COMMENT: Providing security and fighting al-Shabaab isn’t enough – AMISOM can do much more in Somalia By Meressa K Dessu and Omar S Mahmood Addis, Ethiopia| ISSAFRICA| The mandate of the African Union (AU) Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) officially expires today, 31 May. Although the AU Peace and Security Council …
Read More »Islamic State group IS claims first suicide attack in Somalia, kills 5
IS claims first suicide attack in Somalia, kills 5 Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | The Islamic State group has claimed its first suicide attack in Somalia, which police said Wednesday killed five people at a checkpoint in the northeastern port city of Bosaso. The group’s self-styled news agency Amaq claimed the …
Read More »MUSEVENI: Somalia can heal completely and stand on its own
President Yoweri Museveni has said Somalia can heal completely and stand on its own feet if the country’s business class is supported, patriotic pan-Somalia political parties emerge and a truly national army is recruited and equipped. Museveni outlined eight key achievements brought about by the intervention of the African Union Mission to Somalia …
Read More »Somalia strikes new international pact to stabilise ravaged state
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Somalia struck a new stability pact with the international community on Thursday, aimed at steadying the fragile state by bolstering its security, staving off famine and rebooting its economy. New President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed hailed a “historic day for Somalia” after concluding the pact …
Read More »ANALYSIS: First US military death in Somalia since ‘Black Hawk Down’
Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | An American soldier has been killed in a night-time raid in Somalia, in what is believed to be the first US military death in combat there since the infamous events of “Black Hawk Down” 24 years ago. The death occurred three weeks after the US …
Read More »American soldier killed during Somalia operation against Shabaab
Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | An American soldier was shot dead and two others wounded in a night-time raid with Somali forces against Shabaab militants in Somalia, the US military said Friday. “On May 4, one US service member was killed during an operation against Al-Shabaab near Barii, Somalia, approximately …
Read More »CONFIRMED: US troops deployed to Somalia
‘A few dozen’ US troops deployed to Somalia: Pentagon Washington, United States | AFP | The United States is deploying “a few dozen” troops to Somalia to assist the national army and conduct unspecified security operations, a US military spokeswoman said Saturday. The soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division, a …
Read More »AU angry over EU direct payment of Burundi troops in Somalia
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The African Union has lashed the EU for saying it will pay Burundian peacekeepers in Somalia directly, rather than through their government, ostensibly to prevent the money being diverted to the regime in Bujumbura. In a statement issued late Friday after a meeting of its …
Read More »Ethiopia denies Somalia troop withdrawals linked to unrest at home
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopia on Wednesday denied that a string of withdrawals of troops from towns in Somalia were connected to the state of emergency declared in response to nearly a year of anti-government protests. Government spokesman Getachew Reda insisted the removal of troops from a string …
Read More »AU finally secures EU funding for Mission in Somalia
The AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has got a much needed boost, after the European Union signed a 15th contract to provide financial support to the African Union (AU) peace keeping mission. AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Ambassador Smail Chergui signed on Wednesday on behalf of the African Union. The EU is offering 178 …
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