Somali gunmen have kidnapped four people including two Kenyans working for a printing company in Mogadishu. The incident occurred at the main market of Mogadishu, Bakara, which is under the control of the Islamist group of Al-shabab. - 10 armed and masked men, according to eye witnesses, entered the Hamar Ade printing centre near Abu Hureira Mosque in Mogadishu market of Bakara late on Sunday and abducted the four workers. An eye witness Jama Gedi told AfricaNews the gunmen later released two Somali men. Abduction of foreigners and aid workers are a common phenomenon in Somalia. The country had not known peace since warlords overthrew Dictator Mohamed Siad Bare in 1991.

- September 15 2009, Nairobi, Mogadishu, refugee camps By: Abdulkarim Mohamed Jimale muxsin55@gmail.com Will the resilience of the Somali people ever come to an end? This pressing issue comes to mind looking at the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis in the worlds most infamous failed state. More than two and half years ago, when US backed Ethiopian troops invaded the country, Somalia entered into a renewed phase of violence that saw countless people being displaced. The troops were in support of the Transitional Federal Government, led by former president Abdullahi Yusuf, who resigned in late 2008, and removed the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) from power. According to estimates…

- Nairobi, 06 November 2009 Salaam Aleikum Dear friends, my warmest greetings to all of you. 1. My correspondence comes one month later than usual due to a very hectic schedule this last month. At times it may feel as though we are standing still, so I wish to reassure you that there is much work happening behind the scenes to help Somalia move forwards. Once again, I would like to inform you of the latest developments from my side. 2. This past month, we held the first High Level Committee (HLC) meeting and convened the third meeting of the Joint Security Committee both under a new format. You will remember that the two Committees were established under Article 9 and 8, respec…

- Abdulkarim Mohamed Jimale, Africa News Correspondent in Nairobi Somalia: Letter from UNPOS to the members of the Somali Diaspora Nairobi, 30 September 2009 Salaam Aleikum Dear friends, 1. I would like to wish you Eid Mubarak and send my warm greetings to one and all at this time of calls for peace and forgiveness. I believe the same spirit must prevail to ensure that the next year is one of expanding stability in Somalia and that your children will grow up proud of their parents’ motherland returning to progress and prosperity. 2. There have been several key events over the past month since I last wrote to you and I would like to inform you about a few of them. I…

- By: Abdulkarim Mohamed Jimale, Africa news Correspondent in Nairobi, Kenya Baidoa (Africa News): Armed forces from Al-Shabab militants’ authority in Bay region about 256 kilometers (159 miles) south Mogadishu the capital of Somalia shutdown on Wednesday Warsan Radio, Residents said. Warsan is a local independent radio based in Baidoa city the capital of Bay region. At least 10 Al-Shabab armed militias entered the station of Warsan Radio with force and shutdown the radio, Journalist in Baidoa said who requested to be not named because of his security. He added that they arrested the director of the radio Hilal Sheikh Shuayb and another senior Journalist named Mohamed Aden and…

Somali Deputy Police Commander General Mohamed Nor has died in the Aga Khan hospital in Nairobi late weekend from his wounds in a double suicide attacks targeted at the main base of the African Union troops in Mogadishu. - The deputy police chief was injured in a double suicide attack at the headquarters of the African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOIM in Mogadishu. Al-Shabab militants has since claimed responsibility for the suicide attack which killed 21 peacekeepers, including the deputy commander of the African Union mission and 90 injured, including civilians. The body of General Mohamed Nor was flown to the Somali capital Mogadishu and he is expected to receive a national…

The European Union, the InterGovernmental Authority on Development, the League of Arab States, the United Nations, Norway and the United States all condemn in the strongest terms Thursday's cowardly suicide car bombings on the AMISOM Force Headquarters in Mogadishu. - AfricaNews reporter said the horrific attack is a further demonstration of the extremists’ complete disregard for human lives. It is not only an attack on the AMISOM peacekeepers, but also on the ordinary Somali population who they were helping, he said. Along with the Somali population, the international community pledged in a statement that “we will not be deterred by such criminal acts and will continue a…

Nine AU peacekeepers died after suicide car bombings at AMISOM headquarters base in Mogadishu - Somalia capital - on Thursday noon, said Uganda Military Spokesman Felix Kulayigye. Officials from AMISOM and Somali government were meeting in the base where Al-Shabab militants exploded two AU cars. - Deputy Commander of AMISOM troops in Mogadishu, Major General Juvenal Niyoyunguruza, died during the explosion. He was also the Commander of Burundi troops in Mogadishu, which is part of AMISOM troops in Somalia. General Nathan the commander of AMISOM troops in Mogadishu was wounded by the attack. The Uganda military spokesman said the AMISOM commander was injured by the head and he is been trea…

- By: Abdulkarim Mohamed Jimale African Union Special Representative for Somalia Mr. Nicolas Bwakira strongly condemns suicide car bombing on AMISOM troops headquarter in Mogadishu the capital of Somalia on Thursday noon. Mr. Bwakira told on a press release “We condemn the strongest terms possible today’s attack on AMISOM Force Headquarters in Mogadishu claimed to have been carried out by Al-shabaab” He added that the explosion causes injuries and damages AMISOM peacekeepers facilities “at least two bombs exploded at the Force Headquarters at about midday today causing injuries and damages to AMISOM peacekeepers, facilities and equipment” said Bwakira.…

The United Nations Development Programme Somalia (UNDP Somalia) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have launched a joint initiative to tap into key technical expertise among the Somali diaspora in a bid to help rebuild key governance foundations in parts of the country. - The Qualified Expatriate Somali Technical Support – Migration for Development in Africa (QUESTS-MIDA) project targets Somalis with professional expertise in policy and legislation, human resources management, and public financial management living in North America, the UK and the Nordic countries. Through the project, these experts will be engaged in short-term capacity-building placements in Somal…

- By: Abdulkarim Mohamed Jimale, Africanews Correspondent in Nairobi, Kenya Four Islamists including top al Qaeda operative Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan were killed after foreign helicopters attacked armed vehicles at Robow Villige near Barawe City about 200 kilometers south of the capital Mogadishu on Monday noon. “The unknown foreign helicopters attacked five armed vehicles but they targeted one of the vehicles and the others escaped for safety” Said on the phone one of the Robow Village elders who requested not to be named because of his security He added the helicopters destroyed one armed vehicle and the other four escaped for safety. One of the four Islamists…