Somalia - The African Mirror

Jan

2024

Somalia says it’s working to rescue hostages from UN helicopter

SOMALIA'S government is working to rescue the passengers of a U.N. helicopter that was captured by al Shabaab militants, a spokesperson said, but military officers said it would be difficult to access the area where they were taken. The U.N.-contracted helicopter was conducting an air medical evacuation when a technical problem forced it to make an emergency landing near Hindhere village in central Somalia, an area controlled by the militants. Two Somali men and several foreigners were on board, and many were taken hostage by the militants, two officers told Reuters. It was not clear exactly how many were captured and whether…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

UN helicopter carrying ‘several’ foreigners captured by al Shabaab in Somalia

NEWS

AL Shabaab militants captured a United Nations helicopter carrying two Somali men and several foreigners when it made an emergency landing in an area controlled by the Islamist group, a military official said. The aircraft encountered a defect shortly after taking off from Beledweyne city in central Somalia, Major Hassan Ali told Reuters, before it landed near Hindhere village, bordering Galguduud region. "Two Somali men and several foreigners were onboard. It was also carrying medical supplies and it was supposed to transport injured soldiers from Galguduud region," he said. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) later confirmed there…

Dec

2023

By The African Mirror

Somalia, U.S. forces kill al Shabaab leader behind numerous attacks in region – official

NEWS

SOMALI and U.S. forces have killed a senior leader of the militant Islamist al Shabaab group who had planned numerous attacks in Somalia and Kenya, Somalia's information minister said. "Maalim Ayman ... was confirmed to have been killed in a joint operation by the Somali National Army with assistance from US forces on December 17th," Daud Aweis said on his X account late on Thursday. "Ayman was accountable for planning multiple lethal terrorist attacks in Somalia and nearby countries," he said. The U.S. military's Africa Command (AFRICOM) had conducted an air strike, an AFRICOM spokesperson said but added that the…

Dec

2023

By The African Mirror

Turkey queries Somalia over role of president’s son in fatal accident

NEWS

TURKEY is seeking an explanation from Somalia after the son of its president, Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, left the country following a fatal traffic accident involving his use of a diplomatic car, according to a Turkish official. The son, Mohamed Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud, was driving a vehicle belonging to the Somali consulate on November 30, when he hit a motorcycle courier in central Istanbul, seriously injuring him, Turkish media have said. He was using a car carrying a diplomatic licence plate at the time of the accident, said the Turkish official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the investigation is…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

Death toll from flooding in Somalia climbs to nearly 100

NEWS

THE number of people killed by floods from heavy rains in Somalia has climbed to 96, state news agency SONNA said. "Somalia's flood death toll climbs to 96," SONNA said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, adding the figure had been confirmed by Mahamuud Moallim, the head of the country's disaster management agency. Like the rest of East and Horn of Africa, Somalia has been battered by relentless heavy rains that began in October, caused by the El Nino and Indian Ocean Dipole weather phenomena. Both are climate patterns that impact ocean surface temperatures and cause above-average rainfall. The…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

Somalia has year to eliminate al-Shabaab militants

NEWS

SOMALIA has one year to expel the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militant group from the country, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said, with the deadline for remaining African Union peacekeepers to leave looming next December. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has been waging a brutal insurgency against the Somali government since 2006 in a bid to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. Mohamud, serving his second term as president, said in August he wanted to eliminate it by early next year. "The end game is Dec 2024 when all the ATMIS (the African Union peacekeeping) forces have to leave…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

Once-in-a-century flooding swamps Somalia after historic drought -UN

NEWS

THE United Nations has described floods that uprooted hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia and neighbouring countries in East Africa following a historic drought as a once-in-a-century event. Around 1.6 million people in Somalia could be affected by the heavy seasonal downpours, which have been worsened by the combined impact of two climate phenomenons, El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement late on Thursday. The floods, which followed heavy rains that started in early October, have already killed at least 29 people and forced more…

Sep

2023

By The African Mirror

Suicide bomber kills at least 7 in Somali tea shop; al Shabaab claims responsibility

NEWS

A suicide bomber set off an explosion at a shop selling tea in Somalia's capital, killing at least seven people, a witness and medical personnel. Police put the number of dead at five. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on its Arabic media unit Shahada News Agency, the SITE Intelligence Group reported on Friday. It put the number of dead at 11 and wounded at 18; its numbers on casualties in attacks often differ from government figures. The Friday afternoon blast occurred at a checkpoint on a road leading to the parliament and…

Sep

2023

By The African Mirror

Truck bomb kills at least 10 in Somalia

NEWS

A truck bomb exploded at a checkpoint in the central Somali town of Beledweyne, killing at least 10 people and obliterating nearby buildings, a police officer said. It was not immediately clear who was responsible but the Islamist group al Shabaab frequently carries out bombings in the Horn of Africa country. "So far I have seen 10 dead people including soldiers and civilians and over a dozen others injured, but the death toll is sure to rise," police officer Ahmed Aden told Reuters. Beledweyne is in central Somalia's Hiran region which has recently witnessed battles between the military and al…

Jun

2023

By The African Mirror

36 dead in violence in Somalia’s Puntland and Lower Shabelle regions

NEWS

AT least 36 people died in violence across Somalia that involved heavy fighting in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland and bomb explosions in the country's Lower Shabelle region, witnesses said. In Puntland, heavy fighting broke out early Tuesday in the state capital Garowe as the local parliament debated changes to the voting system. At least 26 people died in that fighting and 16 of those were soldiers, while 30 others were injured, Dr Abdirsak Ahmed, who works at Garowe Public Hospital where some of the bodies were taken, told Reuters. Three other witnesses described heavy fighting that erupted after opposition…