This week, Somalia’s president Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmaajo” signed an unconstitutional Lower House resolution extending his term for two years and mandating One Person-One Vote (OPOV) elections to be held in 2023. The move is the latest controversy in elections that… Read More ›
On March 8, in a letter to Somalia’s key foreign partners, the Council of Presidential Candidates (CPC) demanded the president hand over key powers to the prime minister, alleging Villa Somalia can no longer negotiate a path to holding elections… Read More ›
Amid ongoing delays in holding timely elections, Somalia’s Federal Electoral Implementation Team (FEIT) announced an updated timeline for Upper House (December 31 – January 6) and Lower House polls (January 7 until an unidentified date.) Who’s the Spoiler?: Despite no… Read More ›
As the Somali electoral crisis continues, the country’s special forces risk becoming politicized in an emerging violent conflict between the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and rival forces in Jubaland’s Gedo region. Open source flight data from December 19 and… Read More ›
Pressure from foreign donors, rather than public protests, is more likely to force Somalia’s president to cease stifling the opposition, interfering with electoral committees, and diverting blame for electoral delays. Background Following previous agreements on an alternative process for one… Read More ›
Djibouti’s “Return to Normal” Djibouti will begin “unlocking the country” in one of the most recent examples of a nation relaxing quarantine measures over social fatigue and economic distress rather than victory over the virus. For example, South Sudan is… Read More ›
Djibouti As of May 4, Djibouti has confirmed 1,116 positive coronavirus cases from 14,222 tests. Somalia Journalism on the coronavirus in Somalia continues to explore the operational tempo of grave sites and ambulance drivers as a means to understand the… Read More ›
Djibouti Via Mohamed Salh: Djibouti reported 8 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the country’s total confirmed cases to 1,097. It has reported two deaths and 672 recoveries. Somalia Both Somaliland and Puntland confirmed the first deaths… Read More ›
Djibouti The US military base in Djibouti is on lockdown after a second case of coronavirus was confirmed (via RFI): Camp Lemonnier, which provides the US military with a strategic foothold in east Africa, will go on indefinite lockdown to… Read More ›
On April 28, Somalia announced 48 new coronavirus cases, including the first confirmed positive tests in the Southwest region. The total case load in the country has reached 528, with 28 confirmed deaths. The new cases in the Southwest region… Read More ›
Similar to previous administrations, the FGS has prioritized the defeat of its domestic political opponents during the last months of its mandate rather than creating a conducive environment for elections and defeating al-Shabaab. The political disruption that the Federal Government… Read More ›
Kenyan troops “hid in the grass” during al-Shabaab’s January 5 attack on the Camp Simba airstrip, providing fresh doubt about the capability of the military to respond quickly and capably to high-profile terrorist attacks. Via NYTimes: “Surprised by the attack, American… Read More ›
The war between Kenya and al-Shabaab is not just being waged on remote bases like Camp Simba, highways, and city streets. It is taking a toll on telecom infrastructure as well. Via Reuters this past week: “Four Kenyan school children… Read More ›
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