Somalia

Somalia: Al-Shabaab group requests negotiations

08 Jan 2023; MEMO: The Somali government on Saturday said the al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group al-Shabaab requested to open negotiations with the government for the first time, reports Anadolu Agency.

Somalia's Deputy Defense Minister Abdifatah Qasim said al-Shabaab terrorists do not have a chance to negotiate with the government, except for Somali nationals who are members of the terror group.

Somalia claims al-Shabab extremists seek talks for 1st time

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia’s government claimed Saturday that the al-Shabab extremist group has for the first time asked to open negotiations, amid a military offensive the government has described as “total war.”

There was no immediate statement by al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-affiliate that for well over a decade has carried out high-profile bombings in Somalia’s capital and controlled parts of the country’s central and southern regions, complicating efforts to rebuild the once-failed state after decades of conflict.

Twin bombings targeting Somalia’s military kill at least 10

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Police in Somalia say two suicide car bombers killed at least 10 people early Wednesday when they targeted a military facility in a region at the heart of the government’s offensive against al-Shabab extremists.

The attack occurred in the Mahaas district of Hiran region after the dawn prayer. “It was loud and heard all across the town,” resident Osman Abdullahi told The Associated Press. “I have rescued several people wounded in the attack, including soldiers and journalists who were embedded with soldiers.”

UK company warned to explore for oil in Somaliland

30 Dec 2022; MEMO: Somalia's Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources on Wednesday warned British company Genel Energy Plc against oil exploration in the Somaliland regions in the north of the country, Anadolu Agency reported.

The warning came in a press release issued by the ministry after the British company announced it had concluded an oil exploration agreement with Somaliland.

FAO and Germany step up humanitarian action in rural Somalia

MOGADISHU, Dec 1 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Government of Germany and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have together increased humanitarian assistance through cash transfers to mitigate the impact of drought on the food security and livelihoods of affected rural communities in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Hunger is increasing and intensifying in Mogadishu with about 6.7 million people, including over 300,000 of those already facing famine conditions, expected to be acutely food insecure until end of the year.

Use of term 'Al-Shabab' banned in Somalia - use "Khawarij" instead

07 Nov 2022; MEMO: The Somali government, on Monday, banned the use of the name "Al-Shabaab," referring to the Al Qaeda-linked terror group that the majority-Muslim nation said is a deviant sect.

In a statement, Somalia's Ministry of Religious Affairs also barred scholars from having dealings with the armed terror group, which it said should rather be referred to as "Khawarij," a term describing a deviant sect.

Somalia’s president says at least 100 killed in car bombings

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia’s president says at least 100 people were killed in Saturday’s two car bombings at a busy junction in the capital and the toll could rise in the country’s deadliest attack since a truck bombing at the same spot five years ago killed more than 500.

UN warns of severe acute malnutrition amid deaths of Somali children

MOGADISHU, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned Tuesday that malnutrition has reached unprecedented levels in Somalia as the number of child deaths keeps on increasing.

UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder said that every single minute of every single day, a child is admitted to a health facility for treatment of severe acute malnutrition.

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