Gulf of Aden Security Review
A regularly updated review of both Yemen and the Horn of Africa covering topics related to security, governance, and militant activity.
Yemen: Saudi-led coalition vows to use force to compel al Houthi compliance with Stockholm Agreement; UN Security Council confirms UN monitoring team leader replacement
Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab kills SNA officer in Mogadishu; suspected al Shabaab militants kill community elder near Afgoi; AFRICOM airstrike kills 24 al Shabaab militants near Beledweyne; Ethiopian authorities institute curfew in Somali region capital after killings; Sudanese army says it will not allow state to fall
Yemen Security Brief
Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash stated that the Saudi-led coalition is prepared to use force to compel the al Houthi movement to comply with the Stockholm Agreement on January 30. Gargash reported that Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeted ten al Houthi training camps outside of following an increase in al Houthi ceasefire violations.[1]
The UN Security Council confirmed on January 31 the appointment of Danish Major General Michael Anker Lollesgaard to replace current UN monitoring team leader Patrick Cammaert in al Hudaydah. Lollesgaard commanded the UN peacekeeping efforts in Mali from 2015 to 2016.[2]
Horn of Africa Security Brief
Al Shabaab militants killed Somali National Army (SNA) officer Abdulkadir Ibrahim Abdulle outside his house in the Hamar Weyne district of , Somalia’s capital, on January 31. Some Somali sources reported that Abdulle was a general, while others listed him as a lieutenant. Somali police began an investigation but have not yet made any arrests.[3]
Suspected al Shabaab militants assassinated a community elder outside Mogadishu in in Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia on January 30. The elder participated in the selection of electoral delegates in the 2016-2017 Somali Federal Government elections.[4]
United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducted an airstrike near Shebeeley village near , the regional capital of central Somalia’s Hiraan region, on January 30. The airstrike killed 24 militants.[5]
Ethiopian regional authorities imposed a curfew and a ban on public gatherings following the death of two Orthodox Christian civilians at a religious festival in, the capital of Ethiopia’s eastern Somali region, on January 30. Somali region authorities blamed members of the Heego youth movement for the killings. Former Somali region president Abdi Iley helped found the Heego movement before Ethiopian federal forces arrested him in August 2018.[6]
The Sudanese army stated that it would not allow the state to collapse from protests on January 30. Thousands of Sudanese have protested against President Omar al Bashir across the nation since December 2018.[7]
[1] “Saudi-led coalition ready to use ‘calibrated force’ to push Yemen port deal: UAE,” Reuters, January 30, 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/saudi-led-coalition-ready-to-use-calibrated-force-to-push-yemen-port-deal-uae-idUSKCN1PO2RQ; “20 Houthi rebels killed in Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen, APN News, January 31, 2019, https://www.apnnews.com/20-houthi-rebels-killed-in-saudi-led-airstrikes-in-yemen/; and Anwar Gargash, Twitter, January 30, 2019, https://twitter.com/AnwarGargash/status/1090692509024600066.
[2] “UN council backs new chief of UN mission,” Arab News, January 31, 2019, http://www.arabnews.com/node/1444746/middle-east.
[3] “Somali military official shot dead in Mogadishu,” Radio Shabelle, January 31, 2019, http://radioshabelle.com/somali-military-official-shot-dead-in-mogadishu/; and “Somali Islamists claim to have killed senior military official in Mogadishu,” Mareeg, January 31, 2019, https://mareeg.com/31/01/2019/somali-islamists-claim-to-have-killed-senior-military-official-in-mogadishu/.
[4] Harun Maruf, Twitter, January 30, 2019, https://twitter.com/HarunMaruf/status/1090696531156652032.
[5] “Al Shabaab degraded by U.S., Federal Government of Somalia,” U.S. Africa Command, January 31, 2019, https://www.africom.mil/media-room/pressrelease/31469/al-shabaab-degraded-by-u-s-federal-government-of-somalia.
[6] “Curfew, ban on public gathering imposed in Somali region after death of two at religious festival,” Addis Standard, January 31, 2019, https://addisstandard.com/news-curfew-ban-on-public-gathering-imposed-in-somali-region-after-death-of-two-at-religious-festival/.
[7] “Sudan’s army says it will ‘not allow the state to fall’ amid protests,” Reuters, January 31, 2019, https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/africa/Sudan-army-says-it-will-not-allow-state-to-fall/4552902-4959376-ouobv7/index.html.
