Security efforts to close in on Al-Qaeda in Yemen have led to its members taking “temporary refuge” in Somalia, according to informed sources. The sources said that “between 15 and 20 Al-Qaeda members”, prominent leaders among them, left Yemen for Somalia through the south coast port of Mukalla in the first two weeks of March with the aid of unidentified “outside foreign elements.” The same Al-Qaeda members, the sources said, have issued orders from their new “temporary base” in Somalia to cells in Yemen telling them to “freeze activities”, cut off all communication and suspend all meetings until the end of June by when they expect Yemeni security campaigns to relax. The Houthi rebels, meanwhile, have recently taken up a name-change, now calling themselves “Ansar Allah” – the “Followers of Allah.” Analysts describe the move, news of which circulated via the Internet from the Houthis' website, as hinting at an intention to start a political party. Meanwhile, relatives of victims who died in air strikes in Abyan in December and which also claimed the life of Al-Qaeda leader Saleh Al-Kazami, are on the way to receiving compensation payments following a meeting Sunday chaired by the governor of the southern province. The meeting put in place procedures for identifying eligible recipients and payment measures.
