Author Archives

• Somalia Ponders Alternatives to One Person-One Vote Elections in 2016

  By Tres Thomas on July 1, 2015 • ( 1 )

  Since March, a Somali Cabinet Minister, UNSOM’s Nick Kay, and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud have stated in different forums that there likely will not be one person-one vote elections in 2016, raising the question of how Somalia will handle the end of… Read More ›

• Jubaland Suspends Relations With Somalia’s Government — What’s Next?

  By Tres Thomas on June 8, 2015 • ( 0 )

  

  Taking a page out of Puntland’s political playbook, the Interim Jubba Administration (aka Jubaland) said it has suspended relations with the Somali Federal Government (SFG) after the federal parliament passed a vote of “no-confidence” against the process to select IJA’s regional… Read More ›

• GUEST POST: The Decline and Fall of Al-Shabaab? Think Again | by Sahan Research

  By Tres Thomas on May 25, 2015 • ( 0 )

  

  Sahan Research, led by Matt Bryden, has published a new report on al-Shabaab and how the group is handling the death of its former leader Ahmed Abdi “Godane”, courtship from ISIS, its partnership with regional jihadists, and its overall strategy. The introduction of… Read More ›

• As American Ambassador Nominee Withdraws, Somali-U.S. Diplomacy Remains at a Crossroads

  By Tres Thomas on May 12, 2015 • ( 0 )

  

  On Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama withdrew his nomination for Ambassador to Somalia in career diplomat Katherine Dhanani, who reportedly backed out due to “personal reasons,” according to officials. It is unclear what factors were at play with Dhanani’s decision…. Read More ›

• Key Takeaways from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s Visit To Somalia

  By Tres Thomas on May 6, 2015 • ( 5 )

  

  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Mogadishu’s highly fortified airport base on Tuesday for about three hours before reportedly returning to Nairobi. During that time, he met with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and regional leaders Ahmed Madobe (IJA), Sharif Hassan Sheikh… Read More ›

• Grenade Blast Hits Eastern Tanzania On May Day, Sparking Terror Fear

  By Tres Thomas on May 4, 2015 • ( 0 )

  

  Last Friday, at least four people were injured in a grenade attack carried out by two suspects who got away in the aftermath of the blast in Msolwa Ujamaa, located in Tanzania’s Kilombero district. According to Tanzanian outlet The Citizen, the suspects… Read More ›

• Somalia Faces Another Tough Test for State Formation in the Central Regions

  By Tres Thomas on May 1, 2015 • ( 1 )

  

  After turbulent efforts to form regional governments in Jubaland and southwestern Somalia, the country is heading toward another political quagmire while trying to establish the Interim Administration for the Central Regions (IACR). The IACR process is currently underway in Adado to form an administration below Puntland. It is hoped… Read More ›

• Analysis: Tanzania’s Arrest of Militants Highlights an Ongoing Jihadist Threat

  By Tres Thomas on April 20, 2015 • ( 3 )

  

  On Tuesday 14 April 2015, Tanzanian security forces raided a mosque in pursuit of suspected jihadists who had infiltrated the Morogoro region. Nine people were arrested and one Tanzanian suspect named Hamad Makwenda, who tried to behead a police officer, was… Read More ›

• Will Al-Shabaab Follow Boko Haram and Pledge Loyalty to ISIS?

  By Tres Thomas on March 12, 2015 • ( 3 )

  

  After Boko Haram recently pledged loyalty to the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), many are wondering whether al-Qai’da affiliate al-Shabaab will follow the same path. ISIS supporters have been pushing al-Shabaab to align with the group for some time, and some militants… Read More ›

• After Nominating New Ambassador, Is the U.S. Really Deepening Ties in Somalia?

  By Tres Thomas on February 25, 2015 • ( 0 )

  

  U.S. President Barack Obama nominated career diplomat Katherine Dhanani as Ambassador to Somalia, eight months after Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman revealed the intent of the U.S. to do so at a USIP event in Washington, D.C. The State Department hailed… Read More ›

• Key Takeaways from Al-Shabaab’s “Mall Threat” Video

  By Tres Thomas on February 24, 2015 • ( 1 )

  

  Last week, al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabaab issued a new video aimed at regaining relevancy in a jihadi landscape currently dominated by its rival ISIS. The video entitled The Westgate Siege: Retributive Justice documents the history of abuses on ethnic Somalis in the Horn of Africa, as well… Read More ›

• As al-Shabaab Release Video on Happiness of Fighters, Drone Strike Kills Senior Leader

  By Tres Thomas on February 4, 2015 • ( 3 )

  

  Summary Al-Shabaab’s most recent propaganda video is intended that its fighters aren’t “in fear or hunger,” but loss of territory and increasingly successful drone strikes show continued vulnerabilities. Air strikes against top al-Shabaab leaders are of limited benefit if not coupled with… Read More ›

• Week in Review: Somalia Gets a New Cabinet and Port, Kenyan al-Shabaab Suspect Arrested

  By Tres Thomas on January 30, 2015 • ( 0 )

  

  Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke nominated a new list of cabinet members after he withdrew his initial nominations due to opposition in parliament. MPs had warned him not to bring in failed ex-leaders and some of the President’s allies. As a… Read More ›