Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Coalition airstrike hits MSF hospital ; AQAP attacks al Houthis in al Bayda and Sana’a; UN Special Envoy discusses peace talks; al Houthi shelling kills residents in Najran, Saudi Arabia

Horn of Africa: SNA and AMISOM forces seize Luq, Gedo region; SNA and AMISOM forces launch assault on Golweyn, Gedo region; Somali Police Force and AMISOM’s police component announce increased night operations in Mogadishu, Banadir region

Yemen Security Brief

• A Saudi-led coalition airstrike hit a Médicines Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders (MSF) hospital in Sa’ada governorate, northern Yemen on October 26. The strike reportedly wounded several people and destroyed the facility.[1]

• Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) claimed credit for seven attacks on al Houthis in al Bayda and Sana’a governorates in central Yemen from October 23 to October 25. The claimed operations include improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, gunfire, and a grenade attack.[2]

• UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed announced plans for two weeks of peace talks between the Yemeni government led by President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the al Houthis, and the General People’s Congress (GPC). Initial meetings will not include face-to-face talks between the parties. The UN will lead preparatory talks with President Hadi’s government in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and with the al Houthis and the GPC in Muscat, Oman. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed said that UN Security Council Resolution will provide a framework for the negotiation of a ceasefire, the surrender of heavy weaponry, and the withdrawal of militias from major cities. Talks will also focus on humanitarian access, prisoner release, and an end to hostilities on the Saudi-Yemeni border.[3]

• Al Houthi shelling killed two foreign residents of Saudi Arabia and injured a Saudi citizen in Najran province, Saudi Arabia on October 27. Prior al Houthi shelling near the Saudi-Yemeni border has focused on Saudi military targets.[4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Joint Somali National Army (SNA) and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces attacked al Shabaab militants in Luq village, located within the Gedo region. The attack, which occurred on October 27, resulted in a clash that left casualties on both sides. Al Shabaab militants in the village fled the area to nearby settlements under their control, allowing SNA and AMISOM forces to secure the area.[5]

• Joint SNA and AMISOM launched an assault on Golweyn town in Gedo region. The assault began on October 26 and resulted in a large clash between military and al Shabaab forces. The outcome and casualty figures of the battle remain unknown.[6]

• Somali Police Force (SPF) and AMISOM’s police component announced that they intend to increase the number of night operations carried out in Mogadishu, Banadir region. The increased operations are meant to lower the amount of arms trafficked into the city, as well as prevent al Shabaab militants from sneaking in.[7]