Somalia
Record 50.8 million people internally displaced in 2019
By Jean Shaoul, 2 May 2020
The plight of tens of millions of internally displaced people is virtually ignored, attracting little global attention during the escalating global pandemic.
Protests in Somalia after police killing during pandemic lockdown
By Stephan McCoy, 28 April 2020
The protests reflect a broader anger towards the brutal methods utilized by the security forces during the curfew
SEP candidate Thomas Scripps addresses UK Somali community hustings
By our reporters, 5 December 2019
The November 30 meeting was attended by representatives of voluntary and campaigning organisations. The Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green Parties and Plaid Cymru also sent representatives.
Latest US airstrike kills scores in Somalia
By Bill Van Auken, 21 January 2019
The latest US airstrike came in the wake of an al-Shabab attack on a hotel in Kenya that left 21 people dead.
Bombings kill 62 in Somalia amid escalating US scramble for Africa
By Bill Van Auken, 18 December 2018
The intensive US air strikes in Somalia came on the heels of Washington’s unveiling of a new policy based upon Africa as an arena of great power conflict.
US special operations soldier killed, four others wounded in Somalia
By Bill Van Auken, 11 June 2018
The threat is emerging that Somalia will become the arena for the same kind of US-backed bloodbath that is being carried out, on the opposite side of the Gulf of Aden, in Yemen.
Record pace of drone strikes mark sharp escalation of US war in Somalia
By Eddie Haywood, 24 March 2018
Monday’s strike was the ninth such attack this year putting 2018 on track to overtake the record total set in 2017.
AFRICOM envisions two years of open-ended warfare in Somalia
By Eddie Haywood, 16 December 2017
The announcement marks a further escalation of Washington’s military offensive in Somalia which has been ramped up over the last year, including the deployment of 500 special forces personnel.
US expands military offensive in Somalia
By Eddie Haywood, 24 November 2017
The official US military deployment in Somalia has increased to more than 500, the largest contingent of soldiers in the country since 1993.
US carries out three drone strikes in Somalia
By Eddie Haywood, 14 November 2017
Since the beginning of 2017, the US has carried out 26 drone missile attacks in the impoverished East African country.
Bombings kill hundreds in Somali capital
By Eddie Haywood and Thomas Gaist, 17 October 2017
Twin bombings in central areas of Somalia’s capital of MogadishuSaturday killed at least 302 people and injured 300 others, with thedeath toll expected to climb.
The London Conference on Somalia: Imperialists plan military buildup in Horn of Africa
By Thomas Gaist, 16 May 2017
Amid the worst famine conditions since the Second World War, the capitalist ruling classes are stoking war and militarism in Somalia and throughout the Horn of Africa.
US prepares military response to world-historic famine in sub-Saharan Africa, Arabian Peninsula
By Thomas Gaist, 24 April 2017
The American military is “war-gaming procedures to work in a famine-type environment,” according to AFRICOM commander General Thomas Waldhauser.
Trump administration announces new military operation in Somalia
By Eddie Haywood, 18 April 2017
The Pentagon announced the deployment of dozens of US troops to Somalia last week, the first traditional military operation in the country since 1994.
US intensifies military training operations across Africa
By Eddie Haywood, 8 April 2017
The growing number of training exercises and operations coordinated by AFRICOM point to a “pivot to Africa” and make clear Washington’s aim of imperialist domination of the African continent.
Imperialist wars and interventions fuel refugee crisis in Africa
By Thomas Gaist, 9 March 2017
Wars waged or organized by the American government in numerous African countries, including Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Mali, have turned millions into refugees.
US escalating covert war in Somalia
By Jordan Shilton, 17 October 2016
The secret dispatch of US troops to Somalia demonstrates that the Obama administration has dragged the American people into another war without even a semblance of public debate.
US airstrike massacres 150 at al-Shabaab training camp in Somalia
By Joseph Kishore, 8 March 2016
The attack north of the Somali capital of Mogadishu marks a significant escalation of US operations in the Horn of Africa, which lies next to critical oil routes leading into the Indian Ocean.
