DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 12 | SOMALIA Hassan Sheikh moves closer to winning debt relief 1st June 2023 Hailing successes on security and promising direct elections next year, the President seeks a debt deal President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's government is edging towards an agreement with the international financial institutions that could slash its external debt by 90% after a completi... READ FOR FREE
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 President ...
Vol 64 No 7 | SOMALIA Mogadishu weighs the ups and downs of its anti-jihadist fight 27th March 2023 Despite marked successes in its war against Al Shabaab, the government's campaign has been weakened by the regional authorities' competing priorities While the combined offensives against Al Shabaab in Hirshabelle and Galmudug have been drawing attention, the Federal Member States (FMS) and the Somali Federal Government (SFG) ga...
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 a...
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 tanks. The gov...
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 o...
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 Hargeisa's long-running ...
DISPATCHES Vol 64 No 2 | SOMALIASOMALILAND Washington's K-Street lobbyists take on Hargeisa 17th January 2023 Worried by Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi's bid to get the US to recognise his government as independent from Somalia, some clan leaders have hired advisors The political and diplomatic battle between the federal government of Somalia and Somaliland has been given an unusual twist. Washington lobbyists, Von Batten-Montague-York, led by... READ FOR FREE
Vol 64 No 1 | SOMALIA Trouble ahead for Hassan Sheikh's united front 4th January 2023 The anti-Al Shabaab offensive has the wind in its sails, but maintaining its momentum presents the President with deep problems The humanitarian situation will remain dire in 2023. Any rains that do come cannot restore an already devastated ecosystem and emergency aid to the starving will still be hampered ...
Vol 63 No 23 | SOMALIA Al Shabaab lashes out after heavy losses 11th November 2022 The recent bomb attack in the capital reveals weakness in Al Shabaab, which is at its lowest military ebb for years The horrific Al Shabaab bombing in Mogadishu on 29 October which killed 100 and wounded more than 400 showed the jihadists' defiance in the face of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud'...
