Vol 64 No 16 | SOMALIA President launches anti-graft campaign 26th July 2023 Mogadishu's first big corruption trial in years is in full flow, but suspicions of scores being settled while business goes on as usual are casting a shadow Four civil servants face heavy penalties if they are convicted of stealing public funds in the first corruption trial in living memory. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's government is...
Vol 64 No 13 | SOMALIA Hassan Sheikh promises direct elections 16th June 2023 Hassan Sheikh has pledged one-person one-vote elections despite insufficient infrastructure and security, and he is placing great store on joining the EAC President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has announced several bold political changes and promised to succeed in his bid to join the East African Community. He has promised one-person, one-vote...
Vol 64 No 13 | SOMALIA Hassan Sheikh's offensive against Al Shabaab is faltering 9th June 2023 The militia has struck back hard against Mogadishu's forces as the government fails to consolidate after last year's battlefield successes When Al Shabaab attacked an African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) base on 26 May and killed up to 100 Ugandan soldiers and taking prisoners it struck...
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 completion of a... 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...
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) gathered for...
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...