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Predator
drone: The officials told the US network that the
killing followed an acceleration of operations
targeting al-Qaeda leaders over the past weeks.
Photo: AP |
By SIOBHAN
GORMAN
Washington, December 12, 2009 -- A U.S. drone strike this
week killed a senior al Qaeda operator in a Pakistani tribal
area near the Afghan border, U.S. and Pakistani officials
said Friday.
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Hargeysa, Somaliland,
December 12, 2009 - Health officials in Somaliland have
expressed concern over a rise in mental illness, which they
attribute to post-war trauma, joblessness, drug abuse and
khat use.
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Nairobi, Kenya, December
12, 2009 — Somali Islamist insurgents have imported
terrorist tactics and technology used with deadly results in
Iraq and Afghanistan, threatening the African country's
beleaguered government and causing alarm as far as
Washington.
Read full text..
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Discovery Of Gorilla
Species In Somaliland |
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African Gorilla |
Sheikh, Somaliland, December 12, 2009 —
It is always exciting when a new species are discovered in
country, but the idea that most animals are long gone from
Somaliland either by migration or the due to the civil war
in the 1980s.
Read full text.
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Nairobi, Kenya, December 12, 2009 –
United States Ambassador Michael Ranneberger visited victims
of the recent suicide bombing in Mogadishu at Aga Khan
University Hospital in Nairobi on December 7.
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London, UK,
December 12, 2009 – ERIS has been commissioned to carry out
an Independent International Experts Assessment for the
Somaliland National Electoral Commission.
This Assessment, which is now underway, resulted from the
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Upcoming
Presidential Elections of Somaliland signed on September
29th between the three parties. This MoU calls for the
establishment of the dates for the new elections to be made
on technical rather than political grounds by the National
Electoral Commission.
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Freed for
$US500k: Amanda Lindhout and Australian Nigel
Brennan in Mogadishu after their release
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Melbourne, Australia, December 12, 2009 – The hostage
negotiator who helped release Australian photographer Nigel
Brennan and his Canadian colleague says their Somali
kidnappers were paid a ransom of $US500,000 ($545,000).
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Gulf of Aden, December 12, 2009 –
Yesterday, 11 Dec 2009, Rear Admiral Thorsten Kaehler
(German Navy) handed over the responsibility of Deputy
Operation Commander of the European Union Naval Force
Somalia Operation ATALANTA, the EU anti-piracy campaign in
the Horn of Africa area, to Rear Admiral Bartolomé Bauzá
(Spanish navy). The handover was conducted in the
Operational Headquarters in Northwood near London.
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Djibouti, December 12, 2009 – Twelve
special forces commandos arrived first. They landed at Arta,
a barren patch of Djibouti's jagged coastline some 80km from
the capital city. After scrambling from their boats they
climbed the hills quickly towards the area's only radio
mast.
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Federal System Of
Governance Fully Realizes Dignity, Rights, Benefits Of All
Peoples Of Ethiopia: Meles |
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Dire Dawa, December 12,
2009 – Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi said the peoples of
Ethiopia are celebrating the Nations, Nationalities, and
Peoples’ Day at a time when they have begun benefiting from
the fruits of the federal system of governance, which, he
said, is laid on a firm ground.
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Press Conference On
Humanitarian Operations In Somalia |
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Nairobi, Kenya, December 12, 2009 –
Unless it received new funding from donors immediately,
United Nations humanitarian operations in Somalia would
begin 2010 with "zero" in the bank, a "life-threatening"
situation that could trigger a spillover of people into
neighbouring states like Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya, said
Mark Bowden, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian
Coordinator for Somalia.
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Somalia Suicide Bomber From
Denmark |
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Copenhagen, December 12, 2009 – A suicide bomb that killed
23 people in Mogadishu last week was detonated by a young
Danish-Somali man, reports Berlingske Tidende newspaper.
