By Kwanta Douglas – Kenya has said its policy on Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland has not changed, in spite of recent overtures by the region to seek global recognition as an independent entity. Instead, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo said, Nairobi considers Somalia one entity with federal regions under autonomous administrations. She spoke … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) on Sunday announced it no longer categorises an Ethiopian freedom movement as a terrorist organisation, rescinding a decision made more than four years ago. Mogadishu now says Ethiopia’s Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), labelled as a terrorist group since 2017, is no longer seen as such, … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – Somalia’s federal states have announced partial programmes to resume delayed parliamentary elections meant to fill up the House of the People, the country’s Lower House. Galmudug State, which had begun its polls then suspended them, announced that it would elect 21 more legislators in the coming days, according to a programme … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – Somalia has failed to meet its self-imposed electoral deadline even as international allies reprimanded President Mohamed Farmaajo for ‘overstepping’ his mandate on polls. According to The EastAfrican, hours after his December 27 suspension of powers of Prime Minister Hussein Roble, the US and partners scrambled to prevent what they saw as … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – Somalia’s regional neighbours have subtly endorsed Prime Minister Hussein Roble to steer elections following a public spat with President Mohamed Farmaajo. And neighbours Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Sudan joined calls to the country to complete its electoral programme as a long-term solution to incessant wrangling that re-emerged on Christmas Day. In … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Tuesday held talks with peace in Ethiopia and Somalia topping the agenda. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the telephone talks between the two leaders centred on regional security issues of mutual interest, “including the situations in Ethiopia … Read more
By Theodore Jones – Somalia’s President Mohamed Farmaajo has suspended his Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble from his position, raising the stakes in their worsening working relationship. In a statement issued by Villa Somalia, the official residence of the President, Farmaajo cited corruption for the move. It follows allegations of land grabbing linked to a parcel … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – Somalia’s Prime Minister, Hussein Roble, has urged the business community to cooperate with humanitarian measures to aid his countrymen who are suffering from the prolonged drought. “There are no words powerful enough to express my gratitude for the honorable role the business community has played in helping to alleviate the country’s … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – United Nations Humanitarian Agency said on Wednesday that, about 2.6 million people are affected by severe drought in 66 out of 74 districts across Somalia. Drought has displaced approximately 113,000 people across Somalia, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). “A shortage of safe and drinkable … Read more
At least five people were killed and 12 wounded in an explosion at a local market in the southern Somali town of Bardale killed on Friday, officials said. Local security officials told Radio Mogadishu that a remotely-controlled improvised explosive device (IED) suspected to have been planted by al-Shabab militants exploded at the market in the … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – Federal electoral commission of Somalia has ordered all regional poll supervisors to ensure that at least 30% of seats in the Lower House are filled by women. The federal agency also released a table in a letter to state electoral teams detailing the number of lawmakers each state will vote for … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – Despite calls from Mogadishu to take leadership of its own security reform, the UN Security Council approved a one-year extension of sanctions on Somalia on Monday night. Sanctions regime 751 on Somalia, which have been in effect for than 30 years and have been revised by succeeding resolutions, is extended by … Read more
Somalia and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched a center to monitor desert locusts in the country on Wednesday. The National Desert Locust Monitoring and Control Center, headquartered in Qardho in northeast Somalia, will function as the country’s early warning and control center for desert locusts. Said Hussein Iid, Somali Minister for … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – Somalia began electing legislators for the Lower House of Parliament on Monday, the next step in a long-delayed and tumultuous process leading up to a presidential election that has occasionally turned violent. The first two members of the 275-member lower house of the national parliament were elected in a heavily guarded … Read more
