Tag: Somalia

Kenya flooding death toll climbs to 70 since March | Floods News

More than 120,000 people have been displaced, Kenyan government says, with 22 others injured and eight reported missing.

Flooding and heavy rains in Kenya have killed at least 70 people since mid-March, according to a government spokesperson, twice as many as were reported earlier this week.

Kenya and other countries in East Africa — a region highly vulnerable to climate change — have been lashed by severe downpours in recent weeks.

“The official tally of fellow Kenyans who regrettably have lost their lives due to the flooding situation now stands at 70 lives,” government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said on X on Friday, after torrential rains killed 32 people in the capital Nairobi this week.

Fifteen people were killed in the Rift Valley region, the government also said in a report on Friday, following a meeting of the country’s disaster response committee.

More than 120,000 people have been displaced by the floods, the report said, with 22 others injured and eight reported missing.

The government has proposed 3.3 billion Kenyan shillings ($24.5m) for an “initial emergency response”, which includes repairing infrastructure, emergency housing and food assistance.

People carry belongings retrieved from their homes following the floods in Nairobi [Luis Tati/AFP]

Sixty-four public schools in Nairobi – nearly a third of the total number in the capital – have been “substantially affected” by the flooding, said Belio Kipsang, the principal secretary for education.

However, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said that “the schools will reopen as scheduled” following the mid-term holidays this month.

Kenyans have been warned to stay on alert, with more heavy rains forecast across the country in coming days as the monsoon batters East Africa.

The flooding has been compounded by the El Nino weather pattern.

A naturally occurring climate pattern typically associated with increased heat worldwide, El Nino can lead to drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.

Regional destruction

Meanwhile, at least 155 people have been killed in flooding and landslides in neighbouring Tanzania.

Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said on Thursday that more than 200,000 people had been affected by the disaster.

He said homes, property, crops, as well as infrastructure including roads, bridges, railways and schools, had been damaged or destroyed.

In Burundi, about 96,000 people have been displaced by months of relentless rains, the United Nations and the government said this month.

The UN’s humanitarian agency (OCHA) said in an update this week that in Somalia, the seasonal Gu rains from April to June are intensifying, with flash floods reported since April 19.

It said four people had been reportedly killed and more than 800 people were affected or displaced nationwide.

Uganda has also suffered heavy storms that have caused riverbanks to burst, with two fatalities confirmed and several hundred villagers displaced.

Late last year, more than 300 people died in torrential rains and floods in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, just as the region was trying to recover from its worst drought in four decades that left millions of people hungry.

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Is political unity in Somalia achievable? | TV Shows

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called a meeting of regional leaders.

Somalia has long been a divided nation.

Government leaders in Mogadishu have struggled for decades to assert authority in many parts of the country.

The power vacuum has left Somalis with little help as they suffer from drought, famine and insecurity.

Now, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called a meeting of regional leaders aiming to confront the challenges.

So what are the main obstacles preventing the country from coming together? And can they be overcome?

Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom

Guests:

Abdi Ismail Samatar – Somali senator for Somaliland

Afyare Elmi – research professor, City University of Mogadishu

Omar Mahmood – senior analyst for Eastern Africa, International Crisis Group

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Why are Somalia and Ethiopia in a deepening diplomatic dispute? | Politics News

Rift comes after Somaliland deal giving landlocked Ethiopia access to the Red Sea.

A deal between Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland involving the lease of coastline and establishment of a naval base has further worsened diplomatic relations with Somalia.

Somalia’s government is furious at the agreement, which would give landlocked Ethiopia access to the Red Sea.

So far it is only a diplomatic dispute. But why is this rift worsening, and could there be wider consequences?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Samuel Getachew – political commentator specialising in Ethiopia

Sharmake Ali – activist with UK-Somaliland Alliance

Abdulkareem Jama – chair of the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies, a think tank based in the Somali capital, Mogadishu

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Captured Somali pirates arrive in India to face trial over ship hijacking | Crime News

The 35 men are to be prosecuted for the hijacking of cargo vessel MV Ruen in December when they took the crew hostage.

