Armies of Liberation

One escapes. Why don’t the drug dealers or tribesmen ever escape prison?

YP An Al-Qaeda suspect escaped from an Aden hospital, with reports suggesting an unknown group could have infiltrated into the hospital and helped him escape. Amin Al-Sayed was arrested along with four other terrorist suspects last week, and was hospitalized at the BaSuhaib military hospital. Last week, the authorities announced the arrest of almost ten Al-Qaeda suspects in Abyan and Hadramout, amid the continuous hunt for and large-scale operations against AQAP militants, mainly in southern, southeastern and eastern regions.

Yemen Post: A Yemeni court specialized in the cases of terrorism in Hadramout sentenced four suspected Al-Qaeda militants between three to five years in prison. (Read on …)

Very interesting, I’ve been waiting for more Sudan/Yemen news after the Yemeni fishing boat exploded in Sudanese waters and the Yemeni small plane crashed after take-off in the Sudan.

Cars waiting to take them to the Saudi border is well coordinated, indicates good communication and, for human trafficking to Yemen, elaborate. Landing is not the norm. Often the poor refugees get dumped from the boat and swim to shore; no one is waiting. Landing on the islands I think is new also. I wonder what the boats are taking back? Drugs, guns, diesel? Article is from the Yemen Observer:

Yemen’s Medi Island of Hajjah province close to the Saudi borders has become a new passing point for African refugees to the Gulf countries. The past few days witnessed the arrival of large groups said that an anonymous groups of African refugees from different nationalities-Nigerians, Sudanese, Chadian.

The Red Sea has become also the new passing through point for African refugees after it was only confined to Somalis and their fatal trips in the Gulf of Aden.

Yemen’s Coastguards have captured more than 500 Africans while attempting to sneak into the lands of Saudi Arabia. The coastguards also have captured 110 African refugees in the Medi Island after thie arrival on a smuggling boat. Sources at the coastguards said that there were several cars that were waiting for them to carry them to Hardh district located at the Saudi borders to smuggle them into Saudi Arabia. (Read on …)

OK lets get the deisel smuggling out of the way- daily shipments from Yemen to Africa of government subsidized diesel. (Related: Daily Star: US Navy rescues 52 stranded Somalis.)

The much bigger issue is the exploding fishing boat. Its unclear that any missile hit it at this point; its could have been laden with explosives or carrying an aged gas canister and blew up accidentally. Its important for the international fleet to remain vigilant about the danger of maritime terror attacks in the Gulf of Aden. There is good reason to assume a defensive position after the USS Cole bombing (and the later Limburg). The sailors on the Cole waved at the approaching boat; the Navy cannot repeat that mistake, especially now when its easy to be desensitized by having dealt with the Somali pirates for a year or more. The rules of engagement should not allow hapless lost Yemeni fishermen to approach military vessels, blame it on al Badawi.

A statement from al Qaeda Central called for naval jihad (May 26 2008), the October one by a Yemeni forecast a major event around Somalia. The links between AQAP in Yemen and al Shabab go back to the ICU and before. Its a predictable scenario that AQAP would attempt to outdo the Cole bombing when the waters are full of such tempting targets. And I don’t necessarily mean al Wahishi.

Why Yemeni fishermen are near the Sudan is another question. The Yemeni flight school for small planes that flies back and forth between Yemen and Sudan is something, what I don’t know. Its could be normal criminal smuggling activity, spotters for pirates or something entirely innocuous.
Yemen Post

Two Yemeni fishermen were killed and one was injured while the fate of a fourth one is still unknown after their boat came under an aggressive assault by one of the international naval ships patrolling the Red Sea near Sudan on Tuesday.

A source at the Coast Guard said Abdu Marwani and Muhammad Naj’e were killed immediately after their boat was totally destroyed by a missile which some suspect was an air strike. Sources at Yemen’s navy said it probably came from sea.

While the third fisherman made it to Sudanese coast and is now in critical condition. The fishermen came from the Midy area, Hajjah before their boat was hit near Sudan’s waters.

A coordinated investigation by Yemen and Sudan is underway to explore reasons for the attack.

Meanwhile, director of the Midy district Abdul Majeed Al-Himyari dismissed reports a Yemeni boat was attacked in Yemen’s territorial waters, saying the incident took place while the boat was in Sudan’s territorial waters. He told the media the survivor is being investigated by Sudan.

Tuesday’s attack comes in a series of attacks against Yemeni fishing boats by international forces patrolling the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Early this year, two Yemeni sailors were killed as their boats came under separate attacks by international troops in the Indian Ocean. Few others were hurt, with troops saying they suspected the boats were for pirates and then hit them.

And this month, the Interior Ministry said a Yemeni boat was provoked, with NATO’s mission in the region intimidating its crew.

