Ethiopia: Intelligence agency foils Al-Shabaab’s terror plot
Ethiopia’s intelligence agency, the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), today (March 26th confirmed it had recently foiled a kidnap plot in Dolo Ado by a group with links to Al-Shabaab. The group was “caught red-handed with arms as they plotted to carry out the kidnappings” the NISS said in a statement. The plot was … Read more
UN Security Council extends AMISOM’s mandate
On Wednesday (November 7th) the United Nations Security reauthorized the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) for another four months, until March 7th, 2013. It also decided to expand the United Nations support package for the Mission. The Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2073 (2012), authorizing AMISOM to maintain its presence in the areas set … Read more
Profile of Al-Shabaab linked Eritrean officials [US Treasury Dept.]
United States announced sanctions on 6 Al-Shabaab supporters on July 5. The list includes two senior Eritrean officials. Here is the press release by the US Treasury Department.[For a round-up of news commentaries on the issue - see here.] ********************* Treasury Targets Regional Actors Fueling Violence and Instability in Somalia 7/5/2012 * Action Targets al-Shabaab … Read more
Africa: The last frontier of the Global War on Terror (Michael Brenner)
America’s "war on terror" now has brought us deep into tropical Africa and the Sahel. We learned last week that Washington is engaged in an expansive project to hunt down an array of local "terrorists," could-be "terrorists" and mayhem makers in general. Nearly all of the numerous groups cited are no more than loose bands … Read more
Brief | The new US strategy toward sub-Saharan Africa
On June 14, 2012, the White House announced a new U.S. Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa that provides a proactive and forward looking vision grounded in partnership. The new strategy sets forth four strategic objectives, as described below, and commits the United States to elevate its efforts on the first two of these four pillars: strengthening … Read more
Somalia: Ethiopian forces withdrew from 3 more towns | Media reports
Ethiopian troops withdrew from three more towns of south central Somalia last Tuesday. That is two days after they abandoned the relatively larger town El bur (or Ceelbur) town in the region. The latest towns to be abandoned by Ethiopian troops are Mahas, Wabho and Beled-hawo towns according to the news by the Associated Press, … Read more
German terror suspect for Nairobi blast captured in Tanzania
A top German terrorism suspect, who was being hunted by Kenyan police following a blast in the capital Nairobi last month, has been arrested in neighbouring Tanzania, police said on Tuesday. Kenyan police last month released a photo of a man they identified as Emrah Erdogan, a German national of Turkish origin who is also … Read more
Eritrean pleads guilty to aiding Al-Shabaab – in US court
An Eritrean man pleaded guilty in a US court last week to charges of financing al Shabaab and receiving military trainings, according to reports from several news outlets. Here are the reports from Reuters and Bloomberg. *********** Al Shabaab Associate Admits To Supporting Terrorist Group (Jun 14, 2012 – Bloomberg) An associate of the al … Read more
Analysis: Why isn’t Sheikh Aweys on US Terror List? | Somalia Report
Increasing its mission on countering terrorism around the world by hunting down some of the remaining top Al-Qaeda members, the United States this week officially announced $33 million dollars has been earmarked for those who aid in the hunt of several top Somali al-Shabaab officials. What is more interesting, however, is who is not included … Read more
Kenya’s ‘Economic’ Conflict with Al-Shabaab (By Edoardo Totolo)
In October 2011, after the kidnapping of three tourists in Lamu and two aid workers in the Dadaab refugee camps, Kenya took the unprecedented decision to send troops to southern Somalia to fight a fundamentalist group with links to al Qaida. Although there was no proof that Al Shabaab was directly involved in the kidnappings, … Read more
