Somalia Old Photos

My Life as a Diplomat

WATCHING from afar, people find it difficult to understand the intractability of the conflict in Somalia. The cycle of violence, almost mysteriously, remains uninterrupted. Peace breaks out. Victory is declared, as it was a couple of weeks ago when President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed’s Transitional Federal Government declared its triumph over the rival Islamic Courts Union and the clan-based militia fighting alongside it. And then the violence quickly erupts again

Appointment of Special U.S. Envoy to Somalia Brings Mixed Reactions

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice last month appointed a special U.S. envoy for Somalia, ending more than 10 years of no diplomatic presence in the African nation. But some experts and local Somalis say the move is too little, too late.

Ethiopia - Somalia - No peace, more terror

IN MARCH and April about 400,000 Somalis fled their capital, Mogadishu, as Ethiopian forces backing Somalia's transitional government razed whole districts in an attempt to destroy the country's remaining Islamist militants. That offensive came only months after the Ethiopians claimed to have defeated Somalia's ruling Union of Islamic Courts in a stunningly swift campaign at the end of last year. Despite Ethiopia's latest claims of success, the country is in as perilous a state as ever

80 killed as Somalia fighting continues

At least 80 people, including many civilians, have been killed in intensified fighting in Somalia over the past two days, according to hospital sources.

16 dead in Ethiopian attacks

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia: At least 16 people were killed and dozens were injured on Monday in two attacks in eastern Ethiopia, a government official said. A rebel spokesman denied involvement. The attacks happened early on Monday in two towns in eastern Ethiopia, Jijiga and Degah Abur, said Nur Abdi Mohamed, an official of the Somali Regional State.

Condemning Mass Killing and Burning in Towns in Ogaden

Ogaden Student Forum having failed politically and militarily in its campaigns to subdue..

Ethiopia:Blaming the Victim for Propaganda and Political Gains

Right off the bat, the Ogaden Editorial Board, OEB, condemns the bombings in Jig Jiga where Ogaden civilians, forced to attend a political ceremony, which has no meaning to these poor citizens, have lost their lives.

Ethiopia Determined to Conceal The Ogaden Plight From the World

The illegal detention and release without charge or explanation of the three New York Times journalists in Ogaden by the Ethiopian Military confirms the veracity of what the Ogaden press has been publishing for years now

Ethiopia grooms Somalia for Eritrea intervention?

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin, in a recent visit to Mogadishu, refused to give a date for Ethiopian troops to withdraw from Somalia, saying Somalia's transition government and civil society leaders had asked Ethiopia not to abandon the Somali people. (Shabeelle Media Network, May 29) Now reports are mounting that Somali troops are actually headed for Ethiopia.

Somalia: Former defense minister welcomes the loss of his cabinet post

Former Somalia defense minister but now member of Parliament Bare Aden Shire Hirale for the first time Sunday spoke out the reasons he lost his post in the cabinet while talking to the local media.

Somalia clan fighting kills at least 10

MOGADISHU, May 13 (Reuters) - Clashes triggered by land disputes and revenge killings between two rival Somali sub-clans have killed at least 10 people, elders said on Sunday.

In Somalia, shock and awe, followed by stalemate

By David Ignatius Daily Star staffMonday, May 14, 2007
"Get it done quickly and get out." That, says a senior US diplomat in Addis Ababa, was the goal of the little-noticed war that Ethiopia has been fighting, with American support, against Islamic extremists in Somalia. But this in-and-out strategy encounters the same real-world obstacles that America is facing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Somalia: UN Humanitarian Official Urges Country Let Aid Reach Its People

UN's top humanitarian official, John Holmes, has arrived in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday as two bomb explosions which claimed the lives of four occurred at the center of the gun-infested city.

Ethiopia to quit Somalia after African Union troops arrive

KUWAIT CITY (Thomson Financial) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said in Kuwait that Ethiopian troops will complete their withdrawal from neighbouring Somalia after the arrival of African Union peacekeeping forces.

Kenya: It’s very dangerous for civilians in Somalia right now

Djibouti (HAN) May 2nd, 2007 - According to the regional observers "It’s very dangerous for civilians in Somalia right now," said Ann Corbett, a Kenya specialist for Amnesty International. "Kenya’s action in closing its

AU peacekeepers begin patrols in Somalia

MOGADISHU (AP) -- African Union peacekeepers patrolled the streets of Somalia's capital Tuesday for the first time since they arrived in March, moving out after the government declared victory over Islamic insurgents.

Officer on the Street in San Diego is a Chief in Somalia

Wednesday, March 21, 2007 San Diego Police Officer Abdiweli Heibeh's story is an epic tale -- part-tragedy, part rags-to-riches adventure. He has survived bombings and house arrest in Mogadishu, served as a major in the Somali army, trained at a top U.S. Army base and worked an ice cream truck while waiting for asylum.

Belarus cargo plane attacked in Somalia, nobody hurt

MOSCOW, March 12 (Xinhua) -- A Belarussian transport plane was attacked as it was landing at an airport in Somalia on Monday, but no one was hurt, the Interfax news agency reported citing a Belarussian official.

Renewed clan fighting kills four in Ogaden region

(SomaliNet) At least four people have been killed and eight others were wounded in renewed clan fighting between militias in environs near villages of Laba-Bar and Bar-Magog in the Somali’s self-autonomous province of eastern Ethiopia bordering with Somalia, also known as ‘Ogaden region’.

Somalia - James Swan to the Baltimore CFR

Good evening, and thank you, Frank Burd, for your kind introduction. I am glad to have this opportunity to meet with the Baltimore Council on Foreign Affairs and discuss the topic you suggested to me for tonight: Somalia.

Opinions are mixed about why Twin Cities alone see dispute over alcohol, Muslim cabbies

Muslim taxi drivers serve airports throughout the country. Yet a dispute about cabbies refusing on religious grounds to take passengers with alcohol has flared only in the Twin Cities.

UN's Man in Somalia Says To Embrace and Not Question the Baidoa Government

UNITED NATIONS, March 2 -- Jump in and take a side. That was the message of Eric Laroche, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Somalia, speaking to reporters on March 1. Mr. Laroche chided most "international NGOs" for not being where the humanitarian problems are.

UPDF starts Somalia peace mission

AT least six explosions rocked the Somali capital Mogadishu yesterday as Ugandan peacekeepers started arriving in the lawless Horn of Africa country, BBC and Reuters reported.