Mohammed Omer Mulla

File: Puntland president Said Deni Newly elected Puntland President, Said Abdullahi Deni has said that, the leaders of federal and regional state administrations have agreed to put aside their political differences on Sunday.   The president, who was speaking to the media, after brief meeting with various leaders in Garowe on Sunday, has confirmed of an upcoming meeting to bring the two sides to the negotiation table. He said the meeting between President Farmaajo and all regional state leaders will convene in March this year, to unearth the standoff. "The president has requested Puntland state to host the meeting, which will convene in mid March," he said, adding "on behalf of the people of Puntland, I have accepted to organize the meeting in Garowe to discuss the unity of Somalia." President Said Abdullahi Deni believes that his inauguration ceremony, which was held on Saturday, brought together various Somali political leaders closer to resolve th...

(Garowe)-- Security is tighten as Somali leaders arrived in Garowe town for Puntland’s elected president Said Abdullahi Deni’s inauguration ceremony which to be held later today.   Security forces are everywhere in the town. President of the Somali federal government Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (Farmaajo) and the former president Shariff Sheikh Ahmed landed today in Garowe to attend the inauguration. Former president of Somali Federal government Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud arrived in the town yesterday. Regional leaders of Hir-shabelle, Galmudug, Jubbaland, and South-west arrived.   While Somali’s top political figures, including the most critic to Somalia’s Federal government in Mogadishu, Wadajir party leader, Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame was also there in Garoowe town.  This is the first to hold such with such magnitude in Garowe since the region’s formation 2o years ago. Said Abdullahi Deni, Puntland’s elected president, defeated General Asad Osman Abd...

In a video released earlier today, the Islamic State’s Somali Province (also known as the Islamic State Somalia, or ISS) eulogized several of its killed fighters. The list included at least one Canadian citizen and several regional foreign fighters who were within its ranks. The video mainly featured archival footage of the group’s members in Somalia’s northern Puntland region, where the common trope of the so-called caliphate’s ‘paradise’ is played out. The jihadists were seen swimming and at the beach, while nature shots were also played as a testament to the region’s beauty. One scene also features several fighters pledging bayah, or allegiance, to Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Many fighters who have been killed since ISS began in late 2015 were featured in the video. The majority of these are local Somalis, while others appear to be from Ethiopia’s Ogaden region or Djibouti – two areas with a predominate Somali population. The Somali clans and subclans of Majeerteen, Lailkase, Sh...

Police have refuted reports that Silvia Romano, the Italian volunteer abducted from Malindi, Kilifi County, on November 20, 2018 has been taken to Somalia. Ms Romano, 23, is within Kenya, Coast regional police commandant Marcus Ochola said on Saturday. “We are following leads to rescue her and arrest the abductors. We appeal to the public to cooperate with police by giving us critical information," Mr Ochola told reporters during a brief at the headquarters in Mombasa on Saturday. "Our operation is guided by intelligence from the public. We promise confidentiality. Give us vital information to manage security in this region," he added. The police boss said he was optimistic about the operation. Police earlier cited harsh weather and poor communication as setbacks. A multi-agency security team comprising police and army officers sealed off Boni Forest and areas bordering Lamu, Garissa and Tana River counties as the hunt for the kidnappers continued. The gang ...

The Federal Government of Somalia and aid agencies operating in the country have today launched the 2019 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and called on donors to provide sufficient and early funding to sustain aid operations in Somalia in 2019. The response plan seeks $1.08 billion to provide life-saving assistance and livelihood support to 3.4 million Somalis affected by conflict, climatic shocks and displacement across the country. The improvements in the food security situation due to good 2018 Gu rains, the sustained humanitarian response throughout 2018 and a more focused definition of needs have resulted in a 32 per cent decline in the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance, from 6.2 million in 2018 down to 4.2 million in 2019. However, continued conflict and climatic shocks threaten to reverse these gains. In addition, humanitarian needs remain above the pre-crisis level from two years ago. Over 1.5 million people, mainly IDPs and rural populations,...

The  US military  said it carried out an airstrike in Somalia that killed 52 al-Shabaab extremists, in response to an attack on Somali forces. Al-Shabaab controls large parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere. The group claimed responsibility for the  deadly attack on a luxury hotel  complex in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday. Al-Shabaab controls large parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere. The group claimed responsibility for the  deadly attack on a luxury hotel  complex in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday. A US  Africa  Command statement said the airstrike occurred on Saturday near Jilib in Middle Juba region. The US said Somali forces had come under attack by a “large group” of the al-Qaida-linked extremists. The statement did not say how many Somali force...

The Ethiopian National Defense Force is confirming an ambush by al-Shabab extremists on an Ethiopian peacekeeping convoy in neighboring Somalia and says Ethiopian forces are preparing a “massive offensive” in response. A statement on Saturday rejects reports and an al-Shabab claim that several Ethiopian troops were killed. It does not give further details on casualties. The ambush was reported as the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the deadly hotel assault in Nairobi and deadly attacks on forces inside Somalia. The statement does not say exactly when the ambush occurred. Ethiopia contributes troops to a multinational African Union peacekeeping mission. It also has troops in Somalia independently under Ethiopian army command. The statement says the ambush occurred when the Ethiopian convoy was traveling Burhakaba to Baidoa in Somalia’s southwest. Al-Shabab, which formed more than a decade ago in response to the presence of Ethiopian forces inside Somalia...