India has brought 35 captured Somali pirates to Mumbai to stand trial, days after its navy recaptured a hijacked bulk carrier and rescued several hostages.

The destroyer INS Kolkata, which led the rescue operation, docked in India’s financial capital early on Saturday, a navy statement said.

The hijacking of the Maltese-flagged MV Ruen in December, east of Socotra in the northern Arabian Sea, was the first time since 2017 that any cargo vessel had been successfully boarded by Somali pirates.

Indian naval commandos took control of the vessel on March 17, some 260 nautical miles (480 kilometres) off the coast of Somalia, and rescued 17 crew members – nine from Myanmar, seven from Bulgaria and one from Angola.

The Somalis are expected to be transferred to police custody later on Saturday.

At the peak of Somali pirate attacks in 2011, the navy used to prosecute and jail in India those involved. But in recent months the navy has taken to recapturing vessels and rescuing crew but leaving the disarmed pirates at sea.

Navy spokesman Vivek Madhwal said this week that this marked the first time in more than a decade that pirates captured at sea would be brought to Indian shores to face trial.

Under India’s anti-piracy laws, the men could face the death sentence if they are convicted of a killing or an attempted killing, and life imprisonment for piracy alone.

Last Saturday’s rescue was the culmination of a 40-hour operation. Commandos parachuted out of a military C-17 aeroplane to board the vessel in an assault that “successfully cornered and coerced” all 35 pirates on board to surrender, an earlier navy statement said.

Bulgarian vessel owner Navibulgar called India’s rescue a “major success”.

The December hijacking of the ship was the first time since 2017 that any cargo vessel had been successfully boarded by Somali pirates [Handout via Reuters]

‘Mother ship’

Somali pirates have in the past sought to capture a “mother ship” capable of sailing greater distances so they can target larger vessels.

The European Union Naval Force said the MV Ruen could have been used by pirates for their successful hijacking of the bulk carrier MV Abdullah off Somalia on March 12.

The Bangladesh-flagged MV Abdullah has since been steered into Somali waters, with its 23-member crew still held hostage.

India’s navy has been deployed continuously off Somalia since 2008, but it stepped up anti-piracy efforts last year following a surge in maritime assaults, including in the Arabian Sea and by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

India has deployed at least a dozen warships in the Gulf of Aden and the northern Arabian Sea since December, which enables it to assist vessels east of the Red Sea.

In January, the navy rescued all crew members from a Liberian-flagged merchant vessel after its attempted hijack in the Arabian Sea.

At least 17 incidents of hijacking, attempted hijacking and suspicious approaches have been recorded by the Indian Navy since December 1.

At the peak of their attacks in 2011, Somali pirates cost the global economy an estimated $7bn, including hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments.

At least 18 other suspected pirates have been captured by India’s navy this year, including in operations to rescue three Iranian-flagged fishing vessels.

Information on the fate of those hijackers has not been publicly released.

Since the start of the Houthi attacks, launched in response to Israel’s war on Gaza, many cargo ships have slowed down far out at sea to await instructions on whether to proceed. Experts say that has left them vulnerable to attack.

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Indian navy captures ship from Somali pirates, rescuing 17 crew members | Shipping News

Navy captures MV Ruen off the Indian coast, ending the three-month hijacking of the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier.

Indian naval forces including special commandos have seized a cargo vessel that had been hijacked by Somali pirates and rescued 17 crew members, a spokesperson for the navy said.

In a post on the social media platform X on Saturday, the navy said that all 35 pirates on board the Maltese-flagged bulk cargo vessel MV Ruen had surrendered, and the ship had been checked for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition and contraband.

The MV Ruen was hijacked late last year and the navy said it first intercepted the vessel on Friday.

“The pirates onboard the vessel have been called upon to surrender and release the vessel and any civilians they may be holding against their will,” the navy said in a statement.

