Delayed Elections Sabotage Somalia’s Democratic Dreams
BY YUSUF HASSAN
For Somalia to achieve peace and democracy, state-building must be the new federal government’s cornerstone policy.
Somalia was supposed to have a new parliament in August, followed shortly thereafter by parliamentarians voting in a new president on September 10. This imperfect system has...
UN fires senior Somalia mission official for ‘fraud’
by Jeff Mwaura, jeff@alleastafrica.com
NAIROBI – The United Nations’ Somalia Mission has fired one of the organization’s longest-serving officials over allegations ranging from black market transactions to fraud, sources told Alleastafrica.
Amadu Kamara, the director of Mission Support, UNSOM and Director of UNSOA, an office that...
Over Dozen Al-Shabaab Militants Eliminated in Southern Somalia
The militants were killed about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Tuesday night, the minister said on Wednesday.
The African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) also announced on Wednesday that its troops had killed seven militants of the al-Shabaab group, wounding...
Suspected al-Shabab Attack Kills 6 in Kenya
By Harun Maruf
WASHINGTON — Armed attackers believed to be members of al-Shabab have attacked a residential housing area in the Kenya town of Mandera near the border with Somalia.
Governor of Mandera County Ali Roba confirmed the attack on Twitter. He said six people were...
Somali clerics knock women quotas for parliament
By Mohamed Adam
Quota system says 30 percent of seats in parliament in upcoming elections reserved for women.
MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Somali clerics council has called for a quota for the presence of women in the parliament after the upcoming elections, arguing that the provision...
Somali presidential candidate takes aim at corruption
HELSINKI (AP) — Running to become president of a country always comes with challenges — but facing death threats from militants and fearing you may never see your four children again are not the usual hurdles.
Despite those enormous obstacles, Fadumo Dayib, 44, plans to...
Amid security challenges, Somalia removes 1,500 intel officers
Somalia’s intelligence chief fired 1,500 intelligence officers including the Mogadishu chief in a new major shakeup of the country’s spy agency which is struggling to contain a deadly insurgency by al-Shabab militants, sources told Alleastafrica Saturday.
Gen. Abdullahi Gafow told the officers to abandon their...
Turkey sets up first African military base in Somalia
Turkey has completed equipping its first military base in Africa in the capital of Somalia, Mogadishu. The base will host Turkish military officers to train Somali soldiers and troops in their fight against the Al-Shabaab terrorist organization. It will become operational shortly.
The base, which...
Al-Shabaab says behind Mogadishu restaurant attack
The Somali Islamist group al Shabaab said on Saturday it had carried out an attack on a restaurant in the capital Mogadishu, targeting members of the security forces eating there.
"We are behind the Blue Sky restaurant attack," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military...
Somalia: Car bomb targets Mogadishu restaurant
Casualties feared after a suspected suicide car bomb rams into a restaurant popular with security forces.Casualties feared after a suspected suicide car bomb rams into a restaurant popular with security forces.
A suspected suicide car bomb has struck a restaurant in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, police...