On New Year's Day, #Ethiopia signed a MoU with the unrecognized breakaway republic of #Somaliland to lease 20km of sea coast and set up a military base on soil internationally recognized as Somalia. #Somalia has strongly condemned the deal, calling it a violation of its sovereignty.
As tensions rise in the Horn of #Africa, I speak to experts who point out how the agreement may yet affect events as far away as #Yemen and #Gaza.
In a region infamous for war, instability & authoritarianism, Somaliland has been a beacon of relative stability, since declaring independence from Somalia in 1991 and despite being unrecognized by any nation in the world. Landlocked Ethiopia is vowing to become the first state to recognize Somaliland, in exchange for 20km of Somaliland's sea coast where it wants to conduct trade and establish a navy. The US, EU and other states have stated that they oppose the initiative & side with Somalia.
Further rendering the situation extremely messy is the fact that the central government in Somalia doesn't control much of the country, with militants from Al Qaeda affiliate Al Shabab controlling parts of the country for years. Somalia relies on its military but also peacekeepers from the African Union...a huge chunk of whom are Ethiopian soldiers. As I said, it's extremely messy. As such, war is unlikely. Somalia is likely to pursue legal avenues of shuttering the deal via the UN & AU.
Indische Marine entert gekaperten Frachter vor Somalia
Die indische Marine hat den von Piraten vor der Küste Somalias gekaperten Frachter geentert. Zuvor hatte der Zerstörer "Chennai" die Verfolgung der "Lila Norfolk" aufgenommen. Ob die Entführer noch an Bord sind, ist nicht bekannt.
Indien schickt Kriegsschiff zu gekapertem Frachter vor Somalia
Nach dem Notruf eines Frachters mit indischer Besatzung hat Indiens Marine mit dem Zerstörer "INS Chennai" die Verfolgung aufgenommen. Nach britischen Angaben war das Handelsschiff am Donnerstag vor Somalia gekapert worden.
« "When I went to Africa, it seemed like no one was paying attention. It was like: ‘We can do whatever we want.’"
These are the words of an American military drone operator – someone who, at the press of a button, can decide whether Africans live or die.
A devastating new investigation details how one particular drone strike killed a Somali mother and her four-year-old daughter. The United States military investigated itself and exonerated itself. Because in Africa, you can do whatever you want. »
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned of “a flood event of a magnitude statistically likely only once in 100 years, with significant anticipated humanitarian impacts.”
"Somalis are struggling to cope with never-before-seen flooding that has killed dozens of people and forced hundreds of thousands to abandon their homes, in the wake of extreme rainfall that has engulfed much of East Africa. Following days of heavy torrents, at least 29 people have been killed and more than 300,000 have fled their homes...#Somalia 's National Disaster Management Agency...call[ed it] the most severe in 'decades'"
#ClimateDiary Sudden, intense downpour and storm just during school drop off, everyone drenched/car chaos. Was going to post something about this becoming the #NewNormal but then remembered floods in France much worse, searched #Floods here and only then saw that #Somalia worst hit of all. Hadn’t even registered and now just floored by injustice of it all. All in it together more and more but also not at all.
El Niño phenomenon's wrath has unleashed devastating floods in Somalia, affecting over a million people and displacing 400k. #ElNiño#Somalia
Displacement and livelihood loss from these floods have led to shortages of food, water, and sanitation, escalating the risk of waterborne diseases like malaria and cholera. #HumanitarianCrisis#Floods
International support is imperative to safeguard human rights and enhance resilience in the face of ongoing and future disasters. #Support#HumanRights
NEW: Landlocked Ethiopia's increasingly open territorial claim of sea ports in neighbouring countries has heightened anxiety across the Horn of Africa in recent months about a potential war over ports.
#Somalia ’s first and only all-#women media team, #Bilan, has been announced today as one of three nominees for the 2023 Index on Censorship Press Freedom Award in the Journalism category. v UNDP
The withdrawal of African Union (AU) peacekeepers poses risks for Somalia. For one, it may reduce the pressure on al-Shabaab at a crucial time during the Somali government’s latest offensive. These risks cannot be completely eliminated but there are important steps the Somali authorities and the AU must take before the mission’s exit.
#Somalia govt forces last week captured #ElBur, last district center in central #Galmudug region controlled by #AlShabaab, though they later retreated from other key towns in the area.
