- Mogadishu residents continue supporting AU peacekeeping forces and the TFG soldiers through the donation of livestock such as camel and cow just for the offensives against the hard-line Islamist militia al-Shabaab group.
Some locals who collected money among them had bought some livestock animals to support the Somali government troops and the African Union peacekeepers in the capital one businessman who requested to be called Jamal told Africa News.
“The donation of the camels and the cows which some of the community intended to the AU and Somali military forces was distributed to the troops in the weekend by some Somali lawmakers,” said Jamal
A Mogadishu’s…
- The Somalia's government has released two national journalists who are working for an independent Shabelle Radio after 4 days in detention the managers of the station said in a statement released on Wednesday afternoon.
The colleagues Abdirashid Omar Qase the director of radio shabelle and his news editor Abdi Mohamed Ismail are now free after four days of illegal detention by the National Security Agency without given an official reason for that.
The government accused Shabelle Radio on a report which stated that President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has been unable to visit to the fronline areas, after repel groups were push out by the Somali forces with help of AU peacekeeping force…
- United Nations especial envoy of Somalia Augustine Mahiga has again visited to the capital city of Mogadishu to end the intense political crises within the Somalia's top government officials.
A plane carrying with UN envoy for Somalia and other unnamed foriegn delegates has landed at Mogadishu's Airport on wednesday. Several government officails a long with AU officers welcomed the delegates.
Reports say the UN envoy had an invitation letters for Somali leaders including president, Prime Minister and the speaker of parliament to come to Nairobi, Kenya on the next month for participation to a UN -organized meeting on Somalia's situation.
According to Somali govern…
- About 20 people have been killed and several of others wounded in the capital city of Mogadishu, after AU Force launched an offensive operations and new attacks against to Al shabaab insurgents, witnesses told Africa News on Monday.
The fighting broke out earlier on Saturday when African union peacekeeping force in Mogadishu moved to new positions controlled the hard-line fighters of Al shabaab. Both warring sides claimed victory over the war, but most deaths and the wounded people are civilians, according to local hospitals and witnesses.
AU officials said they killed six foreign fighters in the battle as they were fighting alongside with Al shabab. “The foreigners are from P…
- Somalia people have not witnessed peaceful government having so far
a multiple crises since an instability broke out over the country in 1991.
The nation currently suffers one of the worst drought in the region along
with a limitless humanitarian situations, piracy, violent deaths, and food
shortages, all are existing over the Somalia’s territory include the
regulated areas of the northeastern of Puntland region and that of
Somaliland.
Drought effected pastoralist people in the Puntland areas and those in
Somaliland could be seen in many villages of northeastern Somalia, though it
is not as serious as those in South and center, according to locals.
Over the past two y…
- Pirates in Somalia have hijacked Liberian-owned cargo vessel MV Renuar with its 24 crew as it was traveling about one thousand miles from Somalia’s coastline.
The EU marine task force confirmed the seizure which has happened on Saturday in the weekend. It is said the pirates have opened a huge fire to the ship and its crew before they had seized it.
Several EU Naval forces along side NATO Warships from different foreign countries have been mandated by Union Nation Security Council to protect from the ships and to stop Somali pirates, but the mission is not yet achieved.
Gulf of Aden, which ties the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is one of the world's busiest watercours…
- The Shabelle Media Network which is currently based in the capital of Mogadishu has been awarded the yearly press freedom prize after in a ceremony held in Paris, French on Thursday night by the international press freedom organization, Reporters without Borders.
The Paris based organization has announced for the 2010 Press Freedom Prize which was finally given to the Somali Radio station of Shabelle Media and the jailed Iranian journalist Abdolreza Tajik.
“This year we are honoring a courageous journalist, Abdolreza Tajik, and a beleaguered radio station, Radio Shabelle,” Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Jean-François Julliard said.
“It is an immense…
- The Shabelle Media Network which is currently based in the capital of Mogadishu has been awarded the yearly press freedom prize after in a ceremony held in Paris, French on Thursday night by the international press freedom organization, Reporters without Borders.
The Paris based organization has announced for the 2010 Press Freedom Prize which was finally given to the Somali Radio station of Shabelle Media and the jailed Iranian journalist Abdolreza Tajik.
“This year we are honoring a courageous journalist, Abdolreza Tajik, and a beleaguered radio station, Radio Shabelle,” Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Jean-François Julliard said.
