Tag: Somalia
AFRICOM carries out first Trump-directed airstrike on ISIS-Somalia
At the direction of President Donald J Trump, the United States carried out its first airstrike of his second term, targeting ISIS-Somalia operatives in...
Interpol operation nabs 37 terror suspects in eight African countries
Suspected members of ISIS and Al Shabaab were amongst those detained by Interpol and Afripol in a joint operation in eight East African countries....
Turkey building rocket launch facility in Somalia
Turkey started building a rocket launch facility in Somalia on 20 December 2024, following an
announcement made a few month ago. Somalia president Hassan Sheikh...
Chinese fishing vessel “liberated” from Somali pirates
Six weeks after surveillance was mounted on a Chinese fishing vessel pirated off Somalia, the unnamed vessel was “liberated” on Monday 13 January.
A four...
Senior al-Shabaab leader killed in targeted Somali air strike
A week before the latest and third iteration of an African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission came into being in Somalia, a requested United States...
AUSSOM operational in Somalia
As of 1 January, African Union (AU) efforts to bring peace to Somalia changed names for the third time in 18 years.
What is now...
Ongoing surveillance of suspected hijacked fishing vessel
One of three European Union (EU) naval operations off Africa continues surveillance of a Chinese fishing vessel seemingly hijacked off Somalia in what is...
Majority of Islamic State group attacks target African countries
The Islamic State group (IS) claims that it committed 788 attacks globally in the first half of 2024. Of those attacks, 536 were in...
Red Sea tensions: 4 scholars explain what’s at stake for global...
The Red Sea region is a geopolitical hotspot. It holds strategic maritime importance as a global trade transit route and plays a crucial role...
EU land and naval ops in the Horn of Africa and...
Further evidence of the strategic importance attached to the Horn of Africa/Somalia region comes from the European Union (EU).
The council of the 27 country...
Will al-Shabaab get stronger in Ethiopia? Two reasons why it’s unlikely...
There have been numerous reports of arrests of al-Shabaab insurgents, the dismantling of an al-Shabaab terrorist network and interception of arms in Ethiopia in...
Somali pirates capture Chinese fishing vessel
Heavily armed Somali pirates have captured a Chinese fishing vessel off the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, the European Union’s anti-piracy naval force Atalanta has...
Burgavo FOB handover marks completion of ATMIS phase three drawdown
Another part of wrapping up the current African Union (AU) mission in Somalia took place last week when the Burgavo forward operating base (FOB)...
New Somali piracy threats require partnerships and holistic responses
Signs of a potential Somali piracy resurgence have emerged in 2024, most recently with the European Union Naval Force Operation ATALANTA reporting a suspected...
Somalia and Turkey are becoming firm allies – what’s behind this...
Turkey has ramped up its partnership with Somalia in recent months. It is helping Somalia defend its waters, and has signed a deal to...
Egypt-Ethiopia hostilities are playing out in the Horn – the risk...
Egypt recently deepened its involvement in the war-weary Horn of Africa by arming Somalia and deploying its troops in the embattled country. To Ethiopia’s...
As Somali troops expand control, al-Shabaab increases IED attacks
For more than a decade, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been the deadliest weapons terrorists in Somalia have deployed against both Soldiers and civilians.
Since...
Another ATMIS base handed to Somali Security Forces
Ahead of its replacement by AUSSOM (African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia), the current continental bloc mission ATMIS (AU Transition Mission in...
AU’s ATMIS replacement force takes shape
Details are emerging about the new peacekeeping mission that will succeed the African Union’s current multilateral force in Somalia known as ATMIS when it...
AUSSOM planning ahead of November UN deadline
Work is underway in Mogadishu on mission design and funding for the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) that will replace...
Langley’s Africom East Africa trip highlights resilience, commitment amid ongoing terrorism...
US Marine Corps General Michael Langley, the commander of US Africa Command (Africom), recently visited Somalia, which he described as reinforcing the United States'...
New AU mission for Somalia: old problems, fresh solutions?
Seventeen years after the first African Union (AU) mission was deployed in Somalia to degrade the violent extremist group al-Shabaab, the country is set...
Al-Shabaab is 18 years old: six factors behind the Somali militant...
The United Nations security council unanimously voted on 15 August 2024 to extend the mandate of the 12,626 men and women of the African...
Somali piracy surges as new threat diverts resources
Gun-wielding pirates in two small boats attacked a Liberian-flagged cargo ship, the Basilisk, as it sailed about 380 nautical miles east of Somalia on...
