Addis Ababa, 07, July 2012 (SDN)- Twelve Somaliland cadets graduated this week from the Ethiopian Defence Engineering College where they have been studying military engineering skills. At a graduation ceremony, also attended by senior Somaliland security officials, Ethiopia’s Defense Minister, Siraj Fegesa, awarded a gold medal to Saeed Adan Nur from Somaliland in recognition of [...]

African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) today assumed formal command of the Kenyan forces in Southern Somalia at a colorful ceremony held at the Kenyan Department of Defense headquarters in Nairobi. A total of 4664 Kenyan personnel are being integrated into AMISOM, bringing the AMISOM force strength to slightly over 17,000 troops out of a [...]

DADAAB, (SDN) – Hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees in Kenya’s northeastern Dadaab refugee camp depend on aid to meet all their basic needs; while they are grateful for the help and the relative security the settlement provides, many feel the aid could be managed in more effective ways. Food distribution is one of the areas [...]

New York (SDN)-An internal memo from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that was made public earlier today has highlighted the continued insecurity faced by Somali’s in the south central region. According to UNOCHA’s statement: the humanitarian situation in Somalia is critical and needs to remain high on the agenda of the international community. Although [...]

Religious leaders from the Christian and Muslim faiths have vowed to remain vigilant on terrorists following twin attacks on churches in Garissa. The religious leaders said those who attacked the churches were doing so as to create animosity and hatred between the Muslim and Christians who have been living harmoniously for decades. Speaking at a [...]

Rome (SDN)-In the presence of the Somali delegation led by the Prime Minister and Speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament, the Minister of Defense/ Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, Mr. Hussein Arab Isse, signed an Action Plan today committing to ending the recruitment and use of children by the Somali National Armed Forces. The Action [...]

Dar Es Salaam (SDN)-At least 42 Ethiopian and Somali migrants suffocated in the back of a truck in Tanzania and their bodies were dumped by the roadside, according to reports. They died on the way from Ethiopia to Malawi in the second fatal human trafficking incident in Tanzania in 2012. Tanzanian deputy home affairs minister Pereira [...]

The 22nd meeting of the International Contact Group (ICG) on Somalia was held from 2-3 July 2012 in Rome under the chairmanship of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, Dr Augustine Mahiga, together with the ICG Co-chairs (Norway and the USA). The Italian Foreign Minister, Giulio Terzi, Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden of [...]

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Military prosecutors say a Danish soldier “very likely” caused the death of two hostages while stopping a pirate vessel off Somalia earlier this year. Prosecutors say the soldier who opened fire at the hijacked “Jelbut 37” vessel to force it to halt accidentally killed an Iranian and a Pakistani hostage in the [...]

Somali and Kenyan troops have rescued four aid workers — including two Canadians – who were kidnapped from a refugee camp in Kenya last week. The four rescued workers from the Norwegian Refugee Council were flown to Nairobi, Kenya on Monday afternoon, the aid group said. The NRC said the four released hostages were: Astrid [...]