Two mounds of earth heaped over the little bodies of Halima Hassan Abdullahi’s twin grandchildren are encircled by hacked-off thorn branches. Ebla and Abdia were only alive for a day. Hunger-stricken, their mother gave birth to the twins a month early, eight weeks after their depleted family entered a displaced families camp in Dollow, Somalia. … Read more
Iran has arrested several prominent activists on what Human Rights Watch described on Friday as “baseless accusations” amid ongoing labor strikes and protests over rising prices. Citing news outlets close to Iran’s intelligence apparatus, HRW said the arrested are accused of “contact with suspicious foreign actors,” although no evidence was provided to back the claim … Read more
Human Rights Watch warned on Friday that US military personnel redeploying to Somalia must prioritize civilian protection. US Vice President Joe Biden signed an order on Monday reversing the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw nearly all 700 American soldiers from the East African state and redeploy them as part of a joint operation with the … Read more
Japan on Monday congratulated Somalia on electing Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as a new president and said it hopes Somalia will be able to make further progress in consolidating peace in the country. The foreign ministry in Tokyo said that in light of the 8th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8), which will be … Read more
After a landslide victory over President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, alias Farmaajo, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud became the first person to be elected president twice in Somalia’s young democracy. Both men advanced to the third round of what was likely the most contested election in the country’s history. It had more than 36 contestants. Mohamud, who is … Read more
Somalia’s newly elected president thanked US Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday for ordering the redeployment of American troops to the Horn of Africa country to combat the Al-Shabaab militant group. The move contradicts an order issued by Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, who withdrew nearly all US forces from Somalia in late 2020 as he … Read more
President Joe Biden has ordered the reestablishment of a US force presence in Somalia to assist local authorities in combating the Al-Shabaab insurgent group, A senior American official told reporters Monday Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, had ordered the withdrawal of nearly all US personnel from the East African country in late 2020 as he moved … Read more
Since the military administration of President Siad Barre fell in 1991, Somalia has been in disarray. A new president was elected about midnight on Sunday after a long process. His ouster was followed by a civil war and the rise of the Al-Shabaab Islamist group, which is linked to Al-Qaeda and tried to take over … Read more
Since the military administration of President Siad Barre fell in 1991, Somalia has been in disarray. A new president was elected about midnight on Sunday after a long process. His ouster was followed by a civil war and the rise of the Al-Shabaab Islamist group, which is linked to Al-Qaeda and tried to take over … Read more
The election of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who takes office amid months of political upheaval and faces issues such as a deadly insurgency and a terrible drought, was welcomed by Somalia’s international partners on Monday. Residents in the capital Mogadishu raced through the streets banging metal cans and fired guns into the air in celebration … Read more
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Somalia’s new president, is a former professor and peace campaigner whose first administration was marred by allegations of corruption and infighting. Sworn in after midnight on Sunday following a marathon vote by lawmakers, Mohamud is the first Somali president to win a second term. He has vowed to transform the troubled Horn of Africa … Read more
Parliamentarians in Somalia gathered on Sunday in a heavily defended airport hangar to elect a new president, a vote necessary to keep international help flowing to the poor country ravaged by three decades of civil conflict. According to observers, previous presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud were the frontrunners in a crowded field of … Read more
Somalia’s president faced up against his predecessor in long-overdue presidential elections on Sunday, as the country grapples with an Islamist insurgency and the threat of starvation. Explosions were heard close while MPs voted in a tent inside Mogadishu’s heavily-guarded airport complex, emphasizing the country’s dangerous security situation, which has seen an uptick in attacks by … Read more
Police in Somalia has announced a 33-hour curfew on the capital Mogadishu that will keep almost all residents at home during a presidential election by lawmakers on Sunday, in which incumbent leader Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed is seeking a second term. Police spokesperson Abdifatah Aden announced at a press conference on Saturday a full curfew in … Read more