UK to send troops to Somalia and South Sudan
By Jean Shaoul, 3 October 2015
The US and its European allies are engaged in a ferocious struggle with China for control of the oil resources in the Horn of Africa region.
Obama begins East Africa tour with economic and military talks in Nairobi
By Thomas Gaist, 25 July 2015
The US president arrived in Kenya with a mercenary agenda aimed at shoring up US domination over the strategic East African region.
Kerry visits Somalia as US prepares expanded intervention in East Africa
By Thomas Gaist, 6 May 2015
Though subject to decades of bombing, subversion, and special forces raids by US imperialism, Somalia had never before received a visit from America’s top diplomat.
Germany extends military deployment in Somalia
By Johannes Stern, 30 March 2015
The extension of military commitments is part of the efforts of German imperialism to establish itself in Africa.
US seizes on video to escalate repression at home and war in Somalia
By Thomas Gaist, 24 February 2015
US officials vowed Sunday to ramp up domestic surveillance and covert operations targeting “extremism” in immigrant communities.
US drone strikes in Somalia part of drive to control Horn of Africa
By Tom Eley, 3 September 2014
An drone attack on Monday was aimed at assassinating a leader of the Islamist al-Shabab group.
US troops have secretly been deployed to Somalia since 2007
By Thomas Gaist, 5 July 2014
Officials made clear that the US intends to escalate its military intervention in the strategic Horn of Africa.
The US raid on Libya and the fraud of the war on terror
By Bill Van Auken, 8 October 2013
The target of the US kidnapping operation in Libya was someone who had previously enjoyed the collaboration and protection of Washington and its allies.
UK holds international conference as major powers deepen intrigues in Somalia
By Jean Shaoul, 13 May 2013
The international conference on Somalia, hosted by the UK last week, was aimed at shoring up the legitimacy and providing a veneer of respectability to the new government selected—not elected—in September.
Britain considers air strikes against Somali insurgents
By Jean Shaoul, 5 March 2012
Britain is considering sending the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean to Somalia to conduct air strikes and commando raids against al-Shabaab and other Islamic groups fighting the Transitional Federal Government.
US-backed Kenyan forces invade Somalia
By Eddie Haywood, 26 October 2011
Kenya sent military forces into Somalia last week, vowing to fight al-Shabaab militants it blamed for a spate of abductions of foreign nationals.
US prepares for military intervention in Somalia
By Susan Garth, 6 August 2011
The Obama administration is preparing a new military intervention in Somalia under the pretext of humanitarian concern for starving drought victims.
US-backed forces launch military offensive in Somalia as aid is used as a weapon of war
By Susan Garth, 30 July 2011
The African Union is propping up the Transitional Federal Government that was installed in Somalia by the US-backed Ethiopian invasion of December 2006.
Obama administration operates illegal torture compound in Somalia
By Tom Carter, 19 July 2011
The Obama administration is operating an illegal secret CIA prison compound in Somalia into which targeted individuals are “rendered” without trial to be tortured.
Plan to deploy British mercenaries in Somalia
By Ann Talbot, 1 December 2010
British mercenaries are to be deployed in Somalia, according to the London-based Sunday Telegraph.
US backs plan to send more troops to Somalia
By Ann Talbot, 2 August 2010
The African Union Summit in Kampala agreed to send more troops to Somalia to support the Transitional Federal Government against the Islamist militia al-Shabaab.
Somalia: US backs puppet government’s planned military offensive
By Brian Smith, 12 March 2010
The United States’ military is working closely with its Somali counterparts in planning a major military offensive against Islamist militias, who control the bulk of the country, including almost all of the capital, Mogadishu.
Somalia: Troop surge in support of US-backed puppet government
By Brian Smith, 25 February 2010
The Washington-backed Transitional Federal Government of Somalia is reported to be preparing a major offensive against Islamist rebels who control the bulk of the country.