“The Indian navy remains committed to maritime security and safety of seafarers in the region,” it added.

The vessel may have been used as the base for the takeover of a Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia earlier this week, the European Union naval force said.

The hijacking of the Ruen in December was the first successful takeover of a vessel involving Somali pirates since 2017 when a crackdown by international navies stopped a rash of seizures in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

Somali pirates have caused chaos in important global waterways for a decade, but had been dormant until a resurgence of attacks starting late last year.

India has deployed at least a dozen warships east of the Red Sea to provide security against pirates as Western powers focus on attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.

The subcontinent’s navy has also increased its surveillance of the Arabian Sea after a recent spate of attacks in the region.

In January, the navy rescued all crew members from a Liberian-flagged merchant vessel after its attempted hijack in the Arabian Sea.

At least 17 incidents of hijacking, attempted hijacking and suspicious approaches have been recorded by the Indian navy since December 1.

Data from the Indian navy’s Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region shows at least three hijackings in December.



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Al-Shabab fighters killed as overnight siege of Mogadishu hotel ends | Al-Shabab News

Storming of hotel near Somalia’s presidential palace highlights resilience of the al-Qaeda affiliate.

A 13-hour siege of a popular hotel near government buildings in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, has ended after the al-Shabab fighters who had taken control of the building were killed by security forces.

“All the terrorist gunmen were killed, and the situation has returned to normal now,” police officer Abdirahim Yusuf told the Agence France-Presse news agency on Friday. “The security forces are carrying out a thorough clearance and investigations.” He didn’t mention how many fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked group were killed.

Fighters had stormed the SYL Hotel in a hail of bullets late on Thursday, and al-Shabab claimed responsibility in a brief statement.

The attack on the hotel, popular with government officials, demonstrated the group’s continued ability to strike the capital despite a major military offensive by the internationally backed federal government and local clan militias, supported by an African Union (AU) mission and United States air strikes.

As part of the attack, a suicide bomber drove a car loaded with explosives in front of the hotel, killing at least five people, the German Press Agency dpa reported.

“As far as we know, one terrorist, three hotel security officers and two members of the security services were killed in the attack,” police spokesman Qasim Ahmed Roble said on Friday.

Omar Mahmood, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said it was a “highly significant attack that shatters a sense of calm in Mogadishu”.

“It also serves as a signal from al-Shabab that despite much heralded efforts by this government to weaken them, the group remains active and resilient and even able to hit the government close to home,” Mahmood added.

The SYL Hotel has been the target of several al-Shabab attacks despite being in a high-security area of the city due to its location opposite the presidential palace.

Somali security officers take positions on the rooftop at a section of the SYL Hotel in Mogadishu, Somalia, on March 15, 2024 [Feisal Omar/Reuters]

Strong presence

Al-Shabab has been waging war against the Somali government for more than 16 years.

The armed group was born out of Somalia’s many years of anarchy after a 1991 civil war. Over time, an AU-led force with the backing of the US and other countries pushed the group out of Mogadishu.

Since then, al-Shabab has been battling the government and the AU-mandated peacekeeping mission as it seeks to establish a new administration based on its interpretation of Islamic law.

It retains a strong presence in rural Somalia and has carried out numerous attacks against political, security and civilian targets, including in Mogadishu.

In August 2022, 21 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a 30-hour siege on the Hayat Hotel in the capital. Two months later, 100 people were killed and 300 were wounded in twin car bombings in Mogadishu.

In February this year, at least 10 people were killed  in multiple attacks in a crowded market in Mogadishu.

That same month, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on the General Gordon military base in Mogadishu, which killed several people, including four Emirati soldiers and a Bahraini military officer.

Al-Shabab sees the United Arab Emirates as an “enemy” of Islamic law for backing the Somali government in battling the armed group.

It has also carried out attacks in neighbouring Kenya in retaliation for Nairobi’s provision of troops and material to the AU force in Somalia.

