The Directorate of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy (SEBE) welcomed a high-level delegation of donors to the Africa Multi-hazard Early Warning and Early Action System (AMHEWAS) Situation Room on 5th March 2024 at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The visit aimed to familiarise with the progress and achievements in disaster risk reduction and multi-hazard early warning systems under the...
May 1, 2025
Somalia on the Brink of Authoritarianism
By Dayib Sh. Ahmed Somalia stands on a precipice, teetering not on the edge of democratic collapse, but on the verge of outright betrayal. The recent strong-arming of constitutional amendments by a self-serving parliament is not a power grab disguised as reform; it’s a brazen assault on the very foundations of a nascent democracy. This orchestrated manipulation of power dismantles...
Puntland to Operate Independently From Somalia After Law Change
Mohammed Omar Ahmed The oil-rich, semiautonomous region of Puntland said it will operate as a state that’s independent from Somalia until changes to the Somali constitution adopted on Saturday are approved via a popular referendum. The federal government in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, “illegally replaced” the constitution with a new one that has “ulterior motives,” Puntland’s Council of Ministers said. Its...
Understanding Zakat
Zakat is one of the major religious duties in Islam. Literally, zakat means to “purify”. It refers to the purification of a believers’ wealth and soul. Wealth purification denotes the mobilization of assets for the purpose of financial growth and justified distribution. Purification of the soul implies freedom from hatred, jealousy, selfishness, uneasiness and greed. Other Quranic connotations also include...
The allure of death: How I survived Shabaab attack in Somalia
By GITONGA MARETE Somalia is considered one of the most dangerous places to live due to the threat posed by the al-Shabaab militia. But for some daring 18- and 20-year-old men from Meru County in Kenya, the allure of earning up to Ksh100,000 ($758) a month overrode the danger. They left home with high hopes of making it in life...
Ethiopian PM hails digital ID as driver of ‘Digital Ethiopia 2025’ strategy
Ayang Macdonald Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has praised technologies such as the Fayda digital ID which are driving the digital transformation agenda of the country. Ahmed made the remarks recently while speaking during a ceremony to make a mid-term evaluation of the “Digital Ethiopia 2025” strategy, accruing to an article on the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute website. The PM is quoted as noting...
Local officials refute al-Shabab operating in Oromia’s Bale zone, posing security threats
Addis Abeba – Local officials have denied a report that al-Shabaab is operating in the Bale zone of the Oromia region, and that it killed several zonal police officers and militiamen. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in 130-page, National Inquiry Into Persons Deprived of Liberty report released on 21 March 2024, indicated that the security challenges in Bale Zone, include “the formation...
Global partners urge Somali leaders to build unity amid political tensions over new political system
MOGADISHU- Somalia’s international partners urged stakeholders in the country’s political system on Sunday evening to redouble their efforts to reach an agreement through an inclusive process amid political tensions. Political tensions rose after the two houses of parliament approved four chapters of its constitution on Saturday, paving the way for a new political system in the country. Hours after parliament...
Abdirizak Haji Hussein: The Audacious and Principled Leader
By Abdulrahman Baadiyow Somali Prime Minister Abdirizak Haji Hussein is portrayed as an audacious reformer and principled leader in historical accounts and assessments. President Adan Abdulle Osman recognized Hussein’s potential as a statesman due to his energy and honesty, contrasting him with the corrupt political class. Hussein’s integrity posed a threat to entrenched interests and deep state establishment, making him...
Somalia parliament approves parts of election overhaul plan
Somalia’s parliament on Saturday unanimously approved proposals to overhaul the country’s electoral system to reintroduce universal suffrage, a plan that has been criticised by some leading politicians. Last March, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud pledged to end the complex clan-based indirect voting system in place for more than half a century in the troubled Horn of Africa nation. The central government...