African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), a continental peacekeeping force, has denied involvement in the violence in Guri-el, Galmudug State, Central Somalia, which pitted local militias against government forces. Militias loyal to the moderate Islamist group Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa (ASWJ) have been fighting pro-government forces, which include Somali National Army (SNA) units and local … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – Fighting in Somalia’s Galmudug state between the Somali army and its former ally, the Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama’a militia, has killed 120 people in the last three days on Monday, as revealed by top ASWJ official. Analysts and locals are concerned that the conflict is detracting from the erstwhile partners’ joint … Read more
Somalia’s Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble announced that elections for members of the Lower House will begin next week. PM Roble stated on Sunday that Somaliland’s breakaway northern region will elect 46 lawmakers. He stated he had reached an agreement on holding elections with leaders of Somaliland political organizations in Mogadishu – Abdi Hashi Abdullahi, … Read more
The African Union says it will extend and expand its military operations against Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists in Somalia to include other member states, as its current mandate nears an end on December 31. The Horn of Africa nation has faced renewed instability in recent months, with long-running election delays and an ongoing row between its president … Read more
Despite a lack of interest in a section of the country that has declared independence, delegates from Somaliland’s northern region elected six senators to serve in the next Federal Parliament on Wednesday. The referendum, which took place in Mogadishu, saw 46 delegates from the region pick six legislators who will solidify Somalia’s control over Somaliland. … Read more
Somali military court has sentenced two foreigners to 15 years in prison each, having been found guilty of recruiting foreign nationals for the extremist group al-Shabab in Somalia. According to Radio Mogadishu, Hassan Ali Nur Shute, head of the Military Court in Mogadishu, Darren Anthony Byrness, a 44-year-old British man, and Ahmed Mustaqim Bin Abdulhamid, … Read more
US urged Somalia’s president and prime minister to address their “disagreement” on Monday in order to avoid further delaying the country’s electoral process, which is set to take place on October 10. In a statement, State Department spokesman Ned Price said, “Cooperation among Somalia’s leaders — particularly President Farmaajo and Prime Minister Roble — is … Read more
By Joseph Kubeka – Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed, urged on Somali political leaders on Sunday to avoid political strife that could jeopardize the country’s progress. Mohammed, who paid a one-day visit to Mogadishu, said Somalia’s ongoing electoral process had gained significant momentum, and he urged the country’s authorities to de-escalate … Read more
By Mbafan Ade – Even as a severe rivalry between him and the country’s president generated new anxieties for the fragile Horn of Africa nation, Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble told visiting UN diplomats on Sunday that Somalia’s long-delayed elections will go forward “as scheduled.” The public feud between Roble and President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, … Read more
African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a roadmap for achieving inclusive and sustainable development across the continent, has been ratified by Tanzania’s parliament. Tanzania joins roughly 42 of the 55 African Union (AU) states who have ratified the AfCFTA, which aims to raise intra-African trade by 52 percent by 2022 and abolish tariffs on 90% … Read more
Hundreds of families fled their houses in central Somalia’s Galmudug state on Tuesday after militant Islamist al-Shabaab overran an area and briefly controlled a military camp. Masud Warsame, a senior Somali officer, told dpa that 18 people were killed in a morning assault on an army station in Mudug province’s Amara district. After a suicide … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – At least two people were killed and five injured after a suicide bomber exploded a device inside a cafe in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Thursday, according to police and witnesses. The suicide bomber went after a tea store near a busy intersection in northern Mogadishu that was apparently frequented by … Read more
Somali government says a joint operation by army and local forces in the central regions have killed 25 Al-Shabaab fighters. According to a statement from the Ministry of Information, this came after fighting on Tuesday and Wednesday, which also saw the demise of five Galmudug State combatants allied to the federal government. “On our side, … Read more
Jubbaland state of Somalia has announced its first four senators to join the 11th Parliament of Somalia, as the country begins elections for representatives in the Upper House. Mr Ilyas Bedel Gabbose won first after defeating Mohamed Ahmed Sayid, 55 to 17 votes in an early race on Thursday. In the second seat, incumbent Abdullahi … Read more
In a meeting on Monday, EU foreign ministers are expected to formally authorize a military training mission to Mozambique as well as endorse sanctions on Lebanese authorities. In May, the bloc’s defence ministers agreed to send soldiers to Mozambique, which the foreign ministers are set to formalize now. According to the European Union’s foreign affairs … Read more
By Kwanta Douglas – After marathon talks that dragged for weeks, political leaders in Somalia have reached an agreement that if followed, could see elections holding in the troubled country in the Horn of Africa. The agreement, signed today by major stakeholders, is expected to make it possible for indirect elections to hold in the country … Read more