qurbejoog
The tiny country of Djibouti sitting at the strategically critical entrance from the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea is quickly turning into the latest confrontation between the USA and China in Africa. Djibouti, home to the only US permanent military presence in Africa, has recently notified the American military that they have to vacate…
A functioning State with democratic institutions, independent judiciary, a university, an army and coast guard that protect its citizens against terrorism and piracy should be rewarded with international recognition, stated Swedish politician Jenny Sonesson. Aiming to be a role model for the Horn of Africa, Somaliland desires to attract investors and create a functioning market…
Baidoa, 11 August 2015 – The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), supported by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), held a two-day workshop for 30 journalists from Baidoa on safety, federalism and state-buildings goals on 8-9 August, 2015 The Minister of Information of the Interim South West Administration (ISWA), Hassan Abdi Mohamed,…
Whether Americans or Africans, my friends reacted in much the same way when I disclosed I was headed for Hargeysa, the capital of Somaliland, to participate in an international book festival. “Somalia?” one friend asked, a look of deep concern on his face. “Why?” “Somaliland,” I corrected. “Isn’t it the same thing?” “No but,…
In Paris, the leader of the opposition djiboutienne has not hidden his weariness to the political crisis that gets bogged down in his country: for him, there will be “no presidential election in 2016” if the power does Not take its commitments. “no election without independent joint electoral commission”, Said Ahmed Youssouf houmed, President of…
The Serious Fraud Office of the United Kingdom (UK) confirmed on July 31, 2015 that it has opened a criminal investigation into Soma Oil and Gas in relation to charges of corruption in Somalia. On July 1, 2015, Gurmad released a position paper on institutionalized corruption in Somalia and the role of international opportunists and…
Mogadishu (AFP) – War-torn Somalia will not be able to hold full elections due next year, lawmakers said Tuesday, although it remained unclear whether some kind of voting process would still be held. The current President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and parliament were appointed by clan elders in 2012 with foreign backers promising full democracy in…
In the communiqué issued today Ismail Omar Guelleh “invites” the UMP and USN to resume political dialogue. Throwing back to back the UMP and USN and ignoring that the framework agreement was signed between the USN and the government of which he is the Head. President Guelleh as usual is consumed clears the failure of…
Somali militant group Al Shabaab said it had carried out two attacks in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday in which gunmen killed a lawmaker and his bodyguard as well as an official from the prime minister’s office. Al Shabaab’s spokesman for military operations, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, said the group was responsible for the…
NAIROBI — President Obama on Saturday committed the United States to an intensified fight against terrorists in East Africa, announcing here that his administration would expand support for counterterrorism operations in Kenya and Somalia, including increased training and funding for Kenya’s security forces. “We have to keep that pressure going even as we’re strengthening the…
Daallo Airlines (D3, Djibouti) Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Ibrahim Yassin says his airline is planning to lease a pair of ATR72-500s – its first Avions de Transport Régional (Toulouse Blagnac) machinery – for use on its Somali network. Speaking to African Aerospace, Yassin said that should all details be resolved and the turboprops arrive, the…
Somali government and African Union peacekeeping troops have captured a town in the south of the country from al Shabaab insurgents on Friday, the second seizure this week, government officials and the group said. Ethiopian troops in the African Union peacekeeping mission (AMISOM) and Somali soldiers captured Dinsoor district, about 120 km to south west of Baidoa. The group, which wants to…
Barack Obama may not get quite the rapturous welcome he did when he visited Kenya as a senator back in 2006, but his presence in his ancestral home is something of a coup for the Kenyan leadership, and he is expected to be warmly received. The country has never had a sitting US president visit…
Ermias Ghermay and his gangs are responsible for smuggling thousands of people across the Sahara to the Libyan coast. There they dispatch them to Europe on rickety boats, having extorted thousands of dollars from them along the way. Here are three accounts from a Sicilian prosecutor’s report of what it is like to fall into…
MOGADISHU: African Union troops in Somalia have dismissed reports they killed several civilians during fighting, saying those shot were all Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabab insurgents. Witnesses in the southern port town of Merka said troops from the 22,000-strong AMISOM force killed at least eight civilians on Tuesday, opening fire after insurgents hurled a grenade at a passing…
Less than a month after the St. Cloud school board moved to make a change atop its state champion Apollo High School boys soccer team, the administration has hired a new coach. On Thursday, the school district announced Abdikhani “Seyga” Omar Mohamed to replace Ganard Orionzi, whose contract was allowed to expire despite winning the…
MOGADISHU – Somali government troops backed by African Union forces on Wednesday captured the Shebab stronghold of Bardhere, one of the last key bases of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamists, officials said. The militants also confirmed the loss of the town, but insisted they had not been defeated and that fighting was continuing. “We have secured control…
On July 16, 2015, the federal Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a wrongful termination suit against the Columbus City Schools by a Muslim teacher claiming retaliation for some religiously motivated comments and actions. The suit was brought by Abdurahman Haji, an elder in the Somali community of Columbus, Ohio. Haji was hired in November…
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Some in the Twin Cities Somali community are boycotting the Mall of America for their end of Ramadan celebration this week because of charges against Black Lives Matter protesters in connection to a rally held on one of the busiest shopping days of last year. In a press release from Black Lives…
A grocery store that specializes in Somali foods was the site of what appeared to be a federal raid Wednesday morning. Officials from the FBI and the United States Department of Agriculture were at Towfiq Grocery Store, 517 12th St. SE, from about 9:30 a.m. until well into the afternoon. Several bankers’ boxes — apparently…