The United States congratulates Djibouti's longtime strongman on re-election WASHINGTON, USA - The United States has praised Ismail Omar Guelleh for his re-election as president of Djibouti, a small Horn of Africa nation whose election ended last week, amid ongoing political instability in the region. Guelleh, who has been at the helm since 1999, scored a handsome majority after…

WASHINGTON, USA - The United States of America can, after all, reject the decision of the lower house of Somalia to extend the term of the current government, whose term expired on February 8 this year, leading to a state of political uncertainty and unprecedented stalemate. On Monday, the lower house under President Abdirahman Mursal voted in favor of extending the term, with 149 MPs supporting the proposal. This comes after the political leadership did not agree on the agenda of the Afisiyooni Center conference.…

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…

Int'l partners shoot warning against Somalia's political stakeholders MOGADISHU, Somalia - A section of members of the international community has sent a warning to Somalia's politicians following Wednesday's collapse of the Afisyoni conference, which was to address a number of challenges ahead of the country's elections. The Villa Somalia leadership had accused the federal states of…

NAIROBI, Kenya - The United States has promised to take the threats posed by Al-Shabaab seriously, adding that the security of its troops and allied forces in East Africa remains its top priority in line with its security arrangements. The US Africa Command and the French troops based in Djibouti have been threatened by Al-Shabaab militants who issued a stern warning through its leader Ahmed Omar alias Abu Ubaydah over the weekend. A spokesman, Colonel Christopher Karns, told VOA Somali that the US Africa Command is…

US offers $ 10 million For Hezbollah refugee over killing on Hariri WASHINGTON - The United States has offered a $ 10 million reward for information to locate or identify a refugee suspected of Hezbollah convicted of assassinating former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The State Department said it would offer the reward for "information leading to the location or…

Despite differences, optimism was recorded in Somalia's difficult political talks MOGADISHU, Somalia - There has been some optimism in Somalia's ongoing negotiations in Mogadishu, and the international community continues to put pressure on various actors who have pulled the country back and forth in the midst of stalemate before the election. Leaders from all member states, the…

Al-Shabaab calls for attacks on Djibouti to host Western interests MOGADISHU, Somalia - Al-Shabaab could carry out deadly attacks in Djibouti, the Horn of Africa, where the United States and France have unlimited influence ahead of the long-awaited election in the Red Sea country, which hosts the U.S. Africa Command Team. Ahmed Omar Abu Ubaydah accused Djibouti in the latest sound…

US General: Afghans need US troops to counter the Taliban Afghanistan's military forces need US assistance to successfully counter the Taliban, the top general of the US Special Operations Command said to Congress on Thursday in the midst of the debate over whether US forces should remain in the country beyond May 1. General Richard Clarke also reiterated the sentiments of other…

The United States is asking Somalia's political actors to drop the terms before the pre - election talks MOGADISHU, Somalia - In what could rattle both the opposition and the federal government in Somalia, the United States has asked the political players to drop prior conditions so that they can allow the country to find a solution to the current political stalemate in the country.…