Keydmedia Online Topic page

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the move in a statement, saying it will be applied to those "who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic process in Somalia."

Somalia has been hit by the deadliest single-day terrorist truck bomb attack in Mogadishu that left nearly one thousand people under his watch.

The two leaders' standoff raised election uncertainty for the country and gave Al-Shabaab a chance to intensify attacks on towns near the capital, Mogadishu, including Bal'ad district.

African Union said it is committed to ensuring a stable and secure Somalia as AMISOM’s mandate ends on 31st March 2022 as the country is in the middle of a crisis and holding a crucial parliamentary election.

Over 90% of the country is affected by the drought with the food security situation likely to deteriorate rapidly leaving at least a third of the population, 4.6 million Somalis facing crisis-to-emergency-level food insecurity from February to May 2022.

There have been clashes between government forces and militia fighters opposing the visit by Ali Gudlawe, whose election in 2020 violated HirShabelle state's power-sharing system. 

Farmajo has been backing Abdiaziz Lafta-Garen who served as public works minister in his government which committed the massacre of 11 protesters in Baidoa during a pro-Robow demonstration in Dec 2018.

The Emirates has invested heavily in infrastructure in Somalia’s breakaway territory of Somaliland, with Dubai-owned DP World port operator running a major port in the area.

ISIS, like al-Shabaab, has no physical presence and military bases in southern Somalia with no single town under its control, and yet it stays to extort money from businesses using threats through phone calls.

The town is considered one of the safest areas in the region, and it is under Kenyan forces of AMISOM contingent and Jubaland soldiers, who jointly carry out fighting against Al-Shabaab.

Over the past few years, the region has witnessed a resurgence of inter-clan violence, with Galmudug authorities being accused of failing to address the conflict that comes amid the Al-Shabaab threat to security.

Al-Shabab in 2015 attacked a convoy on the same road as Monday’s attack that was carrying Mandera Governor Ali Roba, killing three people, including two police officers.