Somalia - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

Somalia refuses to accept Ethiopian naval base in breakaway region

SOMALIA will never accept Ethiopia's plan to build a naval base in its breakaway region of Somaliland, but would consider granting Ethiopia commercial port access if discussed bilaterally, a senior Somali official said on Friday. Landlocked Ethiopia sparked a diplomatic row with Mogadishu in January by signing a deal with Somaliland to lease 20 km (12 miles) of its coastline in return for recognising the region as an independent state. Somalia called the deal illegal as it considers Somaliland as part of its territory even though it has had effective autonomy since 1991. To defuse the acrimony, Kenya in consultation with Djibouti…

Apr

2024

By GIULIA PARAVICINI

Somalia expels Ethiopian envoy amid naval base dispute

NEWS

SOMALIA said that it was expelling Ethiopia's ambassador, closing two Ethiopian consulates and recalling its own ambassador to Addis Ababa amid a dispute over Ethiopia's plan to build a naval base in the breakaway region of Somaliland. Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesperson Nebiyu Tedla said Ethiopia did not have any information on the matter, which was first officially announced by Somalia's prime minister's office. "This follows ... the actions of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia which infringe upon Somalia's sovereignty and internal affairs," Somalia's foreign ministry said in a statement. Somalia has given Ethiopia's ambassador 72 hours to leave the…

Apr

2024

By SETH ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Somalia plugs 5G into its economic rebound

BUSINESS

SOMALIA has received its first 5G installation, cranking up a series of reforms to revamp its economy after joining the East Africa Community (EAC). Hormuud Telecom Somalia Inc., its largest telco, rolled out faster internet speeds last month, signalling budding growth in the country's digital services industry. "As Somalia strides towards stability, the launch of 5G services by Hormuud Telecom emerges as a critical milestone. This initiative is more than just a technological advancement, it's a symbol of our nation's commitment to growth and constant improvement," said Somalia's Telecommunications Minister Jama Hassan Khalif. The immediate benefit of this rollout, according…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

Al Shabaab launches deadly attack on military base in Somalia

NEWS

AT least 17 people were killed in Somalia after the Islamist group al Shabaab attacked a military base. The Busley base, in the Lower Shabelle region in the country's southwest, was briefly occupied by the attackers, security officials and the group said. Armed fighters from al Shabaab battled their way to the facility using suicide car bombs, a Somalia military officer told Reuters. He declined to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media. "Several suicide car bombs attacked the base after fierce fighting...al Shabaab briefly captured the base," the officer said. "Then, government reinforcement fiercely…

Mar

2024

By GIULIA PARAVICINI, JONATHAN SAUL and ABDIQANI HASSAN

Somali pirates return, adding to global shipping crisis

NEWS

AS a speed boat carrying more than a dozen Somali pirates bore down on their position in the western Indian Ocean, the crew of a Bangladeshi-owned bulk carrier sent out a distress signal and called an emergency hotline. No one reached them in time. The pirates clambered aboard the Abdullah, firing warning shots and taking the captain and second officer hostage, Chief Officer Atiq Ullah Khan said in an audio message to the ship's owners. "By the grace of Allah no one has been harmed so far," Khan said in the message, recorded before the pirates took the crew's phones.…

Mar

2024

By The African Mirror

US targets al Shabaab fundraisers, money launderers with sanctions

NEWS

THE U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on what it said was an international fundraising and money-laundering network for the al Shabaab militant group operating in Somalia. The sanctions targeted 16 entities and individuals across the Horn of Africa region, the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus, the Treasury said in a statement. The action, which follows U.S. sanctions against a separate network linked to al Shabaab in October 2022, freezes any U.S. assets of those targeted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. It said al Shabaab, which Washington considers a terrorist group, generates over $100 million a year, including…

Mar

2024

By FEDERICO DONELLI

Red Sea politics: why Turkey is helping Somalia defend its waters

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

SOMALIA and Turkey recently announced that they would expand the terms of a defence agreement first signed on 8 February 2024 to include the maritime sector. This came as tensions rose between Somalia and landlocked Ethiopia. Ethiopia is seeking access to the Red Sea through Somaliland, a breakaway state of Somalia. Federico Donelli, an international relations professor whose research covers Red Sea security and politics, puts this defence agreement into context. FEDERICO DONELLI, Assistant Professor of International Relations, University of Trieste What’s the scope of the relationship between Turkey and Somalia? Turkey’s entry into Somalia in 2011 started out as…

Jan

2024

By GIULIA PARAVICINI

How Ethiopia’s quarrel with Somalia could destabilise Horn of Africa

NEWS

ETHIOPIA'S deal to lease a port in Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland has infuriated the government in Mogadishu and prompted concern it will further destabilise the Horn of Africa region. Under a memorandum of understanding signed on January 1, landlocked Ethiopia would lease 20 km (12 miles) around Somaliland's port of Berbera for 50 years, in exchange for stakes in Ethiopian state-run companies and possible recognition as an independent nation. Somalia has responded by calling the deal an act of aggression and says it will block it. Ethiopia says it is merely striking a commercial arrangement to address a need for access to…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

President Sisi says Egypt will not allow any threat to Somalia or its security

NEWS

EGYPT will not allow any threat to Somalia, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said after Ethiopia said it would consider recognising an independence claim by Somaliland in a deal that would give it access to a seaport. The remarks were the strongest yet made on the issue by Egypt, which already has frosty relations with Ethiopia, and were a sign that Cairo may get involved in a dispute that has raised fresh tensions in the volatile Horn of Africa. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not won recognition from any country. The port lease deal, which was agreed…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

Two US Navy sailors reported missing while conducting operations off coast of Somalia

NEWS

TWO U.S. Navy sailors were reported missing at sea while conducting operations off the coast of Somalia, the U.S. military said in a statement, adding that search and rescue operations were ongoing to locate them. "The sailors were forward-deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet (C5F) area of operations supporting a wide variety of missions," the U.S. Central Command said. The statement added that additional information would not be made available until the personnel recovery operation was complete.