Somalia - The African Mirror

Sep

2020

Three Somali special forces killed, US officer wounded in car bomb -Somali official

ABDIQANI HASSAN THREE Somali special forces soldiers were killed and a U.S. officer was seriously wounded in a car bomb outside the force's base in the country's south, a regional Somali government official said. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab said they were behind the attack and put the number of dead at 20. A Somali soldier was also wounded in the attack in Jana Cabdalle village, some 60 km (37 miles) from the port city of Kismayu, which is also Jubbaland region's capital. "Two soldiers of Danab (special) forces died and two others were wounded. A U.S. officer was seriously wounded,"…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Outrage as Somali parliament drafts law permitting child, forced marriages

NEWS

NITA BHALLA and MOHAMMED OMER SOMALIA's parliament has sparked outrage by replacing long-awaited legislation to protect women and girls from violence with a new bill permitting child and forced marriage. The East African nation has high rates of child marriage and violence against women, including rape and female genital mutilation (FGM). The United Nations says 45% of women are married before 18, while 98% have undergone FGM. In 2018, Somalia's cabinet approved the landmark Sexual Offences bill aimed at criminalising a wide range of forms of gender-based violence including rape, child marriage and sex trafficking. The bill sets out clear…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Blast rocks military base in Somali capital, at least eight dead

NEWS

ABDI SHEIKH A huge blast has rocked a military base in Somalia's capital Mogadishu near a stadium, killing at least eight people and injuring 14, emergency workers said. Soldiers opened fire after the explosion which sent clouds of smoke into the sky, said Halima Abdisalan, a mother of three who lives near the area. "We ran indoors in fear," she told Reuters. "Soon I could see a military pickup speeding and carrying many soldiers covered with blood. I do not know if they were all dead or injured." Army officer Major Abdullahi Mohamud said it was an attack. "It must…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

US admits to air strike in Somalia killed one civilian

NEWS

THE United States has revealed that one civilian was killed and three were injured in a U.S. air strike in Somalia in February, the second such admission since it launched quarterly reports on civilian casualties in its Africa operations. In a report, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said verification of the facts and circumstances about a February 2 air strike triggered by allegations of civilian deaths established one civilian had been killed while three were injured. "Unfortunately, we believe our operations caused the inadvertent death of one person and injury to three others who we did not intend to target," AFRICOM's…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

Somalia’s parliament ousts prime minister in no-confidence vote

NEWS

ABDI SHEIKH SOMALIA'S parliament ousted Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire in a no-confidence vote on Saturday, as a simmering power struggle between him and the president came to the fore. Khaire and President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed have been tussling over whether to delay a national election due in February next year, with the prime minister insisting it go ahead and the president favouring postponement. President Mohamed elevated the deputy prime minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled to prime minister in an acting capacity, a statement issued by his office said. The president's allies have also accused Khaire of failing to stabilise the…