“It is an immense…
About 150 Somali women in the capital of Mogadishu have come together to appeal to the warring factions to end two decades of violence in the Horn of Africa nation. - The female parents are resorting to the media to drum home the urgent need for peace and promised to press on until Somalia know peace.
“You know if there is no peace there is no life, so we are extremely encouraging our sons and men, especially to those fighting against one another to be kind to each other and stop the hostility among them. The young generations must be allowed to take pen rather than gun,” one of the organizers Hawo Fanah told AfricaNews.
Somalia have not witnessed peace since political stab…
- The East and Horn Africa Human Rights Defenders who are based in Kampala, Uganda have definitely commented by criticizing the continuation on the human rights abuses in the war torn country of Somalia where a very wide miscalculations and abuses escapes at all.
The defenders have for the firstly pointed some of African countries which had violated the basic standards of fairness and human rights and they are Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea, said the chairman of the East and Horn Africa human rights defenders Dr Hassan Shire Sheikh as he has held press conference in Kampala on Friday.
Mr. Shire has in particularly further worried about the escalating violence and daily clash…
The AU peacekeeping force in Mogadishu and its ally, Somali government troops, have successfully extended their positions to the North East of the Presidential villa in Somalia in the districts of Shibis and Boondere, witnesses and AU officials said. - The two days of clashes between an Al-Qaeda linked Somali group, Al shabaab and AU troops with the help of TFG troops caused the death of over 20 people, while reports said seven insurgents were killed in the battle.
The head of Mogadishu’s emergency ambulances Ali Sheikh told Africa News by phone that 20 people who died people were mostly civilians, but other witnesses put the death toll higher.
The health officials for the local …
- Pirates have seized a Malaysian cargo ship and its 23 crew from the several miles off-Somalia’s sea-water at November 26, the EU anti piracy task force noted, on Monday.
It is said the ship was on its way to Kenya in particular at the Mombassa port, before it had been hijacked by the Somali pirates. It is not yet confirmed where exactly the pirates had moved to the cargo vessel and its crew.
The EU task forces gave further details about the nationalities of the crews on this hijacked ship and are from Iran, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Somali pirates are still holding several ships for ransom payment and are not being stopped from hijacking ships till now.
- The British couple whose yacht was boarded off the Seychelles and abducted in 23 October last year by Somali pirates has been released on Sunday. Though it is not yet clear how much ransom was paid for their release. But the Somali Diaspora in UK, the family of the hostages, the Somali government and the UK government are extremely relieved and welcomed the release of Paul, 60 yrs old, and Rachel Chandler, 56.
The transitional federal government of Somali claimed it had paid unspecified cash to release the couple from the kidnappers.
“We are deeply happy for the release of these old couple from Britain, we were worrying about their health since they were kidnapped by the pira…
- Somalia’s Prime Minister Mohamed Cabdullahi Mohamed has for the first time announced the list of new cabinets of the transitional federal government for Somalia on Friday. Today’s nomination ceremony was held at the presidential palace-Villa-Somalia in Mogadishu, on Friday noon.
The newly appointed Prime Minister Mohamed Cabdullahi Mohamed known as (Farmaajo) was very busy in the recent days for nominating the new ministers of the government.
At least 18 cabinets were named and assigned in different positions, according to government official.
The fresh cabinets were including, the Somali foreign minister Mohamed Abdullilahi Omar, the defence Minister Abdi-hakin Mohame…
- A journalist Hassan Mohamed Abiikar known as Hassan Matore was attacked and wounded by four unknown gunmen in Afgoye district in the Lower Shabelle region 30kilometers from the capital Mogadishu.
The journalist has been shot four times on the chest by the attackers and injured seriously as he was immediately rushed to the Daynile Hospital in Mogadishu on Tuesday evening, local journalist Ibrahim Mohamed Aden told Africa News via phone.
Explorations by the Africa News and the local Journalists revealed there was a high intemperate fear for journalists being killed just for their transparency of reporting news in the Al shabaab and those Al Hisbul-Islam areas.
Kidnap, torture and de…
- A journalist Hassan Mohamed Abiikar known as Hassan Matore was attacked and wounded by four unknown gunmen in Afgoye district in the Lower Shabelle region 30kilometers from the capital Mogadishu.
