Tag: China

Sool Conflict not Spontaneous but Plotted by Somali Irredentists with China’s Funding

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Sool Conflict not Spontaneous but Plotted by Somali Irredentists with China’s Funding

Violence continues in and around Las Anod [Laascaanood], the capital of Somaliland’s Sool region. While clan tensions in the region are nothing new, the current outbreak of violence was not spontaneous. Evidence suggests that both Somali irredentists and China, upset with Somaliland’s turn toward Taiwan, conspired to set local tension alight. Continue reading “Sool Conflict not Spontaneous but Plotted by Somali Irredentists with China’s Funding” →

Antony Blinken Avoiding China’s Sparked African Proxy War in Somaliland

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Antony Blinken Avoiding China's Sparked African Proxy War in Somaliland

Fighting continues in Somaliland’s Sool district. Americans may yawn and dismiss the fighting that began in late December as just another conflict in a dusty African corner. Such casual dismissal of Africa is not only wrong strategically (and a bit racist), but it also misreads the importance of the escalating fight. Continue reading “Antony Blinken Avoiding China’s Sparked African Proxy War in Somaliland” →

Horn Region & Beyond on Fire for Delaying Somaliland’s Recognition

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Horn Region & Beyond on Fire for Delaying Somaliland's Recognition

Somaliland is a victim of its own success in promoting democracy and peace in the region and establishing ties with Taiwan and the United States.
Somaliland is a victim of its own success in maintaining peace in the region by providing free border security for neighboring countries, offering protection for ships traveling through its sea, and not allowing piracy and terrorist organizations to establish bases in Somaliland. Continue reading “Horn Region & Beyond on Fire for Delaying Somaliland’s Recognition” →

Djibouti Signs $1bn Deal to Build Rocket Launching Site with China

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Djibouti Signs $1bn Deal to Build Rocket Launching Site with China

Current political developments and calculations in the Horn of Africa paint a picture of a complex challenge brewing between China and the United States. China’s signing of deal worth $1bn with Djibouti to build a rocket launching station and America’s plan to conduct a military drill involving multinational military training exercise dubbed as “Justified Accord” are the manifestations of such rivalry in the region Continue reading “Djibouti Signs $1bn Deal to Build Rocket Launching Site with China” →

Time for US Military Drills in Somaliland for the Horn of Africa

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Time for US Military Drills in Somaliland for the Horn of Africa

The Pentagon’s calendar is replete with regular military exercises. Every two years, for example, thousands of American military personnel from almost every service branch descend on Egypt for Bright Star. What began in 1980 with Egyptian, American, and a few Sudanese troops rubbing elbows, today includes 20 other countries from across the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean, and Africa. Continue reading “Time for US Military Drills in Somaliland for the Horn of Africa” →

The Dark Side of Ethiopia’s Hawassa Industrial Park

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In 2016, then-Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn inaugurated the $250 million, 300-hectare Hawassa Industrial Park that the government hoped to transform and expand the country’s economy. It was a bold social and economic experiment with big ambitions: to make Ethiopia the new link in the global supply chain for Western apparel. Continue reading “The Dark Side of Ethiopia’s Hawassa Industrial Park” →

The Ever-widening Fishing Net of China

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The Ever-widening Fishing Net of China

Driven by the depletion of fish populations in its own national waters and its role as a key processing and exporting state, the Government of the People’s Republic of China has supported the rapid expansion of the scale and technological capacity of its distant-water fishing fleet, i.e. vessels operating beyond its exclusive economic zone. Continue reading “The Ever-widening Fishing Net of China” →