Author Archives
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Former Trump Advisors Profit from Anti-Somalia Policies as Lobbyists
The Somali government has agreed to pay lobbying firm Sonoran Policy Group (SPG) $100,000 per month until December 2018 to engage in lobbying efforts aimed at removing Somalia from U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban and re-opening part of the… Read More ›
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There Are Conflicting Accounts of Future U.S. Involvement in Somalia
How will U.S. military operations in Somalia evolve during the rest of the Donald Trump administration? On June 4, the New York Times reported the Pentagon was likely to make cuts among the 1,200 U.S. Special Forces deployed to Africa because Special… Read More ›
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3 Notes on the Al-Shabaab Attack on U.S.-allied Forces in Somalia
On June 8, al-Shabaab ambushed U.S. Special forces who were building a command outpost with 800 combined Kenyan and Somali forces north of Kismayo. The group did not claim to inflict mass casualties on a scale of other high-profile attacks,… Read More ›
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Disputed Reports of Civilian Casualties After Joint U.S.-Somali Raid
U.S. and Somali forces have been accused of killing five civilians in a raid that resulted in the capture of three alleged al-Shabaab commanders in the remote village of Macalinka — 25 miles outside Mogadishu. Both independent and pro-Shabaab media… Read More ›
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Despite AMISOM and Drones, Al-Shabaab most deadly African Islamic Militant Group
Al-Shabaab was the most deadly Islamist militant group in Africa over the past year, according to a new study by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) in Washington, D.C. The U.S. government-affiliated think tank revealed important trends and statistics… Read More ›
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Can Somalia Seal the Galmudug-ASWJ Peace Deal?
As part of his tour of Somali regional states, Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmaajo” visited Dhusamareeb this week to validate the December 2017 peace agreement between the Galmudug administration and Sufi militia Ahlu Sunna Wal Jama’a (ASWJ). ASWJ, as a multi-clan… Read More ›
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Around the Horn: Dadaab’s Decline, Kenyan Political Violence, and More
This month, UNHCR is reporting that more than 70,200 Somali refugees have been repatriated from Dadaab, and over 17,400 are registered as “willing to return” to Somalia. An interesting note in the report was that returns to Baidoa had been “suspended… Read More ›
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Around the Horn: Al-Shabaab showcase looted weapons from Jubaland raid and more
Somalia: On 9 September, al-Shabaab released photos of supplies it looted during its 3 September attack on Buulo Gaduud, just outside Kismayo. It claimed to have killed over two dozen Somali troops in the raid. The group appeared to capture vehicles,… Read More ›
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PHOTOS: Al-Shabaab and AFRICOM dispute outcome of drone strikes
Al-Shabaab and the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) dispute the nature of casualties following a series of drone strikes in Somalia’s Jubaland region — part of an ongoing competition to shape public information in the fog of war. According to… Read More ›
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Interactive Map: Post-election death toll at least 26 in Kenya
Below is an interactive map that traces dozens of the post-election deaths in Kenya among protesters and alleged looters, as well as several local incidents of voter fraud. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announcement of incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta’s… Read More ›
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Kenya Election Round-Up: Historic Results, Protests, and Anomalies
The tallying of votes after national elections in Kenya has kicked off, and the Kenyan Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is posting updates live on its website. Local media outlets are providing breathless coverage, as well explanations of how the… Read More ›
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Around the Horn: Kenyan Elections, Somalia Airstrike, AMISOM Withdrawal
Kenyan Elections Today National elections in Kenya are today. Finally, there will be answer for who will be victorious in the presidential race between incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta and his perennial challenger in Raila Odinga. In 2013, Kenya’s predominately peaceful polls… Read More ›
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U.S. Assists into Counter-Terror Operations in Central Somalia, Posing Risks Again
This week, the United States provided “limited tactical advisory support” in the arrest of five al-Shabaab suspects in the central Somalia town of Galkayo, including a known facilitator named Abdirizak Hussein Tahliil who held a U.S. green card and lived… Read More ›