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Pirates seize control of cargo ship near Somalia, say owners | Shipping News

MV Abdullah was sailing from Mozambique’s capital Maputo to the United Arab Emirates when it was attacked.

Pirates have seized a Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier off the coast of Somalia and taken its 23-member crew hostage, the ship’s owners said.

The MV Abdullah was sailing from Mozambique’s capital Maputo to the United Arab Emirates with a cargo of 55,000 tonnes of coal when it was attacked on Tuesday, according to Kabir Steel Re-Rolling Mills, which owns the vessel.

“A group of 15-20 Somali pirates hijacked the ship,” said Meherul Karim, chief executive officer of Kabir Steel Re-Rolling Mills.

Maritime security firm Ambrey confirmed that a group of armed people had taken control of the ship.

The incident happened in the Indian Ocean about 600 nautical miles (1,111km) east of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, said Ambrey.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) advised caution to other vessels in the area and said that it was investigating the incident.

Hijackings off Somalia since December have raised concerns about a resurgence of Indian Ocean raids by opportunistic pirates, coming on top of a separate surge in attacks on shipping launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

The Houthis have launched many attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden targeting vessels they say are linked to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom in response to Israel’s war on Gaza.

International naval forces have been diverted north from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea, leading to fears that pirates will exploit the security gap.

Somali pirates caused chaos in global waterways for a decade from about 2008 to 2018.

Data from the Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa, the planning and coordination centre for the European Union’s anti-piracy operation EUNAVFOR, show there have been more than 20 hijackings or attempted hijackings of ships in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin since November.

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Can Somalia win its war against al-Shabab? | TV Shows

Marc Lamont Hill talks to Somali Deputy PM Salah Ahmed Jama about the war on al-Shabab and the crises facing his country.

In August 2022, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a “total war” against al-Shabab. Today, Somalia says it is making progress in its fight against the group, but challenges remain.

Meanwhile, the country is facing a diplomatic crisis with neighbouring Ethiopia over the breakaway region of Somaliland. Domestically, despite some advances, Somalia is facing numerous challenges, including increasing effects of climate change, a refugee crisis and hunger.

The question remains – can Somalia cope with a growing crises on multiple fronts? And what lies ahead for the country?

This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill talks to Somali Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama about the country’s current situation and its future.

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Somalia president accuses Ethiopia of trying to annex part of its territory | African Union News

President Mohamud ‘categorically objects’ to Ethiopia’s Red Sea port deal with Somaliland, territory Somalia claims as its own.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has accused Ethiopia of trying to annex part of his country’s territory by signing a sea access deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland.

Speaking at the African Union summit in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa on Saturday, Mohamud also said Ethiopian security forces tried to block his access to the summit amid a dispute between the two countries.

The agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland signed on January 1 “is nothing more than annexing part of Somalia to Ethiopia, and changing the borders of Somalia,” Mohamud told reporters. “Somalia categorically objects to that.”

As part of the deal, signed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somaliland’s leader Muse Bihi Abdi, Somaliland grants Ethiopia a 50-year lease on a naval base with access to Somaliland’s Berbera port for commercial marine operations.

Neither side has made the terms of the deal public, but it appears to give Ethiopia the right to build a port in Somaliland in exchange for recognition.

Somaliland has enjoyed de facto independence for three decades, but Somalia considers the self-governing region and its four million people to be a part of its northern territory.

Mogadishu regards any international recognition of Somaliland as an attack on Somalia’s sovereignty, and the Somali government has called the port deal with Addis Ababa “outrageous” and “unauthorised”.

“Ethiopia is misleading the world by claiming that they need an access to the sea,” Mohamud said on Saturday. “The question is not an access to the sea. The question is how Ethiopia wants access to the sea.”

He claimed senior officers from Ethiopia’s military were in Somaliland “preparing the ground” for the territory’s annexation. It was not possible to verify his allegation.

Somalia has suggested it would be prepared to go to war to stop Ethiopia from building a port in Somaliland. But Ethiopia’s Abiy has played down fears of an armed conflict over the Somaliland deal, telling lawmakers earlier this month that he had “no intention” of going to war with Somalia.