ISIS SA cells named in US Treasury action against ISIS
The United States (US) Treasury Department is, according to a statement, “taking action” against three people associated with expanded activities of the Islamic State...
IMB notes increasing violence against seafarers
A decrease – no matter how slight – in piracy incidents should not see any lowering of vigilance levels by merchant shipping. This warning...
ATMIS drawdown sees another base under Somali control
In line with what the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) heard last month, the ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia) drawdown and troop...
UN Security Council hears Al-Shabaab resilient and unpredictable in Somalia
Al-Shabaab in Somalia remains unpredictable and has the ability to conduct devastating attacks, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was informed by ATMIS (African...
Somalia army vs al-Shabaab: as African Union troops leave, which is...
The African Union (AU) has gradually reduced its troop numbers in Somalia since late 2017, from a peak of over 22 000 to about...
ATMIS drawdown number three goes as planned
In line with the first two “seamless” troop drawdowns by ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia), drawdown number three is currently underway.
It started...
US forces conduct precision airstrike against ISIS-Somalia, 3 militants killed
On 31 May, US Africa Command (Africom) carried out an airstrike targeting Islamic State in Somalia (ISIS-Somalia), in the area of Dhaardaar, about 81...
EU naval force frees vessel from pirates off Somalia
Pirates have tried to hijack a merchant vessel off Somalia, but were beaten back by European warships patrolling the region in the most recent...
Chrystal Arctic suspects await trial in Seychelles holding facility
Delivery of suspected pirates to Seychelles authorities five days after an attack on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden stands as an...
Piracy rears its head once more with another attack in the...
Half a dozen pirates have been apprehended by Operation Atalanta naval forces after an attempted attack on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of...
Turkish warship visits Somalia
Heading to Japan to mark a centenary of bilateral relations, the Turkish Navy warship TCG Kinaliada is visiting Somalia as one of the 20...
African conflicts under the AU/UN microscope
Eight countries and two African regions were under scrutiny when the United Nations (UN)/African Union (AU) Joint Task Force (JTF) on peace and security...
MV Abdullah released by Somali pirates, apparently after ransom paid
The Bangladesh-flagged Merchant Vessel Abdullah, captured over a month ago by Somali pirates, has been released along with its 23 crew, apparently after a...
Increase in piracy off Somalia a concern
“Worrying” is the word used by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) to describe the increase to date this year of piracy in the Indian...
Turkey and Ethiopia have had close ties for many years: Somalia...
Ethiopia and Turkey, which have had cordial ties since the early 20th century, have drawn even closer in recent years as both battle criticism...
Indian Navy rescues another pirated ship
The Indian Navy has liberated yet another vessel from pirates off the coast of Somalia in the fifth such operation this year.
An Indian Navy...
Pirates move Abdullah into Somali territorial waters to avoid rescue attempt
The Somali pirates who captured the bulk carrier Abdullah (IMO 9745598) 600 miles off the African coast have moved the ship close inshore to...
Report: Al-Shabaab extends reach with offer to protect Somali pirates
After a six-year lull in major attacks, Somali pirates in December attacked four vessels as international navies relocated from the Indian Ocean to the...
Indian Navy retakes MV Ruen from Somali pirates
In a well-coordinated operation that lasted some 40 hours, the Indian Navy has retaken the ship MV Ruen from Somali pirates, rescuing the 17...
ATMIS committed to “seamless” security transfer in Somalia
With nine months before the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) exits the Horn of Africa country, mission management is committed to “a...
Bulk carrier Abdullah highjacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean as...
Pirates have seized a Bangladeshi-flagged and owned ship, the bulk carrier Abdullah, en route from the port of Maputo in Mozambique. The vessel was...
Somalia-Turkey maritime deal is a win for both countries, and not...
A recent defence deal between Somalia and Turkey has great significance for Somalia and the region’s security. The agreement, which covers both land and...
Somalia-Turkey maritime security partnership faces stormy waters
Somalia and Türkiye have forged a new defence and economic partnership. The agreement is one part of an intricate web of maritime pacts involving...
Red Sea politics: why Turkey is helping Somalia defend its waters
Somalia and Turkey recently announced that they would expand the terms of a defence agreement first signed on 8 February 2024 to include the...
US to construct military bases for Somali National Army
The United States and Somalia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the construction of up to five military bases for the Somalia...
Planning for ATMIS phase three drawdown underway
With phases one and two of the ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia) done and dusted, planning for the third phase in June...
