East Africa

ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopia has filed terrorism charges against a prominent media mogul and opposition politician from the Oromo ethnic group, Jawar Mohammed, the Attorney General's Office said on Saturday. Jawar, the founder of the Oromiya Media Network and a member of the Oromo Federalist Congress party, was arrested in June amid widespread unrest following the assassination of popular Oromo musician Haacaaluu Hundeessaa. Jawar and 22 other activists, including Oromo opposition leader Bekele Garba, face charges of…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Somali National Army Troops have been warned about the misuse of firearms across the country, following new reports of increasing cases of violence by military men, which have raised questions about the relationship between civilians and security forces. Chief of the Military Court Colonel Hassan Ali Nor fired warning against SNA troops as he visited the contingent serving in Balad-Hawo in the Gedo region just inside the Kenya-Somalia border. The troops have been guarding the city since…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia-based Al-Shabaab militants have for the first time released photos allegedly of a U.S. drone that crashed into their stronghold while on a surveillance mission, sending a stern warning to the military about the operations being carried out against them in the country. For several months, soldiers have been attached to the Somali National Army , the troops of the African Union mission and the US African Command have conducted operations against the militants, especially in the Shebelle…

KISMAYO, Somalia - A top Kenya defense force Commander-in-Chief on Thursday held a closed door meeting with a section of the Somali National Army management serving in the unstable Gedo region just months after reported differences between the two security teams. Earlier this year, SNA troops accused the KDF team of supporting Jubaland forces, leading to an altercation in the town of Balad-Hawo on the common border between Kenya and Somalia. Hundreds of residents were displaced during clashes. But African Union…

NAIROBI, Kenya - Kenya police arrested 12 Somali nationals in the northeastern city of Garissa on Saturday, a senior police chief confirmed, and they will be arrested in court for explaining the motive behind their trip to the East African country without proper documentation. The 12 foreigners are said to have sneaked across the porous border without valid documentation, the official said in an incident that raises questions about the country's effectiveness in managing the borders, which has been an elephant in…

JOWHAR, Somalia - A regional minister was assassinated by unknown assailants in Somalia on Thursday night, senior officials confirmed in the latest wave of violence targeting security forces and state officials, usually constructed by the infamous Al-Shabaab militants. Nur Hashi Abdulle was killed on the spot by unknown assailants as he left the mosque in Jowhar, the regional administrative capital of the state of HirShabelle, in what analysts condemned as security lapses, which could further raise questions among…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A plane registered in Kenya crashed at Aden Adde International Airport on Saturday morning, Somali authorities said, adding that the plane had taken off before crashing inside the airport zone, in an incident that added rising aviation accidents in Somalia. Reports show that two of the four crew members were seriously injured, but they have since been stabilized at a Mogadishu hospital. The plane is owned by Silverstone Airlines, an aviation advertising company operating in East Africa, an…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's main opposition groups have welcomed a pre - election agreement signed on Thursday by a number of stakeholders, further closing a growing gap that could have derailed efforts to restore peace and stability in the Horn of Africa. Interestingly, the agreement was only signed by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, five regional leaders, and Mogadishu Mayor Omar Filish, who convened the conference. The opposition team was not invited to the dialogue, which was also endorsed by the…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia will now go to the polls starting in November this year, a section of senior stakeholders said on Thursday, weeks after a series of meetings in Dhusamareb and Mogadishu, mediated by members of the international community and local actors, amid simmering political tensions. Initially, deep suspicions among the political elites had literally stopped the dialogue, with federal states and the opposition accusing President Farmajo of devising a strategy to extend his term after approving the…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo nominated Mohamed Hussein Roble for a substantial prime minister almost 56 days after the unprecedented removal of Hassan Ali Khaire, who has since declared interest in the country's presidency, effectively ending the long wait. Khaire, an oil leader, was ousted from office in which critics related to endless political conflicts in Somalia, with sources suggesting that his pressure for timely elections may have cost him his job. The former Prime…