His Excellency Pedro Comissário AfonsaPresident of the Security CouncilUnited Nations Headquarters801 1st Ave, New York City, NY 10017 Your Excellency, I am writing to express deep concern regarding the recent request by the Federal Government of Somalia for the termination of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Somalia (UNSOM). This request, I believe, does not represent the collective will and...
May 28, 2025
Safaricom bosses play to Ethiopia progress
Senior Safaricom executives focused on progress in building its business in Ethiopia along with a group wide transformation effort in fiscal 2024 (the year to end-March), a period when it booked gains in key earnings. Chiefs asserted the company is on track to meet an Ethiopian coverage commitment of 55 per cent of the population by June, having hit 38...
Crafting an Anti-Corruption Blueprint for Somalia: Lessons from Success Stories
By Ismail Santur, CPA, CISA This article explores the possibilities of crafting an anti-corruption model for Somalia, taking lessons from success stories from various countries across the globe. Somalia has consistently ranked among the lowest in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for many years. As of 2023, Somalia has been at the bottom of the CPI for seventeen consecutive...
In surprise move, Somalia asks U.N. to end political mission
NAIROBI, (Reuters) – Somalia’s government has requested the termination of a U.N. political mission that has advised it on peace-building, security reforms and democracy for over a decade, according to a letter the foreign minister wrote to the Security Council. The request for the departure of the 360-member United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOLD) when its mandate expires in...
Ethiopia earns 835 mln USD from coffee export in 9 months
ADDIS ABABA, (Xinhua) — Coffee exports have brought Ethiopia 835 million U.S. dollars in revenue over the past nine months, an industry institution said Tuesday. The East African country exported 174,596 tons of coffee to the international market during the first nine months of the current Ethiopian 2023/24 fiscal year that started on July 8, the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea...
Displaced women in Hobyo set up businesses selling fish
(ERGO ) – Training and investment to start her own small business has enabled Hakimo Farah Abdullahi, her husband and her nine children to move out of the displacement camp where they faced years of hardship into a rental house in Hobyo town. The stall selling cooked fish she opened in January is bringing in $10-15 profit per day, which has...
UN chief calls Israeli army’s activities in Rafah strategic mistake, humanitarian nightmare
HAMILTON, Canada- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday expressed deep concern over Israel’s escalating military activities in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, calling it “a strategic mistake, a political calamity, and a humanitarian nightmare.” “I am disturbed and distressed by the renewed military activity in Rafah” by the Israeli army, Guterres said at a news conference. Emphasizing the critical...
Unprecedented flooding displaces hundreds of thousands across East Africa
In an alert, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) noted that torrential rains have unleashed catastrophic flooding and mudslides while also severely damaging roads, bridges and dams. More than 637,000 people have been affected by weeks of deluges including 234,000 displaced in just the last five days. There is no official figure for the number of dead. “The (displacement) numbers keep rising,”...
Media Under Siege: Journalists’ Struggle In Ethiopia’s Somali Region
By Abdijaliil Osman On the hallowed occasion of May 3rd, World Press Freedom Day serves as a poignant reminder of the essentiality of press liberty, an ethos enshrined by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993. This annual commemoration invokes introspection amongst media professionals worldwide, highlighting the imperative of unfettered journalism and ethical practice. This year, amidst the global chorus...
Walking in African cities can be a miserable experience: Accra study shows planners ignore needs of pedestrians
African cities aren’t welcoming places for pedestrians. Yet walking is free and, given the shortage of decent public transport, it’s often the only way for people to move around. More than 70% of Africa’s urban population of about 609 million walk daily to their various destinations. As researchers who study urban development, we are always looking for insights that planners and city...