The journalist has been shot four times on the chest by the attackers and injured seriously as he was immediately rushed to the Daynile Hospital in Mogadishu on Tuesday evening, local journalist Ibrahim Mohamed Aden told Africa News via phone.
Explorations by the Africa News and the local Journalists revealed there was a high intemperate fear for journalists being killed just for their transparency of reporting news in the Al shabaab and those Al Hisbul-Islam areas.
Kidnap, torture and de…
Somali youths in Nairobi, Kenya have been warned not to join the Islamist hard line group Al-shabaab and that of Al Hisbul Islam. - “We want parents to prevent their kids from joining Al-shabaab and the other militia groups in Somalia. We have to admit the seriousness of that situation; we have seen Al-shabaab insurgents are recruiting children to take gun rather than pen, so we are unwilling to let Al-Shabaab to continue such bad deeds against our young generation,” said Mohamed Ibrahim Ajib, the chairman person of the newly established Somali Youth Advocacy Organization (SYAO).
“When parents send their children especially sons to Islamic schools like Quranic School, wh…
- More than 30 people were reported to be killed in separate clashes between Somali government troops allied by Ahlu Sunna Wal-Jama fighters and Al shabaab insurgents in the cities of Balad-wayne, Balad-Hawo and the Capital city of Mogadishu.
Over 15 people were killed when hundreds of troops loyal to Somali government and those of Ahlu Sunna Wal-Jama, a moderate Sufi Islamists fighters have attacked the main bases which Al shabaab fighters having in controlled in Balad-wayne town, the capital city of Hiiraan region in the central Somalia, eyewitness told Africa News by phone on Monday.
Unspecified dozens of people were stated to be wounded by that battle as the other residents in the…
- The Head for Peace and security issues of African Union countries Ramtane Lamamra, has announced in Addis Ababa in the last weekend that a new Burundian force are expected to be deployed into Somalia.
At least 800 troops from Burundi are ready to be deployed into Somalia; “those forces will be in Mogadishu in the next few days to join the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)”. Mr. Ramtane told Reporters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The meeting was organized by AU ministers as the peace and Security Council of the African Union has also approved the deployment of 20,000 AU troops into Somalia without further delay.
The African Union suggested to the UN to impose sanction o…
- Somali president Sheikh sharif Sheikh has named a new prime minister late on Thursday, after the former prime minister Omar Abdirashid was demoted. The new Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed known as (Farmaje), has informed to the public, that he will do more efforts towards the security of the country and how to develop economical skills. He took an example the some developed countries in the African continent that he says, “Somalia would have along time to be there”.
He also underlined the importance of cooperativeness among the sectors for the transitional federal government of Somalia.
The new premier was appointed while Al-shabaab fighters are fighting serious…
- At least 5 people had been killed and 8 others were wounded in clashes between Somali government forces backed by AU peacekeeping force in Mogadishu.
Some residents mostly children and women are started to flee from their homes fearing for their safety as the latest clashes involving heavy mortar exchange between the warring sides, accouding to some residents.
"I saw the death of 5 people, but I cannot tell you the exact figure about how many people were wounded, or killed, but they are more". "Moreover, most of the residents especially in the Shgangani district are fleeing from their homes, they are trying to escape from the ongoing bloodshed and to seek a save envi…
- At least three militants were killed when bomb they were making exploded prematurely outside a house in southern Galkayo district, in the central Somalia, on Sunday.
The bodies were so badly harmed by the powerful explosion that a precise breakdown could not immediately be provided, as the insurgents were assembling bombs in the Galkayo district, according to residents.
The target of the blast could not be independently verified, but the Al shabaab fighters and other insurgents in Somalia are making roadside bombs their weapon of choice.
- The Somalia’s al shabaab is said to be rifted into groups, but the group’s top leaders are feebly opposed about the reports which were widely published in the media in the last recent days.
The second leader of al- shabaab Sheikh Moktar Ali Abu-Mansor known as Robow who is also believed a key Al-Qaeda member in Somalia has rejected what he described the forgery news made by transitional federal government of Somalia, according to Al Shabaab.
“The enemy of Islam who is also the enemy of Al shabaab is now in Somalia and started a new ideological war, because they were suffered badly, when they fought with our brave insurgents who won against the foe, so that the ene…
- The African union commission has appointed the former Ghanaian President Jerry John, to be a new envoy for Somalia. The AU chairman Jean ping has said that the AU board of committee has already recognized to Jerry John Rowlings during at the conference which was held in Uganda late on July this year.
