Somalia

Somalia: Farmaajo's ally sneaks into Kismayo a few weeks after his expulsion MOGADISHU, Somalia - A senior adviser to President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo eventually infiltrated Kismayo, the regional administrative capital of Jubaland, from where he was expelled a few weeks ago for claiming he wanted to rig the elections. Abdi Ali Rage arrived in Mogadishu on Monday, a new move that could spark…

British ambassador to Somalia under fire for suspending project MOGADISHU, Somalia - An unexpected intervention by British Ambassador to Somalia Kate Foster to end a critical halfway road project infuriates local communities in Galmudug and raises accusations of regional bias. The Galkayo to Hobyo road project enjoyed strong community and donor support and aimed to improve connectivity. So far,…

NAIROBI, Kenya - Ethnic and political skirmishes in Ethiopia have taken on another dimension, after Tuesday's clashes in the town of GarbaIssa in the Somali region, something could further hamper peacemaking processes in the Horn of Africa nation . According to reports from the BBC Somali Service, fighting broke out in the town of the Sitti zone of the Somali region between herders and militias from the Afar region. The battle comes a day after the Somali regional state said it would protect its residents of the city on…

The European Union cuts Kenya's military funding in Somalia NAIROBI, Kenya - The European Union has cut off Kenya's defense forces Somalia's budget by nearly half, giving further indication of the imminent exit of AMISOM troops from the Horn of Africa nation, which still grapples with the threat of Al-Shabaab. This will pave the way for the exit of FDK troops serving in AMISOM, and subsequent…

US salutes ANS forces in Al-Shabaab war in Somalia MOGADISHU, Somalia - United States applauded efforts of Somali National Army in the fight against Al-Shabaab militants, adding that the force has stepped up its operations in the country, further reducing the operations of the Al-Qaida-linked group. Lloyd Austin, who is the defense secretary, said the airstrikes targeting Al-Shabaab in recent…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble is traveling to London where he will participate in the London Global Education Summit which will open on July 28. In London, Prime Minister Roble is due to meet President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya. In May, Uhuru invited Roble to visit Somalia, but the plan has yet to be updated due to the difficult elections in Somalia. According to the British Mission in Kenya, President Uhuru Kenyatta and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street in…

Somali army steps up operations against al-Shabaab after attacks MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somali national army has stepped up its operations against Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia, focusing on the southern and central regions, where they have waged a charm offensive over the past three months. State media, citing military officials, reported that at least 13 militants were killed in the operation…

The election, which was due to begin this Sunday according to the official calendar, has not started despite a political crisis that shook Somalia for several months. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's term expired on February 8, resulting in violent clashes in Mogadishu in April. In early May, in a gesture of appeasementthe President delegated the organization of the vote to his Prime Minister. A shop was then found between the federal government and semi-autonomous regions. An agreement that had resulted in an…

Elections in Somalia "delayed", said a spokesman for the federal government, Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimu without leaving any details. The election would begin on Sunday after months of political crisis in the deeply unstable Horn of Africa country, officials told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Indirect parliamentary and presidential polls were to open on July 25 with a four-day vote for the upper house by state delegates. The election cycle was to end with a presidential poll on 10 October. "Even if the…

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is "an accomplice in the torture of a Briton in Somalia" LONDON - A British citizen has claimed to have been tortured in Somalia and questioned by US intelligence agents, fearing that controversial post-9/11 “war on terror” practices are still being used. The 45-year-old from London alleges he suffered a balaclava, sensory deprivation and waterboarding at the…