By Christopher Bobyn Scottish troops are in demand in east Africa to help train soldiers in their fight against the Islamist militant group al-Shabab. The Scots are supporting the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) who have been fighting inside neighbouring Somalia for almost a decade. It is not a conventional war. The Kenyans are taking on...
November 14, 2026
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PM Abiy: A Cultural Eraser and A Single-Story Proponent
By Faisal A. Roble Prime Minister Abiy’s insensitive, if not offensive, praise of Mengistu Haile Mariam’s fascist soldiers and his proposal to erect for them a commemorative monument in Jigjiga’s Karamardha hills dealt a major blow to the federal constitution established in 1995. Presiding over the fate of 110 million people, the Prime Minister needs...
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Ethiopia’s ownership of GERD doesn’t give it right to violate legal accords: Egypt FM
The Egyptian FM’s statements came a few days after Washington failed to seal signatures from the three countries on the filling and operation of the Ethiopian dam Menna Alaa El-Din Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said that Ethiopia’s ownership of its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) does not give it the right to violate legal...
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Diaspora has big role as Somalia rebuilds economy, global ties: finance minister
Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Somalia’s 2-million strong diaspora has a huge role to play as the Horn of Africa country rebuilds its economy and resets ties with major international institutions after three decades as a “failed state,” Somalia’s finance minister said. Long saddled with $5.3 billion in debt, Somalia is in the process of...
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Kenya earnings from exports to Somalia hits a decade-low
By CONSTANT MUNDA The war-scarred Somalia has lost its lustre as a market outlet for Kenya’s goods despite the heavy investments that Nairobi has made to restore political stability in the Horn of Africa nation. Earnings from exports to Somalia last year slipped to a decade low amid erratic production and growing suspicions over long-standing...
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Somalia is heading down a dead-end road
By Mohamed Abdiqafar H. Hussein It does not look like an election in which all stakeholders can agree the outcome would take place in Somalia at the end of this year. However, those who support President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo believe the election will happen at the end of the year. Still, one thing for sure...
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Confronting Farmaajo, Saving Somalia: Now or Never!
By Abdullahi Samoow On the 8th of February 2017, Somalis at home and abroad gathered in front of the TV screens to watch the presidential elections, eager to see who assumes the highest office. Would that be President Hassan Sheikh? Would he be able to stand up to his challengers? Would Sharif Sh. Ahmed be...
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In the land of war
By Dina Ezzat Anse Seierstad spoke to Dina Ezzat about Two Sisters, her international bestseller about two girls who emigrate from Somalia to Norway only to end up joining IS in Syria In Cairo earlier this month Anse Seierstad, a Norwegian journalist and the author of several books that depict life in war zones, attended...
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Press freedom under strain in Somalia in milestone election year
Press violations surge as authorities scramble to control coverage IPI Contributor Jamie Wiseman When a car bomb exploded at a security checkpoint near the Somali national parliament in Mogadishu in January, killing four and wounding 10 others, freelance journalist Mohamed Ibrahim Bulbul rushed to the scene to report the news. As police blocked off the...
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Somaliland’s first midwife Edna Adan Ismail: ‘I started writing about my life because I came so close to death’
Saeed Saeed Edna Adan Ismail is used to counselling patients to a healthy mind in the hospital ward. As a midwife and administrator at her own hospital in Somaliland, the self-declared and breakaway state of Somalia, she has seen her fair share of patients distressed by their afflictions. Despite this, however, Ismail is not immune to the trauma a sudden brush...