"We have already elected Mr. Jerry John Rowlings to become the African Union envoy for Somalia, but we were busy a long time of process for consultations to reach the last decision on the nomination", the AU chairman. Jean ping said.
"I have highly regarded for the nomination of Jerry John, which will also enhance the peace efforts on Somalia’s crises Mr. Jean ping…
- African union peacekeeping forces in Somalia have refused immediately on the media reports in which Al shabaab has already claimed of being killed a soldier from AU peacekeeping forces in Mogadishu.
Major Barigye Ba-Hoku, the spokesperson for the African Union Mission in Mogadishu has released a brief statement late on Thursday, which he denies on Al shabaab's claim.
"AMISOM refutes this outright and corrects this misinformation making the following points"-all Amisom troops are accounted for". "We have conducted a headcount of all our personnel in the field and confirm that none are missing" the Statement said.
"Allegations to the contrary a…
Al-shabaab insurgents have attacked some military bases of African Union Peacekeepers in Mogadishu late on Saturday. The latest clashes involving heavy mortar exchange between the warring sides caused the death of 15 civilians and injured more others, according to residents. - Reports say, 10 people were killed and more than 20 wounded in shelling that hit Bakara Market.
“The last two days, the death toll has shot to 15 civilians; I have seen injured people who were taken to hospitals and some of those injured people immediately died on the spot,” Mahad Ali Muumin told Africa News via phone.
The worst mortar exchange occurred in the Digfer Hospital, in Hodan district desp…
Mogadishu residents sang and danced their hearts out as Ethiopian troops withdraw from the Somali capital. The troops have been in Somalia for two years intervening in the crisis in that country to oust Islamist forces. Media reports say some of the locals said they could now return to their homes. - A ceremony is being held at the Somali presidential palace to mark the handover of security to government forces and moderate Islamists as the troops vacate two of their main bases. AfricaNews correspondent said it was attended by Somali government senior officials, Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia leaders in Mogadishu and commanders of African Union forces.
Somali prime minister No…
Kidnappers released on Sunday two foreign journalists abducted in Bosaso in November 2008, local residents said. They are Colin Freeman, a writer for the Sunday Telegraph and a British as well as a Spanish and self-employed photographer Jose Cendon. They had been investigating piracy in the Puntland coasts, which has become a booming business of the region. - The two were however apprehended on 26 November by gunmen alongside two Somali journalists at the Bosaso airport.
Officials from the semi-autonomy region of Puntland say the foreign journalists are now in safe hands in Bosaso. But could not tell whether a ransom was paid for their release.
Foreign journalists and aid employees …
Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed resigned on Monday, after a long disagreement with the Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein that frustrated Western supporters and split the government and Parliament. His replacement is uncertain as the transitional government has seven months in office. - "The president erupted the Djibouti peace deal with the authority and the alliance re-liberation of Somalia (ARS) Sa’id Ali member parliament said".
"Today, I want to state that I am going to resign, and leaving the government," Yusuf told parliament in the south-central trading town of Baidoa.
President Yusuf said: “I wasn't forced to resign, it comes from me…
Two aid workers Willem Sools a Dutch and Keiko Akahane Japanese have been kidnapped by Islamists group in Somalia. Sools 27 and Akahane 32 work for the French organization Medicines Du Monde (MDM). Our reporter was allowed by the kidnappers to see the captives and reports that they are in a good condition. - The Spokesperson of the group, Kulan Farah, told reporter on Friday about the kidnap. He said that they do not want any ransom, but want the Ethiopian government to free from their jails some Somalis including their relatives that country has captured.
The aid workers are one man and one woman they are in stable condition and they are happy Al though they were in a narrow room our Re…
NATO is sending military ships to the dangerous waters of Somalia where pirates have held hostage arms-laden tanker and seamen. As negotiations proceed on the unsafe coast, Somali sea bandits freed 15 Filipino seamen and four others of a chemical tanker ship hijacked just about two months ago. - A spokesman for the Philippines Foreign Affairs Department, Claro Cristobel, told journalists on Thursday that the seamen from the MT Irene, a Japanese-operated vessel, were released late Wednesday night and likely in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
"All crew members are safe and sound despite the ordeal they have undergone," he told the AP news agency.
Meanwhile, NATO defense m…
