East Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Al-Qaeda ally in Somalia, Al-Shabab claims to have publicly executed two men on Friday afternoon accused of spying for a regional intelligence agency and a soldier in the Hiran region, in the center of the country. The terror group announced the killings on its affiliated online media, claiming they were carried out by a firing squad in a public square in the strategic town of Buq Aqable, an al-Shabaab stronghold in the state. federal government of HirShabelle. The two men - Abas Mohamed accused of…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's parliament votes today on an electoral deal reached between President Farmajo and the leaders of the country's federal states on September 17 in Mogadishu following discussions under pressure from the US embassy. The political deal is expected to gain support from MPs in both lower and upper houses, with sources indicating that First Vice President Abdiweli Mudey is against the pact and is campaigning for the amendment. If the deal passes, the government, together with the federal…

Paul Rusesabagina, the polarizing hero from the hit film "Hotel Rwanda", admitted in a court in Kigali on Friday that he had helped form an armed group, but denied any role in its crimes. Rusesabagina is famous for his portrayal of Don Cheadle in the 2004 film, in which a moderate hutu is shown saving hundreds of lives in a luxury hotel during the 1994 genocide, leaving about 800,000, mostly Tutsi, dead. However, a more complex picture has emerged since he appeared in Kigali under arrest under mysterious circumstances…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The United Nations has welcomed the appointment of Mohamed Hussein Roble as the new Prime Minister of the federal government of Somalia, which has struggled with stability, over 30 years after the ouster of military leader Siad Barre, who ruled the country for two decades. In July, the Somali parliament fired Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, claiming that after months of negotiations, he had not prepared for a one-person-one vote. Khaire served in the office for three years, the longest period ever…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia-based Al-Shabaab militants on Wednesday attacked a base occupied by the National Intelligence Security Agency , officials said in a statement in the recent raid, which still shows the group's ability to launch sophisticated operations against the government. Al-Shabaab has struggled to overthrow the fragile UN-backed Somalia government, which has been under siege for the past few years, but their efforts have often been thwarted by security forces. Al-Shabaab announced allegiance to Al-Qaeda…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - At least one person was killed in Somalia on Wednesday, reports show, after a massive explosion on the outskirts of Afgoye city, located 30 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu, the still bustling Somali capital that has been the center of al-Shabaab attacks in the recent years. Police reports indicate that a grenade was thrown at a pet market on Wednesday by suspected Al-Shabaab militants, leading to the death of a person, in an incident that further questions the country's preparedness in the fight…

BAIDOA, Somalia - Relations between Puntland and Southwest received a major boost on Wednesday after Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni visited his counterpart Abdiaziz Lafta-Gareen, who has been in charge for the past few years in the southern Somali federal state. On Wednesday and in the company of senior officials, Deni, who has been at the helm since 2019, arrived in Baidoa, the regional administrative capital of the Southwest, and was received by senior officials waiting for him at the airport. This is the…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire has continued his "diplomatic" missions across the country, more than 50 days after he was unusually hounded from office, following disagreements with Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who was accused of constructing his ouster. Khaire, who served as prime minister for longer than any of his predecessors, was ousted from parliament, citing, among other things, the failure to implement the one-on-one election model backed by several international…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo held a closed-door meeting with federal government on Tuesday just hours after the international community expressed 'regret' over Somali leaders' failure to achieve the one-man-goal after talks with Mogadishu. The leaders had reached a compromise on the controversial election issue, a step that effectively ended the uncertainty surrounding Somalia's upcoming elections, but the gesture from the international community shows directly that something extra…

DHUSAMAREB, Somalia - Somalia-based Al-Shabaab militants have renewed efforts to recapture the historic city of Dhusamareb, the regional administrative capital of Galmadug, top officials said after the recent failed raid in the eastern part of the city, which was met by opposition from government forces. . In the last few months, the Somali National Army has AU mission troops and the US-African Command have been fighting to remove the militants from central and southern Somalia, which have long been under the…