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  Women’s rights groups, prominent businesswomen and female politicians in Somalia are urging the country’s male-dominated parliament to pass a bill reserving 30% of seats for women in next year’s general election. Women hold 24% of the 329 seats in Somalia’s lower and upper houses of parliament, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), up from 14% in the previous election. In June, Somalia’s lower house approved a bill allowing for 30% of parliamentary seats to be reserved for women, but the bill has not been tabled before the upper house for approval. President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed did sign an agreement on with regional leaders in September which included the 30% quota – but women’s rights campaigners said this was not good enough. We want this commitment on reserving 30% seats for women to be passed as legislation,” said Deqa Abdiqasim Salad, CEO of Hear Women, a charity working to strengthen the political voice of women in Somalia. “We are happy to have achieved 2...

  Somalia is heading to the indirect election, while the country plagued and divided by protracted social conflict, and also the current situation has been heated up by seismic waves of the electoral contest between Federal Government and the Federal Member States. Furthermore, Somali’s last universal suffrage was held in 1967, where then the democratically elected president was ruthlessly assassinated. Following years of political brinkmanship and wanton vandalisms which has impacted on every aspect of the hoi polloi and the country at large. Since the collapse of the federal government of Somalia in 1991, the country experienced chaos and statelessness. Emerging from prolonged conflict and religious extremism Somalia has yet to achieve holding free and fair elections throughout the country, and it remains a distant mirage to be held. The transparent election has been elusive in a number of African countries. Even those come to an end internecine warfare and communal conflict are ...

  Somalia's al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgency is collecting almost as much tax as the government through a sophisticated system of levies on activities from importing goods to irrigating crops, a think-tank report found. The Mogadishu-based Hiraal Institute said al Shabaab's tax collectors were bringing in an estimated $15 million per month. Its report was based on more than 70 interviews with businessmen, government officials, al Shabaab defectors and active members of the insurgents' tax collection cell. It examined receipts and income reports from religious taxes and fees charged on activities such as crossing checkpoints, running businesses, irrigating or selling land, or exporting or importing goods. One senior Somali military commander told Hiraal that he had to pay the insurgency $3,600 in taxes to finish building his house. The first contractor he'd hired quit after al Shabaab threatened him because the commander had not paid taxes; the second contractor sto...

  At least four al-Shabab militants were killed on Sunday in a fierce fighting in Qansah Dhere town in the southern region of Bay, an official said on Monday. Abdi Risak Abdullahi Ibrahim, governor of Qansah Dhere said the militants ambushed a convoy carrying government forces who were advancing from a military base in the town, sparking a fierce clash. “We killed four al-Shabab fighters during the confrontation. We lost one soldier while two others got injured,” Ibrahim said. Al-Qaida allied terrorist group al-Shabab was driven out of the capital Mogadishu in August 2011, but they are still in control of strongholds in the rural areas of southern and central regions and capable of conducting ambushes and planting landmines

A new analysis by the International Rescue Committee finds that the number of children receiving treatment for malnutrition has decreased across conflict-affected countries, despite increasing food insecurity reported globally, indicating that life-saving treatments have been less accessible to families during the COVID-19 pandemic; The number of patients seeking care for malnutrition at IRC-supported clinics has decreased as compared to last year since COVID-19 started spreading by 20% in Somalia,19% in South Sudan,15% in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 12.5% in Yemen; Despite the risk of increased rates of acute malnutrition, the Global Humanitarian Response Plan remains deeply underfunded, with only 3% of the amount requested for nutrition — $247 million — committed thus far. The knock-on effects of COVID-19 have led to a global food insecurity crisis, with 265 million people projected to experience life-threatening levels of hunger this year alone. Meanwhile, movement res...

  The four were shot dead in the Indian Ocean in September 2012. The killings came to light after mobile phone footage of the incident was posted online. Prosecutors say the suspect, a Chinese national, admitted ordering the killings while captaining the Taiwanese vessel. The suspect said the alleged Somali pirates shot at his boat and three other boats fishing in the area, before one of the fishing boats managed to knock the men into the sea. Despite knowing the men had no way of defending themselves at this point, the suspect told officials he ordered his Pakistani security guards to shoot them so that they could not get away and ask other pirates to hijack his vessel, prosecutors said. The suspect has been indicted on homicide and gun control charges, according to local media reports. The killings were exposed after a mobile phone containing footage of the incident was left in a taxi in Fiji, and found by someone who posted the video on YouTube in 2014. In the video, four men ca...

  Somalia's new prime minister announced his new Cabinet on Monday evening in the capital Mogadishu.  Speaking at the presidential palace flanked by his new ministers, Mohamed Hussein Roble said the new Cabinet consists of a deputy prime minister and 26 ministers, including four women. Fifteen of the new ministers (over 50%) are from the previous Cabinet, with Deputy Prime Minister Khadar Mohamed Gulaid, Finance Minister Abdirahman Duale Beyleh, Foreign Minister Ahmed Isse Awad, and Health Minister Fowzia Abiikar Nur all holding onto their posts. The new Cabinet also includes 17 state ministers and 26 deputy ministers. The new cabinet will need approval from the federal parliament. On Sept. 18, President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed appointed Roble the country's new prime minister after parliament ousted Hassan Ali Khayre, his predecessor. The new prime minister and his Cabinet will have a brief mandate, as the Horn of African country's presidential and parliamentary elections...

