Somali Prime Minister Unveiled His Cabinet
Listen Mogadishu (Alshahid) – Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed unveiled his new cabinet consisting of 18 ministers, a drastic reduction of his predecessor’s 39 bloated ministerial posts. “The Somali people and the international community were waiting for a competent and credible Somali cabinet, and I am happy to appoint this lean but capable cabinet. I [...]
Somali pirates seize Spanish fishing vessel
Listen Nairobi (Alshahid)—Somali pirates have hijacked a Spanish fishing boat in the dangerous waters of the Indian Ocean after a month of a lull of activity along the coast of the Horn of Africa nation, a regional maritime official confirmed on Friday. Andrew Mwangura, the East Africa Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP), said the [...]
Top UN envoy hails Somaliland agreement on presidential elections
Listen Nairobi(Alshahid)— The UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, hailed political officials of the self-proclaimed Somaliland (north-west) for signing a Memorandum of Understanding on the way forward to holding presidential elections which had been postponed three times, said a press statement issued Friday. The ruling United Peoples’ Democratic Party (called UDUB) and opposition groups [...]
Al-Shabaab takes over Kismayo town
Listen Mogadishu (Alshahid)—Al-Shabaab rebel group has captured Kismayo town from another rebel group called Hizbul Islam, residents say. Haevy fighting erupted between the two groups early on Thursday. At least 8 people were killed in the fighting and about 50 others were injured. The seizure of Kismayo by al Shabaab comes after Hizbul Islam fighters [...]
Uganda wants Somalia mandate to be reviewed
Listen Kampala (Alshahid)—Ugandan Defence Minister Crispus Kiyonga has said the mandate of the peacekeeping force in Somalia needs to be reviewed, new vision reported. Briefing Parliament yesterday, the minister said the African Union (AU) force, composed mostly of Ugandan soldiers, should be allowed to attack. “As per now, the mandate is very restrictive. It is [...]
Somali rebel groups fight in Kismayo
Listen Mogadishu (Alshahid) – Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam militias battled in southern Somalia’s Kismayo port on Thursday, killing at least seven people and the fighting threatened to spread to other parts of the failed Horn of Africa state. Witnesses said al Shabaab gunmen and their one-time allies from Hizbul Islam attacked each other at dawn. [...]
US court to hear Somali ex-minister torture case
Listen WASHINGTON- The U.S. Supreme Court said on Wednesday it will rule on whether a former Somali prime minister is protected by sovereign immunity from a lawsuit seeking to hold him responsible for torture and human rights abuses. The justices agreed to review a ruling by a U.S. appeals court that allowed the lawsuit to [...]
Meeting opens in Djibouti for the police commanders of East Africa
Listen Djibouti (Alshahid) – Meeting has opened in Djibouti for the police commanders of East African countries on Tuesday which will continue for three days. The agenda of the meeting is about fighting criminals, stopping illegal migration, and the terrorism issues. Djibouti police commander, Colonel Abdullaahi Abdi Farah, said 13 countries attended in the meeting [...]
Islamist Insurgents on the verge to fight in Kismayo
Listen Mogadishu (Alshaihid)—The Islamist insurgents of Hizbul Islam and Al-Shabaab are on the verge of to fight in the port town of Kismayo, witnesses said on Wednesday. Hundreds of heavily armed fighters loyal to Hizbul Islam have this week deployed near Kismayo, located some 500 kilometres south of the capital Mogadishu. Sheikh Ismail Adow, a [...]
More refugees including Somalis depart for the United States
Listen Valletta (Alshahid)—A group of seventeen refugees from Eritrea and Somalia left Malta to begin a new life in the United States, Malta Independent Online reported on Wednesday. This brings the total number of refugees who have been resettled to the US this month to 37, and the total resettled since the resettlement program began [...]