Tag Archives: Somalia

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 […]

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.

Ethiopian troops withdrew from bases in northern Mogadishu and have handed over security to the Transitional Federal Government and a faction of Islamist insurgents. Islamic Courts Union spokesman Sheikh Abdirahin Isse Adow urged Islamists groups not to fight over the city. Four children were killed in fighting between Islamist insurgents and government forces.

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.

Islamic Courts Union fighters are taking control of military bases in Mogadishu vacated by withdrawing Ethiopian troops. Seven Somalis were killed in fighting between Shabaab and Sufi militias in the Galgadud region. Sheikh Sharif and Sheikh Aweys may meet in Egypt.

Ethiopian military convoys have been seen leaving Mogadishu. Two Ethiopian troops were killed in a bombing and eight people were killed in fighting in Mogadishu. Shabaab executed two Somalis in Burhakaba.

The Ethiopian Army is preparing to withdraw its troops from Somalia in the next week. Ethiopian troops disarmed some Somali soldiers in Mogadishu. Somali troops killed a Shabelle Radio reporter in in Afgoi. The US will provide $5 million to Somali security forces.