The world football’s ruling body FIFA, has awarded a field certificate to Mogadishu Stadium, the home of Ocean Stars, which has been re-launched more than three months ago to end its 16-year long nightmare. After the recent assessment of the quality of the field of play, FIFA said it was pleased that the installation of the turf has gained FIFA certificate of recognition in line with FIFA Quality Programme for football Turf – FIFA Quality Pro. Somali Football Federation president, Abdiqani Said Arab, welcomed the development saying that this is the beginning of a process to make the long-awaited dreams come true. “I am pleased that the field of play of our national stadium has won this prestigious certificate of being fit for the game. The Ocean stars are looking forward to playing their home games in their homeland” the president said adding that in the near future Somalia will have more stadiums that are capable of hosting international competitions. “The watering system of the stadi...

  Somali Government has signed a cooperation deal with the United Nations in Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) that outlines cooperation between the two sides in the next years. The agreement is aimed at achieving peace, stability and prosperity for the Somali people. Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Gulled and Jamal Mohamed Hassan, the minister for planning and economic development, represented the Somali Government during the signing of the agreement with the UN. Among the international diplomats present during the agreement were UN Secretary General Special Representative for Somalia James Swan and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Adam Abdelmoula who is also the Deputy Special Representative for Somalia. The two parties have extended their cooperation by five years. The new cooperation agreement dubbed UN Cooperation Framework (UNCF) will replace the previous agreement known as the UN Strategic Framework (UNSF) that is set to expire late this year. The UN S...

Somalia's National Intelligence and security agency (NISA) said its troops have seized 79 tonnes of sulphuric acid smuggled into the country for use by al-Shabab militants to make explosives.   "We have seized 79 tonnes of sulphuric acid and arrested a number of people who smuggled it into the country and were transporting it to the al-Shabab militants," NISA said in a tweet.  The agency added that investigations were ongoing and the suspects will be arraigned later in court.   Military court in Jubaland sentences Alshabab militant death Police in Puntland destroy bottles of Alcohol and Hashish Somalia Marks 66th Anniversary of Its Blue Flag It did not reveal when the seizure was made. This comes as the horn of Africa marks the third anniversary of the 14 October 2017 bombing in the capital, Mogadishu, that killed over 600 people.   Al-Shabab did not say it carried out the attack, although it frequently stages attacks in the capital.

At least 13 Somali troops have been killed by the al-Shabab armed group near the district of Afgoye, northwest of the capital, Mogadishu, a military official has said. For more than 10 years, the group has been fighting to topple Somalia’s Western-backed central government and establish its own government based on its strict interpretation of Islamic law. “We left Afgoye district and attacked al-Shabab in the farms outside Afgoye,” Major Mohamed Ali told the Reuters news agency, describing Wednesday’s incident in the district about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Mogadishu. “We killed four militants and chased al Shabab,” Ali said late on Wednesday. “Most of the military came back and we left two dozen soldiers there. Then, this evening, al-Shabab attacked our few soldiers and killed 13.” The al-Qaeda-linked armed group, which launches regular attacks in a bid to undermine Somalia’s central government, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. “We killed 24 soldiers and the ...

  Somali PM Mohamed Hussein Roble says he had held productive talks with EU ambassador to the country, Nicolas Berlanga, at his office in Mogadishu on Monday. "We discussed the EU's development cooperation with Somalia and progress on Security, Elections, and Election security. The EU is a significant contributor and partner in our nation," Robel tweeted. EU provides significant support to the Somali government and helps in army rebuilding and empowerment of the institutions as well as the economic reforms.

  Somali President Mohamed Farmajo on Monday called on Somalis to foster peace and unity and shun acts of terrorism as the country marked the national flag day which is marked on Oct. 12 annually. In a statement issued to mark the occasion, Farmajo prayed for the mercy of all the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the existence of the government and the unity of the Somali people. “Today is a great day, it comes 66 years after when the Somali Flag was founded, which stands for the unity, sovereignty and togetherness of Somali people who struggled for a long period in gaining their independence and ruling their country,” he said. He pointed out that the people of Somalia have sacrificed their lives and money to achieve their national aspirations. The Somali leader called on the nationals to unite to strengthen their government, and shun al-Shabab terrorists who have been fighting to topple the government by killing innocent people and destroying the Horn of Africa nation. Farmajo...

