Somalia’s president asks Somalis living in Minnesota to help rebuild their war-torn homeland
Listen A day after the U.S. officially recognized Somalia’s government for the first time in two decades, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called on Somalis living in Minnesota to help rebuild their war-torn homeland. Mohamud spoke to about 4,000 people late Friday night at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Although most of his speech was in Somali, [...]
Stabilising Somalia now mission possible
Listen Five years ago, Uganda committed troops to the African Union Mission (Amisom), backed by UN Security Council resolution 1744 13 (2007), to stabilise chaos-devastated Somalia. This was a mission, one would intuitively say, that even the drafters saw as impossible. It followed several failed regional and international efforts on Somalia, the latest, then, being [...]
UN official condemns arrest of Somali journalist for reporting on rape case
Listen The United Nations official dealing with conflict-related sexual violence today condemned the arrest of a Somali journalist who was detained for conducting an interview with a woman who claimed she was raped by members of the Somali Army in September. “Allegations of rape should be met with objective investigations by the proper authorities, not [...]
Somali NGOs call for help to ease burden of Mogadishu street children
Listen Overlooked by the state, children shining shoes for a living in the Somali capital are vulnerable to drugs, crime and militia gangs. The muezzin calls for afternoon prayer. A small boy wearing torn trousers and a dirty, brown oversized T-shirt rushes from a shed. Holding a rusty paint tin, he stands at the entrance [...]
Somalia President Meets Members Of U.S. Congress
Listen U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, joined a bipartisan gathering of members of the U.S. Congress to welcome Somalia President Hassan Sheik Mohamud to the U.S. Capitol Tuesday, Michaud’s office reported. This was the newly elected Somalia President’s first visit to the United States as President and first meeting with members of Congress, Michaud noted. [...]
Somali Islamist rebels sentence French hostage to death
Listen Somali militants linked to al Qaeda said on Wednesday they had sentenced a French agent to death after a failed attempt by French armed forces to rescue him at the weekend. Al Shabaab said in a statement the decision to kill Denis Allex, held hostage in Somalia since 2009, was unanimous and followed three [...]
Somali president, delegation reach Washington
Listen The President of the Somali federal government Hassan Sh. Mohamud and his delegation have reached Washington after receiving an official invitation from the United States of America; president Mohamud was warmly welcomed by the state department and Somali community there according to diplomats. The president is expected to have meetings with state department, officials [...]
Capacity building training for Somali Civil Servants opens in Bujumbura
Listen 67 Somali civil servants left for Bujumbura yesterday, they are part of a group of 120 public servants including secretaries, protocol officers and administrators who are to take part in a series of training workshops for Somalia civil servants as part of ongoing efforts to enhance the capacity of the country’s public service. The [...]
Uhuru condemns ban on miraa
Listen Jubilee presidential candidate Uhuru Kenyatta has condemned the ban on Kenyan miraa (khat) by the Netherlands. Mr Kenyatta, who is also the TNA leader, said the decision was draconian, excessive and arbitrary. He called on the Netherlands government to rethink the decision and hold dialogue with miraa farmers because the decision affects them and [...]
Two ‘Somali pirates’ admit charges in Japan
Listen Two men accused of the attempted hijacking of a tanker off the coast of Oman admitted their crimes in a court on Tuesday, reports said, in the first piracy prosecution in Japan. The two are among four African men arrested in March 2011 over an attack on a Japanese-operated tanker in the Indian Ocean. [...]