United States halts food aid for Somali women and children
By Barry Mason, 28 September 2009
The World Food Programme has closed twelve feeding centres for women and children in Somalia as a result of US restrictions on aid to areas that are under the control of groups designated as terrorists.
US assassination in Somalia
By Brian Smith, 21 September 2009
United States commandos from the Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations Command launched a helicopter raid last week in Somalia, close to the border with Kenya, and killed a key Islamist suspect.
Somalia: Obama administration sends arms to prop up Islamist government
By Brian Smith, 3 August 2009
The Obama administration has been sending weapons to Somalia to support the Transitional Federal Government against a rebel insurgency that threatens to overwhelm the government.
Somalia: Conflict rages in Mogadishu
By Brian Smith, 8 June 2009
In the past few weeks, rebels from Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam have routed government forces in Mogadishu.
Why did France resort to violence off the coast of Somalia?
By Olivier Laurent, 1 May 2009
The use of force in April to recover five French hostages held off the Somali coastline, on the yacht, the Tanit, demonstrates the contempt of the Nicolas Sarkozy government for the lives of the French hostages and the Somali pirates, as well as for French and Somali public opinion.
Somali teen faces life sentence on piracy charges
By Bill Van Auken, 23 April 2009
Abdiqadir Muse, a Somali youth whose family says he is 16, was brought Tuesday before a federal judge in New York, who ruled he will be charged as an adult on piracy charges, facing a sentence of life in prison.
Obama and the pirates: the glorification of state violence
By Bill Van Auken, 16 April 2009
The ending of the hostage standoff in the Indian Ocean with the shooting of three teenage pirates was a calculated political act by the Obama administration, which has been celebrated by an uncritical media.
Obama claims credit for killing Somalis
By Bill Van Auken, 14 April 2009
The bloody end of the five-day hostage drama in the Indian Ocean is being treated as a pivotal moment for President Barack Obama. He has been tested by a crisis, the media argues, and proven that he is prepared to kill without flinching.
Obama administration ends Somali pirate standoff with lethal force
By Joe Kishore, 13 April 2009
The hostage-taking in the Indian Ocean was quickly transformed into an opportunity for the Obama administration to reassert US military power and demonstrate Obama’s willingness to use military force.
Hijacking of US ship raises threat of intervention in Somalia
By Bill Van Auken, 10 April 2009
As the hostage drama off the coast of Somalia continued into its second day Thursday, there were indications that the Obama administration may be preparing yet another military intervention, this time in the Horn of Africa.
Somalia: US policy shift towards Islamists after Ethiopian pullout
By Brian Smith, 25 March 2009
Somali MPs have elected Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, leader of the Djibouti-based Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS), as the country’s new president.
China dispatches warships to Somali waters
By Carol Divjak, 21 January 2009
China has used attacks on Chinese ships by pirates off the coast of Somalia, and the authorisation by the UN Security Council to fight piracy, to launch itself as a blue water naval force on the international scene.
German navy in operations off Somalia
By Marius Heuser, 14 January 2009
The German government is sending warships to the Somalian coast—to defend its interests under cover of the fight against piracy.
More military vessels dispatched to Somalia
By Brian Smith and Chris Talbot, 3 December 2008
The increased militarisation of the oil-rich region represents a major danger to the peoples of the region and the entire world. Warships from Britain, France, Germany, India, Malaysia, Russia and the US are all currently operating off the Somali coast.
NATO warships head to Somalia
By Brian Smith, 4 November 2008
NATO warships from across the globe are converging on the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia, ostensibly to tackle piracy and to escort ships through the Gulf. Russia is also sending a warship.
A discussion on Ethiopia’s role in Somalia
11 October 2008
The following correspondence was received on the September 22 article, "Ethiopia threatens to withdraw from Somalia". Below is a reply by its author, Brian Smith.
Ethiopia threatens to withdraw from Somalia
By Brian Smith, 22 September 2008
Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has warned that he is prepared to withdraw his country’s troops from Somalia, where they are propping up the US-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG), even if the latter was not in control of the country.
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