Tag Archives: Somalia

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 claimed to have conducted a dual suicide attack on Burundi troops in Mogadishu; the African Union claimed the attack was a mortar strike. An Islamic scholars’ council demanded that African Union troops withdraw ‘within 120 days.’ Pirates seized a Greek freighter.

A government official threatened to attack Islamist forces in the Gedo region. Somali police are preparing to re-occupy police stations in Mogadishu. British Muslims are joining Shabaab in Somalia. Ethiopian troops detained a Somali member of parliament.

The US has welcomed the appointment of Somalia’s new prime minister and urged Nigeria to deploy troops to Mogadishu for peacekeeping duty. Ethiopian troops are seizing trucks along the Somali border as soldiers continue to leave Somalia.

Th semi-autonomous region of Puntland has welcomed the appointment of the new Prime Minister. Ethiopian said it would support the new government. Ethiopian troops have withdrawn from the strategic Kala-Beyr crossroads in the central Hiran region

President Sharif chose Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmake to be the new Prime Minister. The Ahlu Sunna Waljamea is backing President Sharif. Ethiopian troops withdrew from Kalaber on the border. A Russian warship captured 10 pirates and seized three ships.

During a press conference at the former parliament hall in Baidoa, Shabaab spokesman Muktar Robow said that President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed is “far from the Mujahideen.” Two Somalis were killed in mortar attacks in Mogadishu. The US Navy captured seven suspected pirates before they could board a freighter.

Four Somalis, including a Shabaab leader, were killed in fighting in Galgadud. The mayor of Mogadishu ordered police and army units to leave the city. The leader of the Abubakar As Saddique mosque in Minneapolis denied being involved with the disappearance of Somali-American men who have joined Shabaab.

Government forces and Shabaab fighters clashed in Hudur; three were killed. President Sharif said he was ready to practice sharia law. Reports indicate Sharif met with Shabaab spokesman Muktar Robow. Uganda and Burundi are expected to send additional soldiers to Somalia.

President Ahmed is meeting with Islamic clerics with connections to the Islamist insurgents. The powerful Hawiye clan complained about anti-government statements from the newly formed Hizbal Islam. Shabaab forces attacked African Union troops in Mogadishu. Fromer Somali officials are requesting asylum in Kenya.

Four Islamist groups merged and vowed to fight President Sharif’s government. The group is called Hisbi Islam, or Islamic Party, and consists of Hassan Dahir Aweys ARS-Eritrea faction; Jabhatul Islamiya (“Islamic Front”); Mu™askar Ras Kamboni; and Anole. The Ukrainian ship laden with weapons has been freed by Somali pirates.

The UN envoy to Somalia has said reports of a civilian massacre by African Union troops in Mogadishu were manufactured. President Sharif has begun the process of selecting a prime minister. Thousands of Somalis are fleeing to Ethiopia. The director of Horn Afrik Radio in Mogadishu was murdered.

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.

Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca took control of the town of Dhusamareb after a battle with Shabaab. The deputy governor of Bay province said he is gathering forces to dislodge Shabaab from Baidoa, where sharia law has been declared. A battalion of Nigerian troops is prepared to deploy to Mogadishu.

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 […]