Ethiopian forces, in coordination with Somali police, detained former al-Shabaab senior leader and Southwest (SW) regional presidential candidate Mukhtar Robow in Baidoa and transported him to Mogadishu on accusations of being a “security threat”. In a statement, the Federal Government… Read More ›
ETHIOPIAN WITHDRAWALS: Ethiopian troops reportedly withdrew from three areas in central Somalia, including Ceelbuur, Dhusamareeb, and El-lahelay. Last October, Ethiopia made similar withdrawals citing “lack of support” from the international community for its Somalia operations, while some attributed it to the need to discuss… Read More ›
East African leaders have begun to speak publicly about their expectations for bilateral relations with the U.S. following Republican candidate Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in the American presidential race. A statement from Ethiopia’s Prime Minister unsurprisingly did not veil its… Read More ›
This week, a Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) soldier serving under AMISOM was demoted and sentenced to a year in jail in an ongoing corruption trial in which 17 others face similar charges for illegally selling military supplies and fuel in… Read More ›
After abandoning one person-one vote elections last year, Somalia’s National Leadership Forum (NLF) produced an important set of results in Baidoa to determine the technicalities of its alternative electoral process. Leaders agreed on members of the National Traditional Forum —… Read More ›
A senior Ethiopian official recently highlighted the importance of social media in a Twitter post all while the government failed to ensure access in areas of the country where there have been anti-government protests. On the occasion of Twitter’s 10th anniversary in March,… Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
The prospect of AMISOM forces leaving Somalia in the coming years depends on the capacity of the country’s regional and federal military forces to finally cooperate and unite under a Somali National Army that looks much differently than the current… Read More ›
Egypt-Ethiopia-Sudan Ethiopia continues to reject calls from Egypt to agree to third party-sponsored negotiations on the construction of the 6,000 MW/$4.8 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), where Cairo says inefficient use of water diverted from the Nile will bring… Read More ›
Ethiopian government spokesperson Getachew Reda hinted that the country’s troops could join AMISOM in Somalia. This comes as the United Nations Security Council is soon expected to vote on a troop increase of 4,000 for the multi-national force currently capped at 17,761… Read More ›
Key Takeaways: [1] Acute divisions among top al-Shabaab figures is less important than the often existential and broader divisions among other armed groups in Somalia. [2] Training/arming Somali forces is less useful unless deeper divisions are better addressed. On the… Read More ›
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