At least two security guards of the Wadjir District commissioner have been killed, and seven other people, including the district commissioner, have been injured, by a roadside bomb that targeted his car. Sheik Mohamed Muhumad Isma™il stated an order to the people of Barre to legalize their guns.
Somalia’s council of ministers on Tuesday endorsed a plan to introduce sharia, or Islamic law, in the country, a key demand by Islamists who are opposed to the government. Germany’s navy handed over nine suspected Somali pirates to Kenyan authorities.
Somali ministers under the former Transitional Federal Government (TFG) handed over official documents to the new ministers of the unity government Monday at a ceremony in the capital, Mogadishu.
Fighting in Mogadishu erupted today after African Union peacekeepers and Somali government forces expanded into several Mogadishu districts under insurgent control. The fighting left 21 killed and more than a dozen people wounded.
Shabaab has declared jihad on the new Somali government. President Sharif denied reports he has requested foreign military aid. Ethiopia denied that its forces re-entered Somalia.
President Sharif said Somali groups should “unify our ranks and confront those who commit violence.” The Islamic Courts Union welcomed the election of Sharif, their former leader. Shabaab’s branch in Kismayo rejected Sharif’s election. Ethiopian troops re-entered Somalia and took control of a crossroads in Hiran province.
Former Islamic Courts leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed was elected president by the newly expanded parliament. Sharif led the Islamic Courts conquest of southern Somalia in 2006. The United States welcomed victory and “looks forward to cooperating with President Sharif.”
Former Islamic Courts leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed is leading in the presidential election. Somali pirates hijacked a German-owned tanker in the Gulf of Aden. Ten people were killed as Shabaab and Sufi forces clashed in Galgadud.
Shabaab fighters chopped off the hand of a thief in Kismayo. Ethiopian forces have halted traffic along the Somali-Ethiopian border. Somaliland rejected the Djibouti peace process and reiterated its independence.
Shabaab spokesman Muktar Robow said the group will not accept a government that does not accept Islamic law. Sheikh Sharif Ahmed said he would push for peace with Ethiopia and called for Shabaab to end the fighting. Ethiopia said it would not be drawn back into Somalia despite the prospect of an Islamist state on […]
Shabaab has taken control of Baidoa. The African Union has sharply condemned the takeover of the Somali parliament building in Baidoa and surrounding areas by Shabaab. Islamic Courts leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed may run for president.
A key road in Mogadishu was reopened. Ethiopian troops are scheduled to leave from Baidoa. The African Union warns of possible further suicide attacks against peacekeeping forces in Mogadishu.
Two people have been killed after fresh fighting between pro-government militias and Islamist insurgents in Mogadishu. Islamist insurgents have recaptured Bardhere town in southwestern Somalia.
The UN announced that it would support a Somali peacekeeping mission. Shabaab fighters killed three Somalis during attacks on AMISOM bases in Mogadishu. The Puntland president appointed a new cabinet, along with a seven-member military commission.
Islamists executed a famous Somali statesman in Kismayu town. Dutch seek Somali pirates’ extradition from Denmark.
Ethiopian troops fully withdrew from Mogadishu, ending their two-year stay. Shabaab and other Islamist groups immediately occupied the Ethiopian bases. An explosion targeting a militia commander killed six people in Bardhere town.
Three Somalis died after releasing the giant Saudi Super-Tanker. Spain is sending a frigate and a plane to assist pirate fighting efforts. Two aid workers held hostage for 108 days were released.
Abdirahman Farole was elected as Puntland president. A United States Naval Commander will lead an international force of 20 members to combat the Somali pirate attacks.
A French warship prevented pirates from attacking two cargo vessels; 19 Somalis were captured. Burundi and Uganda governments asked the African Union to allow their troops to take action against the insurgents.
Nine people were killed in Mogadishu, three were civilians shot by Somali solders outside a hotel. Two journalists, one British and one Spanish, were released in good health after being held hostage for six weeks.
Heavy fighting erupted in Mogadishu, wounding 23 people and killing 3 others. The fighting originated at the presidential palace between government fighters and insurgents. The African Union urged Ethiopia to delay its troop withdrawal until more AU troops can be deployed.
Ethiopia announced that it would be withdrawing troops from Somalia by the end of December. Nigeria is planning to send an estimated 850 troops to Mogadishu after Ethiopian forces withdraw. Switzerland stated that it may send warships off Somali coast to protect Swiss vessels.
A UN delegation visited Johwar in southern Somalia to address humanitarian and security issues. The new UNSC resolution allows for US air strikes over Somali territory to fight piracy. China is planning to send warships to Somali cost for anti piracy operations.
The Indian Navy has arrested 23 pirates as they were trying to board a merchant ship. Thousands watched as two men were executed by Shabaab for murdering their parents. The Somali government has been accused of murdering civilians in Mogadishu.
Somali pirates captured two Yemeni fishing boats and 22 Yemeni fishermen. The German government approved the German Navy to assist the EU in its anti-piracy fight in the Gulf of Aden. Ethiopian troops took control of Abudwaq district in Galgadud region. The United States expressed concernsabout Somalia and Yemen based terrorist safe houses.
Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, leader of the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), arrived in Mogadishu. African Union peacekeepers, along with Islamic Courts Union (ICU) fighters set up security patrols throughout the city. Shabaab destroyed graves in Kismayo after accusing locals of worshiping “dead people.”