On February 7, 2019, Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, AFRICOM commander, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that U.S. airstrikes alone would not defeat Al-Shabaab, the Al Qaeda-affiliated militant group with deep roots in Somalia. Instead, he said, local forces need to “step up.” He is right, so it is especially unfortunate that when local forces step up to rebuff Al-Shabaab, AFRICOM ignores them. Continue reading “Somaliland: Key to Winning America’s Longest War”
Category: Magazine
Somaliland: A Success Story Without the Billions and Bombs
Somaliland is a success story in a part of the world where those are rare. For 27 years, the self-declared state—with little outside assistance—has defied the odds. In contrast with Somalia, from which it declared its independence in 1991, Somaliland has enjoyed years of relative stability and democratic governance. Continue reading “Somaliland: A Success Story Without the Billions and Bombs”
Somaliland President Turned Down Farmaajo’s Visit
In his annual constitutional speech before a joint session of the two houses of Somaliland parliament, President Muse Bihi Abdi gave a lengthy account of his recent official visit to Addis Abba where has met the Continue reading “Somaliland President Turned Down Farmaajo’s Visit”
Edna: A Woman of Firsts
Edna Adan Ismail is used to counselling patients to a healthy mind in the hospital ward. As a midwife and administrator at her own hospital in Somaliland, the self-declared and breakaway state of Somalia, she has seen her fair share of patients distressed by their afflictions. Continue reading “Edna: A Woman of Firsts”
Ethiopia’s Naive Peacemaking Could Lead to War
Ethiopian Prime Minister Ahmed Abiy is on a high. In October 2019, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea.” The committee also cited Abiy’s work more broadly — helping restore Djibouti-Eritrea ties, mediate a maritime dispute between Kenya and Somalia, and facilitate the peaceful transition in Sudan. Continue reading “Ethiopia’s Naive Peacemaking Could Lead to War”
Locust Outbreak in Eastern Africa
A new generation of voracious desert locusts is about to hatch in eastern Africa, and if not tackled now, will form swarms 20 times larger than the wave that has swept through the region since the beginning of the year, aid workers and experts are warning.Unusually heavy rains late last year favored breeding, triggering the current locust outbreak that spread into eastern Ethiopia, neighboring areas of Somalia, and then poured into Kenya, destroying crops, pasture, and forest cover on an unprecedented scale. Continue reading “Locust Outbreak in Eastern Africa”
Somaliland and Somalia Presidents Meet
In what could spell better times for the horn of Africa nemesis Somalia and Somaliland, the presidents of the two erstwhile United Nations met in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa for the first time. Continue reading “Somaliland and Somalia Presidents Meet”
‘Silencing the guns’: AU leaders seek end to regional conflicts
Heads of state and government officials from across Africa have gathered in Ethiopia’s capital for talks primarily focused on ways to end to regional violence, including the conflicts in South Sudan and Libya.
The 33rd African Union (AU) summit, which opened on Sunday in Addis Ababa, is being held under the theme “Silencing the Guns: Creating conducive conditions for Africa’s development”. Continue reading “‘Silencing the guns’: AU leaders seek end to regional conflicts”
Kenya, Djibouti Dispute over UN Security Council Seat
The African Union Heads of State and Government meeting in Addis Ababa this weekend may have to address the continual disagreements on the validity of Kenya’s endorsement to run for the United Nations Security Council seat. Continue reading “Kenya, Djibouti Dispute over UN Security Council Seat”
US Misreads China in Africa
War on the Rocks published on 3 February 2020 a commentary titled “Africa: The First U.S. Casualty of the New Information Warfare against China” by Caleb Slayton, a U.S. foreign area officer who lived and worked in Africa for 12 years prior to serving as director for the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School, Africa course.