Arusha, Tanzania | Xinhua | The 43rd ordinary meeting of the East African Community (EAC) Council of Ministers currently underway in Burundi will review a report of the verification mission on the admission of Somalia into the regional bloc. A statement issued on Monday by the EAC headquarters in Tanzania’s northern …
Read More »Return of IFAD gives Somalia hope
We will become food secure again, says President Muhamud Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Somalia might be on the brink of famine following five consecutive failed rainy seasons but President Hassan Sheikh Muhamud recently told the annual Governing Council of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) meeting in Rome …
Read More »UPDF recalls 4000 veterans for deployment in Somalia
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ugandan army, UPDF started the process of recalling veterans to help back up the soldiers deployed in Somalia as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission, ATMIS. The army on Wednesday issued a notice calling reservists to turn up for fresh training before deployment …
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 »Al-Shabaab is just a symptom
The causes of Somalia’s tragedy are still in place since the murder of President Abdirashid Sharmarke in in 1969 COMMENT | Abdi Ismail Samatar | For at least 14 years now, the militant group Al-Shabaab has terrorised the southern region of Somalia. Its ambition is to impose a tyrannical dictatorship over the …
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 »U.S. says operation in Somalia kills key ISIS leader
Washington, USA | Xinhua | A U.S. military operation killed a number of Islamic State (ISIS) members in Somalia on Wednesday, including a key leader of the extremist group, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday. Among those killed was Bilal-al-Sudani, “an ISIS leader in Somalia and a key facilitator for ISIS’s …
Read More »EAC launches verification mission to assess Somalia’s readiness to join bloc
Arusha, Tanzania | Xinhua | The East African Community (EAC) on Wednesday officially launched the verification mission to assess Somalia’s readiness to join the regional bloc of seven member states. A statement by the EAC headquarters in Tanzania’s northern city of Arusha said the verification team comprised of experts from the …
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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