  The Somali parliamentary elections will kick-off early December the countries leader said. In a joint communique issued by the federal government and the leaders of the regional states, the upper house elections will start from 1st to 10th December, followed by the lower house which will start from 10th until 27th December this year. According to the joint communique, the presidential election will kick-off from 1st January to February next year. The regional state leaders and president Farmajo also agreed to appoint a 21 member independent disputes resolution commission that will to complaints from candidates. 12 of the members will come from regions and 9 from the federal government. The joint communique further stated that each candidate seeking the seat of the upper house will pay $20,000 for registration while the lower house candidates will pay $10,000 to the election board.

On World Mental Health Day this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) in Somalia urged policy-makers, international and national agencies, and other civil society groups to scale up mental health services in Somalia. This request comes at a time when Somalis are faced with the consequences of the triple threat of COVID-19, flooding and desert locusts, in addition to other regular health and socioeconomic challenges. According to estimates, one in every three Somalis is affected by a challenge related to their mental health. Unfortunately, however, there are only a few health facilities offering mental health services—for a country of 15 million, there are only 3 psychiatrists and 25 trained nurses dealing with mental health. “Only when communities have access to good health in a holistic manner, physically and emotionally, can we have a peaceful, progressive and productive society,” said Dr Mamunur Malik, WHO Representative for Somalia. “We all need to join hands to ensure every So...

  Former Somali premier Ali Khalif Galaydh died on Thursday in Ethiopia's eastern city of Jijjiga. He was 78. Galaydh served as prime minster of the East African country between October 2000 and 2001. Besides an illustrious career as a politician, he was a noted scholar with teaching experience at universities in the US. Somalis from around the world, including President Mohamed Farmajo, have condoled his death. Announcement of the date and place of his funeral has not yet been made.

  The Somali government has denied reports widely circulated by both local and international media that two Cuban doctors held captive for over a year by suspected Somali militants have been released. “Somalia has denied that two Cuban doctors held hostage by Al-Shabaab were released. Our interview with Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Isse Awad goes on air in 10 minutes,” Prominent VOA journalist Harun Maruf said in a tweet. Earlier, Maruf also tweeted that the Cuban government had also denied the release of the doctors, citing a report by AFP. Reports by both AP and AFP earlier in the day indicated the doctors had been released. Both Kenyan and Somali media outlets widely reported on the story too. The two Cuban doctors were abducted in a daring attack in the northeast Kenyan town of Mandera near the Somali border in April last year.

  Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Roble has pledged to lead the country towards a free and fair election and called for international donor support. The new PM said in a video message Saturday he is committed to ensuring the upcoming elections are conducted in a free and fair manner. “We are committed to ensuring the upcoming elections are free and fair,” PM Roble said adding international donor support was crucial to meeting the electoral timelines. The PM’s remarks follow the announcement Thursday of the final agreements on the electoral process by the National Consultative Forum (NCF). The Forum is comprised of the President and all the regional government heads. The new PM has about four months in office before the term of the current administration lapses. Preparing the country for elections and overseeing a transition will be the main agenda item during his reign. According to the new electoral timelines, voting for MPs will run from November 10 to 27 while that of Senators wil...

  Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo was among leaders from the region who attended the signing ceremony of a peace agreement between the Sudanese government and rebel groups in the South Sudanese capital, Juba. “On behalf of myself and the people of the Federal Republic of Somalia, I extend my deepest congratulations to the people of Sudan for fulfilling the peace process and signing the historic agreement. I salute our brotherly people of Sudan for their solidarity in standing for peace,” President Farmajo tweeted after the event. Sudan’s transitional government and several rebel groups today signed a peace deal aimed at ending decades of war in the country. The event was attended by President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of Somalia, President Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia, President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, and President Idriss Déby of Chad, Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul-Rahman Al Thani, among others.

  A suicide bomb attack targeting a group of intelligence officers in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has killed two people, including the female suicide bomber who carried out the attack and an intelligence officer, and wounded several others. The loud blast, which occurred at the Black Sea intersection in Howl-Wadag district of Mogadishu, was heard across the city. Reports indicate that a woman wearing a jacket filled with explosives blew herself up at a gathering of intelligence soldiers in the area, killing the officer. The militant group, Al-Shabaab, has claimed responsibility for the attack and claimed to have killed an intelligence official and several of his bodyguards. Suicide bomb attacks claimed by the militant group have become rampant in Mogadishu in recent weeks.

  Franco-Somalian business leader Abshir Aden Ferro has urged Somalia to put off parliamentary elections for at least four years, warning that holding polls in December could drive the country into the hands of the al-Shabaab terror group. Ferro, a candidate in Somalia's February 2021 presidential election, sounded the alarm on Monday even as parliament endorsed a new delegate voting system paving the way for an indirect election. "This system is a threat for security. Electing the parliament now will see a full house of al-Shabaab," he told RFI. Parliamentary polls are due to take place on 27 December and would see voters choose between 27,775 delegates picked from across five federal states. The change falls short of the original target of holding universal suffrage, a key campaign promise of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as Farmajo. His mandate was to get one man, one vote, he had four years and he failed," Ferro tells RFI. But the real problem l...