Mogadishu (WDN)- In a move widely condemned as corrupt and tone-deaf, the Puntland Parliament has quietly passed a lavish salary increase for its members—from $2,500 to $3,500 per month—even as civil servants, soldiers, and displaced families face worsening hardship. Behind this self-serving decision, insiders say, stands President Said Abdullahi Deni, who is using financial incentives...
Mogadishu (AFP) – The Horn of Africa nation is among the most vulnerable to climate change, according to the United Nations, and in the last five years has experienced both the worst drought in 40 years and once-in-a-century flooding. The more severe weather compounds the insecurity many Somalis face after decades of violent insurgency and political...
Mogadishu (WDN) — The Somali government has announced the killing of a senior Al-Shabaab militant in a recent counterterrorism operation. In a press release issued by the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), the government confirmed that the Gaashan special forces carried out a planned operation in the Sabiib area of Lower Shabelle, resulting...
Doha/Mogadishu (WDN) – Since the fall of Somalia’s central government in 1991, efforts to rebuild the Somali National Army (SNA) have trained over 40,000 troops abroad. Yet, decades later, Somalia’s army remains weakened by corruption, mismanagement, and poor leadership. Somali soldiers who were recruited into the Qatari armed forces more than seven years ago are...
CAIRO (Reuters) – Sudan said the United Arab Emirates was responsible for an attack on Port Sudan this month, accusing the Gulf state for the first time of direct military intervention in a war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The UAE denied the allegations in a statement and said it...
SOCOTRA, Yemen (AP) — On a windswept plateau high above the Arabian Sea, Sena Keybani cradles a sapling that barely reaches her ankle. The young plant, protected by a makeshift fence of wood and wire, is a kind of dragon’s blood tree — a species found only on the Yemeni island of Socotra that is...
MOGADISHU– Somalia launched a nationwide vaccination campaign on Monday to combat measles, polio, and pneumonia, targeting more than 3 million children in the country. The World Health Organization (WHO), which launched the week-long campaign in collaboration with Somali federal and regional governments, said in a statement that the campaign’s goal is “to protect children and...
(ERGO) – Maryan Nur Mohamed’s family of eight has faced severe shortages of food, water, and shelter since arriving at Hilac-Wanaag camp in Garasbaley district, Mogadishu, in April. They fled the war between Somali government forces and Al-Shabaab, joining 1,500 families forced from their homes in Middle Shabelle region over the past several weeks. Most have...
Several people have been reported killed in a suicide bombing at an army recruitment centre in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. The attacker on Sunday targeted a queue of young recruits lining up outside the Damanyo base, killing at least 13 people, the Associated Press news agency quoted witnesses as saying “There was a loud explosion, and...
The United Nations announced Friday it is scaling back its humanitarian aid goals in Yemen and Somalia in the latest fallout from a drastic drop in funding from member states. It said the cuts are putting millions of lives at risk around the world. In January, the UN launched an appeal for $2.4 billion to help 10.5 million people in war-torn...