The area where the boat was hit on Tuesday is witnessing large fuel smuggling, with eyewitnesses affirming boats smuggle diesel to African Horn States daily.

Yemen Post: Two Yemeni pilots died when a training airplane crashed in northwestern of the Sudanese city of Bur Sudan, Sudan’s Civil Aviation Authority reported. (Read on …)

al-Motamar

- The leaders of Sana’a Coalition have on Tuesday confirmed their full commitment to work for achieving security, peace and sustainable development the Horn of Africa region and in south of the Red Sea and solving disputes in peaceful ways.

In the closing statement issued by Sana’a Gathering 6th summit on Tuesday the leaders of the Gathering welcomed invitation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh to host the 7th summit in the Yemeni capital Sana’a.

The closing statement of Sana’a Gathering held in the Sudanese capital Khartoum emphasized the necessity of enhancing and developing the level of cooperation between the Gathering member states in all areas. The summit was attended by President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, the Prime Minister of Somalia Nur Hassan Hussein, the President of Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh who participated as observer. (Read on …)

Yemen uses Sudanese lands

[03 April 2008]
SANA’A, April 03 (Saba) – An official delegation is set to head next week for Sudan to discuss with Sudanese officials the executive steps of a Yemeni project for using Sudanese lands to plant wheat.

The weekly 26september paper said that the delegation will include officials from the ministry of Industry and Trade as well as businessmen.

The talks will focus on the details of the project aimed at planting wheat in the Sudanese lands to satisfy Yemen’s demand of this basic foodstuff.

The project comes within the developed Yemeni-Sudanese cooperation and amid the government efforts to diversify the resources of producing wheat whose price has recently soared.

It is noteworthy, the Sudanese government welcomed the idea and pledged to help Yemen to implement the project successfully.

????

(Excuse me if I think something may be up here. The recent weapons to Somalia were delivered by government aircraft. I get a little skeptical at claims of outright altruism.)

26 Sept
Yemeni plane have been arrived to Chad before last hours carrying aids and relief materials, while another plane will head to Sudan during coming few hours carrying relief materials and aids for the affected by the current events as a result of war erupted between the two countries.

The two planes included foodstuff, medical materials, clothes, etc. as expression of Yemeni people’s feelings towards the refugees in those areas to mitigate their suffers as a result of armed clashes sparked between the two countries.

Almotamar.net – Oil and minerals undersecretary Abdumalik Alama reveled Wednesday that Yemen has recently signed contracts with the Emirates Company of Al-Thani to carry out excavation work for gold in Wadi Binna and Kindy Mountain Company in Hajah governorate.

Alama told almotamar.net there are number of Arab and foreign companies that have shown their readiness to invest in oil sector among them the Kuwaiti Kopic and the Emirates Midas adding that was of the results of the investment opportunities conference held in the mid of this year.

He added that miming agreements have been signed with other companies for the excavation of lead and zinc from mines situated to the east of Sana’a. He pointed out there are indicators on possibility of discovery of new oil fields in the near future and consequently there will be investment in them.

On the question of Aden Refinery company privatization the undersecretary affirmed that the file has been closed for good because it was rejected by the parliament as it is being a sovereignty and strategic company.

ADEN, Aug. 15 — The Aden Refineries Company and the Sudanese

Ministry of Energy and Mining signed last Tuesday a minute of

cooperation in training the two countries’ cadres in fields of gas,

refining oil, and earthquake monitoring, serving the economical interests of both countries.

The two sides agreed also on having joint conferences, exchanging

technical proficiencies and visits, as well as benefiting from the countries’ experiences in this view.

The Deputy Minister of Oil and Minerals Abdul Malik Alamah and the Undersecretary of Energy and Mining Ministry Hamad Abdul-Qader Al-Nile signed the minute.

According to a report for the Yemen times, Alamah said that the agreement on this minute happened since the end of the second course, which held in Sana’a between Yemen and Sudan in the petroleum fields.

The Oil Ministry is serious in modernization Aden refinery for about $24-40 millions, he added. “We had, in the second course, clear and determined fields for the cooperation as well as the mechanisms of the implementation. We expect reaching clear and practical things in oil fields.” Al-Nile confirmed.

“The points of meeting between Yemen and Khartoum are that the old Bor Al-Sudan refinery and Aden refinery are from the same kind. But, Aden refinery has specific aims, where as Bor Al-Sudan refinery is stopped now”, he clarified

“The reason is, first and foremost, we wanted to establish a refinery, which fulfills the internal requirements. Now we are about to establish a refinery for exportation. Aden refinery produces internally and we hope to start with new and big units and to establish a new refinery which can export the products oversees”, Al-Nile stated.

He concluded his statement with saying that his visit to Yemen was completely successful, calling upon the implementation of agreement.