Author Archives
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Analysis: What is a “Fair” 2016 Election Model for Somalia?
Last week, the federal government of Somalia (FGS) published its plan for a 2016 election format after the effort to institute one person-one vote polls was deferred to 2020. The FGS released a communique at the conclusion of the most recent round of negotiations that acknowledged… Read More ›
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MEDIA ROUNDUP: Somalia Election Talks Fail, Details on El Adde Attack, and More
KISMAYO TALKS FAIL: At a recent summit, Somali leaders failed to reach a consensus on an election format for the next parliament, whose MPs are to elect a president later this year. New UN Envoy Michael Keating, who just arrived in Mogadishu,… Read More ›
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LISTEN: Al-Shabaab Release Audio of Kenyan Military Hostages
Al-Shabaab released audio from two Kenyan soldiers who were taken hostage during the attack on AMISOM’s base in El Adde last Friday. The Star newspaper claims that al-Shabaab are holding 10 other Kenyan soldiers hostage. The hostages only describe details of the… Read More ›
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Al-Shabaab’s Nabhan Brigade Resurfaces and Raids AMISOM Base in Somalia
In the early morning of 15 January, “several hundred” al-Shabaab militants overran an AMISOM base in El Adde, about 30mi southwest of Garbahaarey in Somalia’s Gedo region. Al-Shabaab claimed the Saleh Nabhan brigade carried out the operation. The brigade was created… Read More ›
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UPDATE: American ISIS Supporter in Al-Shabaab Flown from Somalia to U.S. for Trial
Malik Jones, an American jihadist who was captured as he fled al-Shabaab’s purge of ISIS supporters, has been flown from Somalia to the United States and may face trial in New York, according to a local NBC affiliate. The full criminal complaint and indictment can… Read More ›
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Al-Shabaab’s “Donald Trump Video” Reveals Racial and Religious Shortfalls in U.S. and Somalia
Picking up on heightened tensions surrounding police brutality against Black communities and anti-Muslim violence in the U.S., al-Shabaab specifically targeted Black American Muslims in the group’s first official video of 2016. The group encourages Blacks in the U.S. to convert to Islam… Read More ›
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New “Breakaway” Administration Forms in Somalia In Latest Federalism Dispute
On 25 December, three districts in Somalia’s Bakool region formed a breakaway administration after claiming its communities were marginalized by the Interim Southwest Administration (ISWA). Upper Bakool (aka Bakool Sare) – including representatives from Yeed, Aato, and Ceel Barde districts… Read More ›
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PHOTOS: Ethiopia Trains New Security Forces in Somalia
This week, Ethiopian military leaders and Somalia’s southwest regional president Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan presided over two ceremonies for troops that had recently graduated military training. The first occurred in Diinsoor around 24 December where two hundred Darawish paramilitary forces reportedly completing training:… Read More ›
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Al-Shabaab Fighters Clash Over ISIS Allegiance in Puntland
Pro-ISIS militants in al-Shabaab who want the group’s leader Ahmed Diriye to pledge loyalty to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi are finding it difficult to find a safe haven from rival jihadists. On Thursday, al-Shabaab militants attacked a group of pro-ISIS militants near… Read More ›
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As pro-ISIS Americans Leave Al-Shabaab, Is Somalia Prepared for High-Level Defections?
On 7 December, it was announced that two American and pro-ISIS jihadists within al-Shabaab had surrendered to Somali authorities. Abdul Malik John (also reported as Abdimalik Jones) was captured near Barawe after fleeing al-Shabaab’s targeted killings of ISIS supporters. More surprisingly, infamous… Read More ›
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Senior American Military Officials Comment on Al-Shabaab and ISIS
Al-Shabaab’s strength and ability is weakening, but the group remains the biggest threat in the region, according to a senior American military official for east Africa. The threat of ISIS is also believed to have grown since 2014, according to a Marine… Read More ›
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Kenya’s Contrasting Responses to Border Conflict with Ethiopia and Somalia
Last Friday, Ethiopian forces killed three Kenyan police officers and a village chief during a cross-border attack in pursuit of Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) rebels. Kenya’s Daily Nation noted Ethiopian forces have carried out at least five often deadly incursions… Read More ›
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Al-Shabaab’s Battle with ISIS: What’s at Stake?
ISIS supporters have been pleading al-Shabaab to drop its affiliation with al-Qai’da (AQ) and pledge loyalty to the Islamic State — like its counterpart “Boko Haram” (aka Islamic State in West Africa). To date, small nodes of support to ISIS in Somalia… Read More ›
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