Somalia

Iran linked oil tanker falls victim to Somali piracy surge

The Eritrea-flagged Sibu 1 was at least the 13th vessel attacked this year off the coast of Somalia or in the Gulf of Aden, which links Somalia and Yemen.

|ByREUTERS
Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018.
Somali government forces patrol a street as residents gather following reported shelling in the Howl Wadaag district of Mogadishu, on June 4, 2026.

Somalia troops and armed opposition clash in heavy Baidoa fighting as civilian toll rises

Fresh fighting in the city could compound a dire humanitarian crisis in the area. Baidoa hosts hundreds of thousands of displaced people; one in four children at refugee sites is malnourished.

|ByREUTERS
The Red Sea

Erdogan’s rivalry with Israel has a new front: Africa - opinion

The answer becomes clearer once the South African relationship is placed inside Turkey’s broader African buildup, which has been running for two decades and has little to do with Israel at all. 

|BySINAN CIDDI
An Indian soldier stands guard next to captured Somali pirates after they were brought in for prosecution by the Indian Navy, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, India, March 23, 2024.

Merchant ship hijacked off Yemen now held by Somali pirates, residents say

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said last week that a vessel boarded by unauthorized personnel in the Gulf of Aden had been maneuvered into Somali waters, classifying it as a hijack.

|ByREUTERS

Somalia: At least 100 killed in car bombings outside gov't offices

The first of the explosions hit the education ministry near a busy junction in Mogadishu. The second occurred as ambulances arrived and people gathered to help the victims.

OCTOBER 30, 2022ByREUTERS
A view shows smoke rising following a car bomb explosion at Somalia's education ministry in Mogadishu, Somalia October 29, 2022 in this picture obtained from social media

Somalia says it killed al Shabaab co-founder

Somali security forces have touted gains made in recent weeks against the al Qaeda-linked group while fighting alongside local self-defense groups.

OCTOBER 3, 2022ByREUTERS
A Somali security officer walks at the entrance of Hotel Hayat, the scene of an al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group militant attack in Mogadishu, Somalia August 20, 2022

Voices from the Arab press: Russia’s image in the world

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2022ByTHE MEDIA LINE
EDWARD GIBBON, author of ‘The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.’

Somali forces end siege at Mogadishu hotel

The gunmen were holding an unknown number of hostages on the second floor of the building, Mohammed, an intelligence officer, said, preventing authorities from using heavy weapons.

AUGUST 20, 2022ByREUTERS
Somali security officers are seen at a section of Hotel Hayat, the scene of an al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group militant attack in Mogadishu, Somalia August 20, 2022.

Somalia brings back previously corrupt president promising change

Faced with criticism over massive corruption, restrictions on the media, and abuses of power in his first term, which ended in 2017, Mohamud has adopted a conciliatory tone.

MAY 22, 2022ByFELICE FRIEDSON/THE MEDIA LINE
Women in the Somaliland, wearing the colors of the Somaliland flag, prior to parliamentary elections in 2005.

Biden approves redeployment of under 500 ground troops to Somalia

Prior to Trump's withdrawal, the United States had about 700 troops in Somalia focused on helping local forces defeat the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgency.

MAY 16, 2022ByREUTERS
US Army soldiers, assigned to the East Africa Response Force (EARF), 101st Airborne Division on a mission to bolster the security of Manda Bay Airfield, Kenya after an attack by Somalia's al Shabaab militants that killed three Americans, board a transport plane in Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti January 5,

Iranian arrested in Kenya for planning terror attacks against Israeli targets - report

Iranian Mohammed Saeid Golabi was arrested in Kenya for coordinating a terror cell in Nairobi attacking both Israeli and local sites.

NOVEMBER 28, 2021ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A man crosses the road during the closing of businesses on First Avenue in Eastleigh district of Nairobi, Kenya November 16, 2021. Picture taken November 16, 2021.

Suicide bomber kills well-known Somali journalist

Al Shabaab, which wants to overthrow the government and impose its own strict interpretation of Islamic law, confirmed it was behind the attack.

NOVEMBER 20, 2021ByREUTERS
A Somali soldier holds position as civilians evacuate from the scene of a suicide explosion after al-Shabaab militia stormed a government building in Mogadishu, Somalia, March 23, 2019.

Iranian-supplied arms smuggled from Yemen into Somalia - study

"Iran has repeatedly denied any involvement in the trafficking of arms to the Houthis. However, a preponderance of evidence points to Iranian state supply."

NOVEMBER 10, 2021ByREUTERS
Houthi troops ride on the back of a police patrol truck after participating in a Houthi gathering in Sanaa, Yemen February 19, 2020

Iranian-supplied arms smuggled from Yemen into Somalia - study

"Iran has repeatedly denied any involvement in the trafficking of arms to the Houthis. However, a preponderance of evidence points to Iranian state supply."

NOVEMBER 10, 2021ByREUTERS
Houthi troops ride on the back of a police patrol truck after participating in a Houthi gathering in Sanaa, Yemen February 19, 2020