Strategic Thinking on East Africa

The good news is that the Pentagon is wiping out Somali insurgents on the ground and from the air. The bad news is that al-Shabab keeps coming back stronger. NAIROBI — The U.S. Defense Department notched major tactical victories against the Somali militant group al-Shabab over the past week. It claims to have killed nearly […]

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By Phil Stewart . Al Shabaab militants parade new recruits after arriving in Mogadishufrom their training camp south of … By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has carried out an air strike in Somalia, killing more than 150 fighters with the al Qaeda-linked Islamist group al Shabaab, following U.S. intelligence on preparations for a […]

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Finally, some positive news coming out of South Sudan. The East African Community flag. PHOTO | FILE By NATION REPORTER South Sudan has been admitted into the East African Community (EAC), increasing the membership of the common market to six with a population of 162 million people. The 17th Ordinary EAC Heads of State Summit […]

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Civilians die in bombing claimed by armed group of traffic junction and restaurant in city 245km northwest of Mogadishu. Somalia’s al-Shabab says it has bombed a busy traffic junction and a nearby restaurant in the city of Baidoa, killing at least 17 people. The attacks on Sunday were part of the armed group’s campaign of […]

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International Crisis Group By Abdul Khalif & Cedric Barnes | @CedricHoA This year, the armed Islamist extremist group Al-Shabaab has notched up a series of bloody successes against both Somali targets and the African Union peace-enforcement mission AMISOM. Meanwhile, the international community has been busy cajoling principals of the Somali federal and state governments into […]

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African Union says armed group is hoping to stage attacks disguised as AMISOM troops, using uniforms it took from them. Hamza Mohamed | The African Union said the uniforms were taken from its army camps [File: AP] The African Union (AU) says the al-Qaeda-linked armed group, al-Shabab, is planning attacks in Somalia using AU troop uniforms […]

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BBC Image copyrightAP Image captionAl-Shabab went into the town soon after African Union forces retreated Islamist militant group al-Shabab has taken control of the port city Merca, residents say. However the African Union force insists it still has control of the town. The governor of Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region Ibrahim Adam told the AFP news […]

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Troops of the Somali National Army and the African Union Mission in Somalia, line up in a convoy on the road leading up to the Al-Shabaab stronghold of Barawe. Photo: AMISOM/Tobin Jones The Security Council heard from the top United Nations official in Somalia that success in the country this year will depend upon managing […]

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From BBC Image copyrightAP Image captionNo official figures have been released about the number of troops killed Kenyan forces have pulled out from two military bases in Somalia, including one attacked by militant Islamist group al-Shabab, residents have told the BBC. Al-Shabab fighters have seized the southern town of Badhadhe after the troops retreated, a […]

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By MOHAMMED IBRAHIM and JEFFREY GETTLEMANJAN. 22, 2016 MOGADISHU, Somalia — At least 14 civilians were killed and dozens were wounded after Islamist militants struck a popular beachside restaurant Thursday night in Somalia’s capital that had become a symbol of the city’s struggling renaissance, officials said Friday. The militants attacked from several directions, and security forces killed at […]

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