At least 12 people were killed when fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab Islamist group attacked a hotel in Mogadishu on Friday. The gunmen remain holed up in the building and security forces are still trying to neutralize them and free the hostages, with the siege now entering its second 24-hour period. “So far we have […]
Tag: somalia
Somalia: The Islamist Shebab attacked the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu
Gunfire and explosions can be heard from the Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu after the attack launched by the Islamist Shebaab, witnesses and security sources said. According to officer Abduqadir Hasan, who spoke to AFP, there is an exchange of fire between the security forces and the Islamists who have taken refuge inside the hotel. “There […]
Somalia: Reports of dead from police fire on protesters
Several protesters were killed and dozens were injured in Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, when police opened fire on anti-government protesters, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported, citing testimonies from local officials. Hundreds of people took to the streets of the towns of Hargeisa, Buro and Erigavo — following the breakdown in negotiations between the […]
Somalia: Howitzers fire as parliament ratifies new government
Mortar fire hit neighborhoods near the presidential palace in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Sunday, but no casualties were reported, shortly after parliament approved the composition of the new government, an indication of the challenges the new regime is expected to face. Already threatened with famine due to the worst drought in 40 years, […]
Somalia: At least 19 dead and 23 injured in bomb attacks
At least 19 people died and 23 others were injured in bomb attacks that took place today in two cities in southern Somalia, as the authorities of the African country announced. In the city of Marka, a suicide bomber detonated his belted explosives, killing 13 people and injuring five others. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the […]
Somalia: Five killed and 14 injured in a car bomb explosion near a hotel
Five people were killed today when a car bomb exploded near a hotel in central Somalia. The Islamist group Shebab claimed responsibility for the attack, according to police and eyewitnesses. The explosion injured 14 other people and destroyed the hotel and neighboring buildings in the town of Johar, which is about 90 kilometers from the […]
Somalia: Risk of famine on the rise – Drought uproots 800,000 people
The continuing drought in Somalia has forced 805,000 people to flee their homes by the end of May, the United Nations has warned. In May alone, more than 33,000 people were displaced by the drought, a 28 percent increase from April, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Somalia said […]
Unicef: People must ‘look beyond Ukraine’ to save Somalia from famine
People must “look beyond the war in Ukraine” so that Somalia does not face famine, the United Nations Children’s Fund said today, warning that only a third of the $ 250 million needed to avoid it the disaster has so far been concentrated. Four consecutive rains did not bring the expected rains to the Horn […]
UN: ‘Race against time’ to prevent famine in Somalia
The United Nations has launched a “race against time” to prevent a famine in Somalia, where more than 200,000 people are under immediate threat amid a record drought. In all, some 7.1 million people – almost half the population – are hungry, but for the 213,000 most affected, the situation is now catastrophic and urgent, […]
US Army returns to Somalia after Hassan Sheikh Mohammed’s election as president
US President Joe Biden today approved the deployment of several hundred US troops in Somalia, two US officials said. His Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, had ordered the withdrawal of US troops from the country. Prior to the withdrawal, about 700 US troops were stationed in Somalia to assist local forces against al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents. “President […]