At least 12 killed as Somalia hotel siege enters second day
Mogadishu, SomaliaReuters At least 12 people were killed when al Qaeda-linked militants attacked a hotel in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, seizing hostages who authorities were still battling to free 24 hours later, an intelligence officer said on Saturday. The attackers blasted their way into the Hayat Hotel on Friday evening with two car bombs before opening […]
Unidentified attackers seize control of hotel in Somali capital
Mogadishu, SomaliaReuters Unidentified armed attackers have taken control of a hotel in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, following two car bomb blasts and gunfire, police and intelligence officers said on Friday. “Two car bombs targeted Hotel Hayat. One hit a barrier near the hotel and then the other hit the gate of the hotel. We believe […]
Car bomb in Somali capital kills eight – ambulance services director
Mogadishu, MozambiqueReuters A car bomb exploded on a road leading to the airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, killing at least eight people, the head of the city’s ambulance services said. A general view shows the scene of an explosion in the Hamarweyne district of Mogadishu, Somalia, on 12th January. PICTURE: ReutersFeisal Omar […]
Cinema returns to Somalia after decades of shut-downs and strife
Mogadishu, SomaliaReuters Dozens of Somalis posed for selfies and chattered excitedly in rows of red, plush seats as they waited for the start of their country’s first movie screening in three decades. Among the crowd in the National Theatre was 24-year-old Kaif Jama, the writer and star of both films on the programme – the […]
Peacebuilding in Somalia – another victim of climate change?
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Climate change is hampering peacebuilding in Somalia as droughts and floods strengthen the hand of militants and weaken the power of government, a report said on Wednesday. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said three decades of conflict – coupled with increasingly severe droughts – were posing serious challenges to the […]
War, hunger and a housing boom: welcome to Africa’s most crowded city
Thomson Reuters Foundation Conflict, drought and floods have pushed a record number of Somalis into Mogadishu, making it Africa’s most crowded city, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre said on Tuesday. With more than 340,000 people forced to flee their homes in the first half of 2018, the year is likely to produce Somalia’s highest number […]
Tens of thousands of uprooted people in Somalia lose homes to flash floods
Thomson Reuters Foundation Tens of thousands of people in Somalia who were forced from their homes due to drought and conflict in the past year have had their shelters destroyed by flooding, aid agencies said on Friday, sparking fears over the spread of deadly diseases. In total more than 427,000 people were affected across the […]
As more Christians are killed in Somalia, number of orphans grows
Morning Star News Orphans in Somalia whose parents were killed for their faith by Islamic extremist al-Shabaab rebels are becoming more numerous – and hungrier, an underground church leader said. The pastor started a care centre for the orphans three years ago in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, as more children of secret Christians were orphaned. […]
Somaliland closes only Catholic church due to public pressure only days after reopening
World Watch Monitor The only Catholic church in Somaliland, East Africa, officially re-opened after three decades on 29th July, has been closed again within a week, due to public pressure. “The issue has created a lot of division…which is not in our national interest…The government has decided to respect the wishes of the people and […]