Analysis

Espionage, Security And Mercenaries In Somalia

The Benadir Regional Court issued a warrant to six individuals for involvement in a series of criminal activities related to spying and divulgation of government security information. Most of these people work or have ties to Sahan Research, a think tank founded by a British-born Canadian mercenary, Matt Bryden, who is known to have a […]

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Election Talks Or Federalism In Question

The ongoing election talks have shown that Somalia is still a country with a long way to go to extricate itself from the consequences of the chaos generated by the collapse of the state during the Civil War. Indeed, although Somalia emerged from the failed state status in 2009, from the transitional government in 2012, […]

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From Warlord Enclaves To Banana Republics

Somalia is slowly recovering from a long coma that made it infamous around the world. The old and new stigmas or their effects that linger, and against which the country is still struggling, are: warlordism, the failed state label, the much-hyped sea pirates and the Al-Shabab terror. While pirates are now non-existent – except  for […]

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Enough With The Election Deadlock

The federal election is blocked by unruly politicians but longer we wait, the more difficult it will be. Somali people are saying: enough with the election deadlock! Somali people are tired of listening to a minority of politicians dragging the reputation of the nation in the mud. President Farmajo has shown multiple times to the […]

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Reasons For Janan Defection

Today all of Somalia was jubilant after one less thorn was stripped from the government’s side. The government used the force of persuasion to bring back into its fold a strong opponent who endangered the country as long as it played in Kenya’s hands. One wonders, however, why Abdirashid Janan has defected and why now, […]

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Puntland In A Dragon Den

The Halane compound, a heavily fortified compound in Somali’s capital, is preparing for an eventual meeting between the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia and regional leaders to sign the final deal on the federal elections under the UN and foreign representatives watch. It took some time for Said Deni, the Puntland leader, to […]

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Maritime case at the ICJ

Kenya Withdraws From The ICJ Maritime Case

To everyone’s surprise, Kenya withdrew from the maritime dispute case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ahead of a hearing scheduled for Monday, following months of delays at the request of Nairobi authorities. Kenyan media have reported that Kenya has withdrawn from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case ahead of a hearing scheduled […]

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Opposition Pressured President To Accept Their Election Terms

The past few weeks have seen a turbulent moment in the Somali community. In recent months, the opposition, both in Mogadishu and in the regional states of Puntland and Jubaland, has decided to use brinkmanship tactics to put pressure on President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo to agree to their terms on national elections. The end of […]

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Impossibility of Making Deals with Uncooperative Leaders

The Dhusamareb meeting between the president, the prime minister and six regional leaders has provided enough evidence that President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, his Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and four other regional leaders – Abdi Karie Qoorqoor, Abdi-Aziz Laftagaren, Omar Filish and Ali Hussein Guudlaawe – are willing to compromise on the overall issues at […]

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