What's going on in Somalia?

What's going on in Somalia? situation for January 29 - February 4, 2023 Tensions remain in Somalia (https://t.me/rybar/43076). Government forces carried out several operations against al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab, killing more than 150 militants, according to official figures. However, during the summit in Mogadishu, the leaders of Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya agreed to launch a joint military campaign against Islamic extremists.

However, one should not expect a quick defeat of the militants. Despite the advance of the Somali troops and the financial problems of the group itself, Al-Shabab still retains its combat capability.

The Regional Risks to Somalia’s Moment of Hope

SOMALIA

The election of Somalia’s new President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo offers the country’s international partners a new opportunity to step up efforts in advancing peace and stability in Somalia as well as the wider Horn of Africa. Yet the hopes of a stable future for war-torn Somalia may be short lived if the fraught regional dynamic, in particular the mistrust felt by regional powers Ethiopia and Kenya, are not effectively addressed.

Somalia: The Fight Against Jihadists Takes Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Somalia: The Fight Against Jihadists Takes Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

(Stratfor)
Despite the best efforts of Somalia's neighbors, stability in the country is still hovering out of reach. On Sept. 29, the hard-line Islamist militia al Shabaab took control of Barire, a village located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) outside Mogadishu. The assault reportedly involved the use of a car bomb and killed at least 17 Somali soldiers. The Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF) and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) had retaken Barire from al Shabaab just last month; their failure to hold the village highlights the challenges Somalia has faced and will face in attempting to counter the jihadist group and defend Somali territory.

America’s “Shadow War” In Somalia Gets A Fresh Start Under Trump

America’s “Shadow War” In Somalia Gets A Fresh Start Under Trump
U.S. airstrikes in Somalia have killed over 400 people in the last eight years as part of a quiet war on “terrorism.” Parts of the country have been designated as “active war zones,” allowing for more strikes to take place with little to no oversight.
By Roqayah Chamseddine |

MINNEAPOLIS — Not long before Donald Trump took his presidential oath, the Obama administration was taking care of unfinished business in a part of the world that many Americans likely never think much about. In Somalia, a nation forced into a state of emergency thanks in part to an ongoing famine that is being fueled by a covert U.S. war on terrorism.

Obama made some of his final foreign policy impressions by expanding the so-called war on terrorism there, even as he reached the final days of his last term in office. But it should be noted that the U.S.’ interest in Somalia has little to do with actually stopping terrorism and more to do with strengthening its grip on the country’s oil reserves.

In the early 1990s, U.S. petroleum companies Conoco, Amoco, Chevron and Phillips flocked to Somalia to exploit their natural resources for profit, just as many companies had done in Africa before them. With the expansion of U.S. bases across the continent, it’s no surprise that this exploitation has continued.

TRUMP FURTHER ENTRENCHES US MILITARY INVOLVEMENT IN SOMALIA

Αrt3250 Τρίτη 18 Απριλίου 2017
TRUMP FURTHER ENTRENCHES US MILITARY INVOLVEMENT IN SOMALIA
SOURCE: COMMON DREAMS

Two weeks after President Donald Trump gave military officials wider authority for conducting airstrikes in Somalia, the United States military said that dozens of troops had arrived in the country, a sign of increased U.S. involvement there.