 2011.[2]

• Yemen’s National Dialogue Conference (NDC) is scheduled to conclude by the end of the year, according to a press statement from deputy heads Yassin Saeed Noman and Sultan al Atwani. Key issues remain unresolved, including how to address southern grievances and the shape of the future Yemeni state.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Clashes between al Shabaab militants and Somali government forces killed at least two people and injured three others December 19 in Uforow district in Bay region. Three al Shabaab militants were reported to have been injured.[4]

• Residents of Dinsor town in Bay region are reportedly refusing to listen to an al Shabaab-affiliated radio station that began broadcasting on December 10.[5]