Somali police declared a curfew in the capital Mogadishu on Saturday, citing security concerns as they prohibited all public activity except emergency services until Sunday’s long-delayed presidential election. Dozens of candidates are competing for the top job in the troubled Horn of Africa nation, which is fighting an Islamist insurgency and the threat of famine, … Read more
A violent Islamist insurgency, approaching starvation, political upheaval, and a threadbare economy in shambles await the winner of Somalia’s tense and long-overdue presidential election on Sunday. – Mend fences – Somalia’s political leaders squabbled over the election process, and the country’s troubled Horn of Africa country missed the deadline to pick a new leader in … Read more
Somalia will hold its long-awaited presidential election on Sunday, concluding months of delays, with the next leader facing significant problems such as an Islamist insurgency and a punishing drought that has caused starvation fears. Since February 2021, when President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed’s tenure expired without a fresh election, the fragile Horn of Africa country has … Read more
Somalia has registered a record of 39 candidates for the May 15 presidential elections, according to the parliamentary committee in charge of organizing the long-delayed polls in the fragile Horn of Africa nation. The election is well behind schedule and has been marred by deadly violence and a power struggle between President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, … Read more
The EU on Wednesday slammed a lethal Al-Shabaab jihadist attack on Burundi peacekeepers in Somalia and expressed help for the Africa Union (AU) task inside the united states of America. The European Union “strongly condemns the attack” completed Tuesday on an AU base in primary Somalia and voiced its condolences to the families of these … Read more
Burundi’s army announced Wednesday that ten Burundian peacekeepers were killed in an Al-Shabaab jihadist attack on an African Union (AU) post in Somalia on Tuesday. Twenty-five soldiers were also injured and five are missing while 20 Al-Shabaab militants were killed, it said in a statement. It was the first attack on a peacekeeping base since … Read more
Heavily armed Al-Shabaab jihadists stormed an African Union (AU) base in Somalia on Tuesday, triggering a fierce firefight that prompted an unknown range of casualties, a nearby military commander and witnesses said. AU forces dispatched helicopter gunships after the pre-dawn vehicle bomb and gun attack on a camp housing Burundian peacekeepers close to Cell Baraf, … Read more
Military authorities reported ten troops were killed and unknown others were injured in a roadside bomb in Somalia’s southern region early Saturday. According to the Somali National Army (SNA) Radio, the event occurred when a convoy of military trucks carrying troops ran over an improvised explosive device positioned on the route between the districts of … Read more
In a drawn-out process that ended in the early hours of Thursday, Somalia’s parliament chose a senior politician as speaker of the lower house, as the fragile country moves closer to conducting a postponed presidential election. The election has been delayed for more than a year, and the process has been plagued by fatal violence … Read more
An emergency service spokesman confirmed that six persons were killed in a bomb at a beachside restaurant in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu. Security and government personnel frequented the Pescatore Seafood Restaurant, which opened recently on the city’s south side. Smoke pouring from the scene of the incident is captured on video published to social … Read more
Twenty million humans are at risk of hunger this year as behind schedule rains worsen an already brutal drought in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, the UN warned Tuesday. A months-long drought has left the Horn of Africa at the verge of a humanitarian disaster, destroying crops and cattle and forcing massive numbers of humans to … Read more
Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for Monday’s mortar attack on parliament of Somalia, injuring at least six persons during a joint session. In the midst of a legislative session, explosions were heard. According to officials and eyewitnesses, many persons were hurt, but no elected officials were struck by shrapnel that fell in the guarded airport area … Read more
The Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab claimed credit for the mortar attack on Somalia’s parliament on Monday, as the country’s freshly elected parliamentarians met for only the second time since assuming office. Officials and a witness said several individuals were injured, but no MPs were killed, when six rounds of mortar shells fell near parliament … Read more
Somalia’s newly elected parliament convened for the primary time on Saturday, bringing the battle-ravaged state a step towards finishing the drawn-out procedure of appointing a new president. Elections in Somalia observe a complicated indirect model, whereby state legislatures and extended family delegates pick lawmakers for the country wide parliament, who in turn select the president. … Read more
