East Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Even with the deepening political crisis in Somalia, United States envoy to Somalia Donald Yamamoto met the leaders of Jubaland and Northeastern State on Sunday as he tried to remove the current dead end that threatens both the country's security and stability. After President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has been ousted, the country is struggling against time to get new leaders in place, but the political class has failed to agree on certain important issues, leading to the current stalemate. Last…

A boat carrying 60 migrants capsized off the coast of Djibouti in eastern Africa, causing 34 migrants to drown, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday, during what was the second migratory drowning incident that occurred over a two-week period. Survivors reported that the boat capsized in the rough sea around 4 o'clock (afternoon GMT) after leaving Yemen with about 60 passengers on board, an IOM official in Djibouti told Agence France-Presse (AFP) and asked not to be named.…

Two months before the legislative and municipal elections in Ethiopia, tensions are not diminishing. In March, clashes between Amhara and Oromo, the country's two main ethnic groups, left more than 300 dead, according to figures from a federal official. The violence affected two areas from the Amhara region North Shewa and the north of the country. It is the attack on an imam in front of a mosque in Oromo's special zone that would have triggered these gatherings between communities, according to a local official, Endale…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The political crisis in Somalia could degenerate into a serious security threat following the recent involvement of the police in the fierce struggle for power control and now lead to the innocent dismissal of Mogadishu police chief Sadak John. In a statement from the state media, General Abdi Hassan Mohamed Hijar, the country's police chief, fired Sadak moments after the latter "suspended" parliamentary session scheduled for Monday, which is slated to tackle the "national election" crisis. General…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - In one of the unprecedented moves, Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble on Sunday swapped his cabinet amid a continuing stalemate that has unleashed uncertainty in Somalia's political landscape in recent months. The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Duran Farah, swapped positions with the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, Mohamed Salat, but strangely enough, no reason has been given for the changes of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo's outgoing government. But sources have told…

MOGADISHU, Somalia | Somalia's lower house is coming together again today in the midst of an ongoing stalemate with the national election debate as one of the topics in the order paper, as the international community continues to put pressure on the country's leadership. For the fifth time, the international community called on all stakeholders to find an urgent solution to the current stalemate, arguing that it would be appropriate for political leadership to find a solution for the sake of stability and peace in the…

NAIROBI, Kenya - As part of their propaganda campaigns, Al-Shabaab militants have now recommended the use of honey and black seeds in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, although the world is striving to improve some of the vaccines that have been approved by the World Health Organization. Somalia is one of the countries fighting to contain the virus, a move that has forced the authorities to revise some of the public restrictions as a mitigating measure to the raging pandemic. Thousands have been infected with…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Federal Government of Somalia has admitted that the death of Hodan Governor Abdihakim Dhagajuun was planned by government insiders in a report concluding the debate on the tragic death of the victim, who was loved within the Banadir region. Abdihakim Dhagajuun, whose duties were mainly about security, was shot in January this year by police officers and raised questions about security in the capital Mogadishu, which is the hub of the country’s socio-economic and political landscape. The…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - For over nine months now, several meetings have been held in the Federal Republic of Somalia over forthcoming elections that could determine the future of the nation of Horn of Africa, which has been fighting for decades. Since 1991, there have been genuine efforts to find a lasting solution that includes the creation of both the Transitional Government and later the Federal Government, with the international community credited for these impressive gains. But the last few months have been tough for…

NAIROBI, Kenya - Abuse of human rights prominent in the latest report from the State Department as the United States poked holes in the abuse of the rule of law by the federal government in Somalia and to some extent Al-Shabaab militants. For years, Somalia has struggled to impress the international community on issues of freedom and human rights, with journalists, activists and even innocent civilians being the most affected groups, something that has caused concern among stakeholders. But in the report, National…