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.

June 19, 2015

Yemen: UN-led Yemeni peace talks ended with a failure to reach a ceasefire agreement or a political settlement

Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab militants attack a government base in Mogadishu; al Shabaab releases statement on June 11 attack in Bay region

Yemen Security Brief

  • UN-led Yemeni peace talks dissolved today with a failure by the delegations of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government and the al Houthi movement to agree upon a ceasefire arrangement or a political settlement to end the conflict. Additionally, UN envoy Ismail Ould Sheikh Ahmed stated that a ceasefire arrangement must be agreed upon and implemented before another round of talks are scheduled.[1][2]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

  • Local reporting indicates that al Shabaab militants attacked a Somali armed forces base in Huriwa district, Mogadishu, overnight on June 18th.  The Somali government has yet to comment on the attack, and the number of causalities is unknown.[4]
  • Al Shabaab’s media arm, al Kataib, released a statement on the group’s June 11 attack on an Ethiopian African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) convoy in Bay region. The statement includes images from the attack and claims al Shabaab militants killed 60 Ethiopian troops and destroyed 13 vehicles.[5]
 
[1] “Yemeni foreign minister says no ceasefire agreed, blames Houthis” Reuters, June 19, 2015. Available: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/19/us-yemen-security-minister-idUSKBN0OZ1O320150619
[2] “U.N. says wants ceasefire in Yemen before return to talks” Reuters, June 19, 2015. Available: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/19/us-yemen-security-talks-ceasefire-idUSKBN0OZ1XY20150619 
[4] “Al Shabaab gunmen attack Somali base,” Live from Mogadishu, Twitter, June 17, 2015. Available https://twitter.com/Daudoo/status/611802098154479616
[5]“Shabaab claims to have killed dozens of Ethiopian troops in Southern Somalia,” Somaliweyn, June 18, 2015. Available: http://somaliwayn.org/?p=20040  
“Al Shabaab releases photos of last week’s attack,” Live from Mogadishu, Twitter, June 19, 2015. Available: https://twitter.com/Daudoo/status/611876359296696321
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