crackdown

MINNEAPOLIS — The corridors of Karmel Mall, usually a hive of bargaining and chatter, were hushed on a recent afternoon. Steel shutters rolled down over rows of storefronts. A bakery still perfumed the air with fried dough, the central heating hummed, and low recitations from the Quran drifted from a few open doorways. Mostly, though, vendors waited alone. “It’s been like this for three weeks now,” said Abdi Wahid, who works at his mother’s convenience store inside the sprawling Somali business complex in south Minneapolis.…

Iran protests subside under sweeping crackdown and internet blackout as Reza Pahlavi vows return TEHRAN — Mass protests that erupted across Iran a week ago have largely subsided under a sweeping security crackdown and a nationwide internet blackout, monitors said, even as opposition figure Reza Pahlavi urged fresh demonstrations and declared he would return to the country. The latest unrest began Dec. 28 with a shutdown in Tehran’s historic bazaar amid mounting economic grievances, then swiftly widened into the largest…

MINNEAPOLIS — The takedown happened in seconds: masked federal agents sprinting toward a 20-year-old Somali American as he stepped from a restaurant, forcing him through a doorway and pinning him against a metal gate. “Why are you running?” one demanded in the bystander video, despite footage showing he had stopped. Moments later, as snow gathered on his jacket, an arm slid around his neck and he was shoved into an unmarked gray SUV while neighbors shouted that he is a citizen. The man, who asked to be identified as Mubashir…

GAROWE, Somalia — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni has offered condolences to families of those killed in days of violent protests in Borama and urged dialogue after North Western State of Somalia security forces opened fire on residents demonstrating against the planned launch of the Xeer Ciise book. “I express my condolences for the violence that occurred in Borama that resulted in deaths. It was truly an inappropriate matter. I call for a solution to be sought for everything without resorting to violence,”…

MOGADISHU — The commander of the Banadir Regional Police Force, Mahdi Omar Mumin, on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to tighten security across Mogadishu as residents report a surge in mobile phone robberies and attacks by armed bandits, authorities said. Senior police officers briefed Mumin on recent security incidents reported in multiple districts and outlined both ongoing and planned operations aimed at curbing robberies — with an emphasis on mobile phone thefts carried out by armed groups. The session assessed…

Egypt’s campaign against online creators exposes a new front in the fight over free expression In the last weeks Egyptian authorities have detained and charged dozens of people who make videos, run social accounts or otherwise produce content for the internet, according to Human Rights Watch. The accusations are striking not for their specificity but for their vagueness — a range of crimes from “public morals” violations to “undermining family values” — and for whom they appear to be aimed at: a generation that came of age…

In Rwanda, the internet and social networks are now in the sights of the authorities. In its latest report, published today, Wednesday, March 16, 2022, Human Rights Watch once again condemns the harassment of bloggers and youtubers.…

NAIROBI, Kenya - Hundreds of Tigrayans have reportedly been detained in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, amid the conflict between the Tigrayan defense forces. and the federal government takes on a new dimension, probably at increasing levels. In a detailed report released by Reuters, police have been on the run, targeting innocent Tigray civilians, since the Ethiopian National Defense Forces lost Mekelle, the regional administrative capital of Tigray. The detentions in the Ethiopian capital are the third wave…

US slows down al-Shabaab crackdown in Somalia amid upsurge in terrorist attacks MOGADISHU, Somalia - For seven months, the United States slowed down operations against Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, in a strategy widely criticized by local actors, who believe that US Africa Command's efforts were still needed to eradicate them. activists. On January 19, an American plane opened fire on a…

US military equips Danab forces amid al-Shabaab crackdown MOGADISHU, Somalia - The US military handed over armored vehicles to Danab's special forces, which carried out operations against Al-Shabaab militants in central and southern Somalia, which ended earlier this week ahead of the next phase . For years, the United States has been a crucial security partner in the fight against al-Shabaab,…