DISPATCHES Vol 66 No 16 | UNITED STATESSOMALILAND Secessionist leader Irro tempts Trump with minerals for recognition 4th August 2025 Hargeisa is also offering the US a Red Sea military base Somaliland’s President Abdirahman Mahamed Abdullahi Irro is the latest African leader to appeal to US President Donald Trump’s transactional instincts by offering Washington a military base on the... READ FOR FREE
Vol 65 No 24 | SOMALIASOMALILAND Hargeisa faces new pressures 28th November 2024 After Irro’s victory, the government must respond to demands on corruption and jobs as it tries to hold the territory together The decisive victory for Abdirahman Mahamed Abdullahi Irro with 64% in the 13 November presidential elections should be seen as the culmination of two years of politicking during...
Vol 65 No 14 | ETHIOPIASOMALIAUNITED ARAB EMIRATESSOMALILAND Abiy Ahmed’s sovereignty deal with Muse Abdi risks more regional turmoil 27th June 2024 Ethiopia’s accord with Somaliland on access to the sea angers Mogadishu as the UAE pushes its side in the fight Regional concerns are mounting over the mooted quid pro quo between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and President Muse Bihi Abdi in which Ethiopia gets a port in the...
Vol 65 No 2 | ETHIOPIASOMALIASOMALILAND Why Abiy and Muse signed a 'memorandum of misunderstanding' 15th January 2024 A hasty deal offering recognition of Somaliland's sovereignty and a port for Ethiopia has angered the region By announcing a trade-off on New Year's Day – putative recognition of Somaliland's 'independence' in exchange for access to the Gulf of Aden – Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy...
Vol 64 No 19 | SOMALIASOMALILAND Muse Bihi's political headaches worsen 21st September 2023 After failing to conquer Dhulbahante rebels in Las Anod, which led to conflict within the Isaq clan, the President needs to repair the splits President Muse Bihi Abdi is adding political problems to the military reverses he has suffered in his ill-judged confrontation with the Dhulbahante clan over Las Anod. That’s the...
Vol 64 No 8 | SOMALIASOMALILAND Risks of Las Anod lull 13th April 2023 The crisis in Las Anod has entered its fourth month with a bigger cast of actors than before but with prospects for resolution still uncertain. International pressure on...
Vol 64 No 6 | SOMALIASOMALILAND Uneasy peace at Las Anod 16th March 2023 Addis has persuaded Hargeisa to ease its artillery barrages on the town, but Somaliland's president remains determined to crush his opponents Oblivious to the concerns of western countries and interested neighbours, President Muse Bihi Abdi of Somaliland has now listened to envoys of Ethiopia and called off the all-out...
Vol 64 No 5 | SOMALIASOMALILAND Las Anod still under fire 2nd March 2023 Despite appeals for calm and for negotiations with the elders of Las Anod, Hargeisa's forces continue to shell the town with heavy and light artillery, and fire from...
Vol 64 No 4 | SOMALIASOMALILAND Hargeisa's bloody own goal 16th February 2023 Somaliland's military assault on Las Anod looks like an over-reaction by the state government and could scupper its independence ambitions After Hargeisa's security forces reacted to peaceful protests in Las Anod in December and January by shooting marchers dead, some thought the situation would calm – but the...
Vol 64 No 3 | SOMALIASOMALILAND Clashes damage recognition campaign 2nd February 2023 The security force shootings in Las Anod have highlighted the grievances of Somaliland residents who don't want independence for the statelet The security force shootings in Las Anod at the turn of the year are having major repercussions in the region, including on the disputed Sool region and on...