Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has revealed that the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) lost 54 soliders in an attack late last month by Al-Shabaab militants. The Commander In Chief was speaking at a retreat for NRM leaders ongoing in Kyankwanzi. The 54 dead included the base …
Read More »Time to get out of Somalia
Why UPDF, the AU and Western powers should let Al Shabab take over power in Somalia THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Last week, Al Shabab militants made a devastating attack on a UPDF base in Somalia. They claimed to have killed 138 of our soldiers and taken many more hostage. …
Read More »Somalia says army kills over 3,000 al-Shabab militants in 6 months
Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua | Somalia said more than 3,000 al-Shabab militants have been killed and 3,700 more sustained injuries since the government started a military operation against the terror group six months ago. The Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism said some 70 towns and villages which were under al-Shabab have …
Read More »EU approves 116 mln USD to boost security in Somalia
Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua | The European Union has approved 110 million euros (about 116.6 million U.S. dollars) for stabilization efforts in Somalia battling al-Shabab terrorists across the country. The EU said it will add 90 million dollars to the resources already mobilized for African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) for …
Read More »Somalia kills 200 al-Shabab militants in week-long onslaught
Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua | Over 200 al-Shabab militants were killed during a week-long operation carried out by the Somali National Army (SNA) and regional forces in the south and central regions of Somalia, officials said on Wednesday. The latest onslaught against the al-Qaeda-linked militants had paid off, amid mass …
Read More »12 al-Shabab militants killed in Somalia air strike
Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua | An air raid carried out by troops including those from Somali National Army (SNA) killed 12 al-Shabab militants in the central region, the allied forces said Sunday. The collective self-defense air strike, which was carried out Friday at the request of the Somali government, occurred …
Read More »African leaders agree on operational strategy to fight al-Shabab in Somalia
Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua | Four African leaders on Wednesday resolved to jointly plan a decisive operational strategy against al-Shabab and mobilize regional support for timely, decisive operations against the extremists in Somalia. Presidents Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, William Ruto of Kenya, Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh and Ethiopia’s Prime …
Read More »African defense ministers convene meeting to boost stabilization efforts in Somalia
ATMIS is the largest peace support mission in Africa and has been mandated by both the African Union and the United Nations to reduce the threat posed by the al-Shabab and support peace and reconciliation efforts toward a secure and stable Somalia Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua | African ministers of …
Read More »Lessons for Uganda from Afghanistan
It is now time to allow Al Shabab take over power in Somalia and form a government THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | It is almost two years since the United States withdrew from Afghanistan with its tail between its legs. This was in spite of spending $2.01 trillion on that …
Read More »Somalia closes militant group al-Shabab’s bank accounts
Mogadishu, Somalia | Xinhua | The Somali government said Saturday that it had closed 250 bank accounts belonging to al-Shabab to cut off the militant group’s funding sources. Additionally, 70 mobile money accounts of the militants were shut down as part of the government’s efforts to block their financial flow, …
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