‘Provocation’

Reporting from Addis Ababa on Saturday, Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall noted that Somalia’s president had been very outspoken in his remarks at the AU Summit.

“[Mohamud] accused Ethiopia not just looking for access to the sea in a normal way, because Ethiopia has lots of other neighbours who have access to the sea, who have sea shores … The real purpose, he said, of Ethiopia’s [deal] is to annex Somaliland, which is a part of the sovereign republic of Somalia,” Vall said.

“The Somali president condemned the behaviour of the Ethiopian government, saying that they have even tried to block his access to the venue of the summit today,” our correspondent added. “He wondered how can this happen in a country that hosts the AU, an organisation based on equality between African states and the freedom of the leaders coming here to access the summit.”

Mohamud, attending the 37th summit of the AU, said that Ethiopian security services tried to block him from leaving his hotel in Addis Ababa on Saturday morning, forcing him to travel in the convoy of Djibouti’s president.

When the pair arrived at the AU headquarters, armed guards tried to prevent them from entering the building, Mohamud said, describing the alleged action as “provocation”.

Ethiopia however said it had “warmly welcomed” Mohamud and accorded him the full honours of visiting heads of state and governments to the summit.

Prime Minister Abiy’s spokesperson Billene Seyoum told the AFP news agency that the Somalia delegation was blocked when its security detail tried to enter a venue with weapons.

“The Somali delegation security attempted to enter the AUC premises with weapons which was blocked off by AUC security,” she said.

As African leaders convene in Ethiopia for the AU summit, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh also attended the two-day gathering and raised the issue of Israel’s war in Gaza with leaders of the AU who remain divided over their support for Palestine.

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Al-Shabab claims attack on UAE military in Somalia | Al-Shabab News

The group claimed the attack as it considers the UAE an ‘enemy’ for backing the Somali government.

Three Emirati troops and a Bahraini military officer have been killed in an attack in Somalia.

Al-Qaeda-linked armed group Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack on a training mission at a military base in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities said on Sunday.

The attack on Saturday targeted troops at the General Gordon military base. Details about the attack and casualties remain scarce. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud offered his condolences to the UAE.

The UAE’s Ministry of Defence announced the death of three of its troops and a Bahraini soldier in a “terrorist act”, adding only that two others were wounded.

Anwar Gargash, a senior Emirati diplomat, offered condolences to those killed and a quick recovery for those wounded.

“No treacherous act will prevent us from continuing the message of security and safety and combating extremism and terrorism in all its forms,” Gargash wrote on X.

Bahrain, an island nation in the Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia, did not immediately acknowledge the attack.

Al-Shabab claimed the attack in a statement online, alleging it killed multiple people involved in the Emirati military effort. It described the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, as an “enemy” of Islamic law for its backing of the Somali government in battling the armed group.

Al-Shabab, or “the youth” in Arabic, was born out of Somalia’s many years of anarchy following a 1991 civil war. The affiliate of al-Qaeda once held Mogadishu. Over time, an African Union (AU)-led force, with the backing of the United States and other countries, pushed the group out of the capital.

Since then, al-Shabab has been battling the country’s federal government and the AU-mandated peacekeeping mission as it seeks to establish a new government based on its interpretation of Islamic law.

The group routinely carries out bombings in highly densely populated areas across the country.

On Tuesday, at least 10 people were killed and about 20 were injured in multiple attacks in a crowded market in Mogadishu.

Al-Shabab has carried out attacks in neighbouring Kenya as well since Nairobi provides troops and materiel to the AU force in the country.

The UAE in recent years has increasingly invested in ports in East Africa, including in Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland region.

Securing Somalia fits into the Emirates’ wider concerns about security in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. Somali piracy has recently resumed after several years amid the attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea.

In 2019, al-Shabab claimed an attack that killed a man working for Dubai’s P&O Ports.

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