Ethiopia Becomes a Strategic Headache for Washington
As the battle between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and rebels from the Tigray region continues, tensions are growing between Washington and its Ethiopian former ally. The Biden administration is now considering imposing sanctions against Addis Ababa, once considered a strategic and trustworthy partner in an unstable East Africa. Continue reading “Ethiopia Becomes a Strategic Headache for Washington”→
In the three decades since declaring its independence following the fall of the Siad Barre regime, the breakaway region of Somalia is benefiting from a convergence of regional developments that have boosted its popularity among US policymakers. Somaliland is thus banking on growing US support to make its case for eventual diplomatic recognition. Continue reading “America’s Attention on Somaliland is Growing”→
Female genital mutilation, FGM, is defined as a practice that involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM is currently practiced in 31 countries, most African and in some parts of the Middle East and Asia. It is estimated that more than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM. Continue reading “FGM in Somaliland – Why is Change so Slow?”→
Somaliland's Female Architect in Home Building Industry
When Hibaq Mohamed Elmi visits construction sites in the northern Somaliland city of Berbera, she is often mistaken for someone interested in renting or buying the new building. Nobody imagines her to be the architectural engineer on site to oversee the entire construction. Continue reading “Somaliland’s Female Architect in Home Building Industry”→
On Tuesday 26 October, a court in Somalia sentenced, in absentia, Sahan Research’s strategic advisor, Matt Bryden, to five years in prison on untested and spurious charges of espionage and banned Sahan Research from working in Somalia. Sahan categorically and comprehensively rejects the outcome of this farcical, politically motivated show trial, which serves only to underscore, the integrity, quality, and authenticity of our work. Continue reading “Villa Somalia Trying to Silence Sahan Research”→
The Trabocchis were, until recently, one of DC’s most powerful restaurant couples. Maria was the stylish hostess who cultivated an impressive VIP clientele at fine-dining hotspots Fiola and Del Mar. Her husband, Fabio, was the Michelin-starred chef. Then, in 2019, they divorced. Though she remains a partner in the restaurants and says she and her ex still have a “great relationship,” she’s no longer a ubiquitous presence in their DC dining rooms. Instead, Trabocchis has been spending a lot of time in an unexpected location: Somalia. Continue reading “Fine Dinning inside Somalia’s Failed State”→