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Somalia: Political And
Security Crises, Access Limits And Donor Cuts Increasing IDP
Vulnerability |
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December 12, 2009 – Political stalemate,
security crisis and the continuing conflict in Somalia
between the UN-backed coalition government and armed
opposition groups continue to expose internally displaced
people (IDPs) to violations of their rights under
international humanitarian and human rights law.
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Alternative Energy Reduces
Poverty in Somalia |
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Nadia McGill
SILVER SPRING, Md. December 12, 2009 --The Adventist
Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is running an energy
and livelihood project that aims to increase access to
renewable energy sources and reduce poverty for hundreds of
thousands of impoverished individuals within the states of
Puntland and Somaliland in northern Somalia.
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Pirate Ransoms
Drive Prices Up In Somalia
Wealthy Pirates Live Life Of Fast Cars, Big Houses, Drugs |
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Bossaso, Somalia, December 12, 2009 – A parcel of land here
that sold for $12,000 two years ago now costs more than
$20,000. The price of a nice pair of men's shoes has gone up
from $20 to $50.
The reason: pirates.
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U.S. Sees
Homegrown Muslim Extremism As Rising Threat
This may have been the most dangerous year since 9/11,
anti-terrorism experts say. |
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Washington, December 12, 2009 – The Obama
administration, grappling with a spate of recent Islamic
terrorism cases on U.S. soil, has concluded that the country
confronts a rising threat from homegrown extremism.
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Tanker
Hijacked By Somali Pirates Poses Environmental Risk
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Nairobi, Kenya, December 12, 2009 – The problem of Somali
piracy took a new and worrying twist recently when a
fully laden tanker, one of the largest in the world, was hijacked
off the Horn of Africa while bound for the US.
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Joint Letter Calls For Good
Governance And Democracy In Somaliland To Prevail
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Stockholm, Sweden/Rome,
Italy, December 12, 2009
(SL Times) – Senator
Marco Perduca, UNPO
treasurer and Member of
the Italian Senate, and
Ms Birgitta Ohlsson MP,
Member of the Swedish
Parliament and
Spokesperson on Foreign
Affairs of the Liberal
Party, have written an
open letter to the
government of Somaliland
regarding the ongoing
electoral situation.
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Election Commission
Departs Again To Addis Ababa |
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, December 12, 2009 (SL Times) – Somaliland
election commission and some of their staff departed to Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia, this week. The purpose of this visit, as
revealed in a press release by the election commission, is to
meet with donors and share with them the latest information
regarding the sifting through of the voter registration list and
to set the next phase of the process of correcting the mistakes
in the list.
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Abdiqasim Salad
Hassan Says America, Ethiopia And Foreigners Behind
Mogadishu Hotel Killings |
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Abdiqasim
Salad Hassan, the head of the defunct Arta Faction |
Cairo, Egypt, December 12, 2009 (SL Times) – Abdiqasim Salad
Hassan, the head of the defunct Arta Faction which once
billed itself as the government of Somalia accused the US,
Ethiopia and other unnamed foreigners of being behind the
Hotel Shamo suicide bombing in which 23 students, doctors,
politicians and journalists were killed and scores were
injured.
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Somaliland: A Way Out Of The
Electoral Crisis |
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Nairobi/Brussels, December 12, 2009:
The stalled electoral process has plunged Somaliland into a
serious political crisis that presents yet another risk of
destabilization in the region.
Somaliland: A Way out of the Electoral Crisis,*
the latest briefing from the International Crisis Group,
examines what stalled democratization could mean. It concludes
that politicians must finally uphold the constitution, abide by
electoral laws and adhere to inter-party agreements if the
region, which seeks independence from Somalia, is to hold
genuinely free and fair elections in 2010. Otherwise, there is a
risk that hard-earned stability will be lost as clan militias
remobilize.
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, December 12, 2009 (SL Times) – Mr.
Muhammad Said Mursi, the Egyptian Ambassador to Somalia who is
actually based in Nairobi, Kenya, and whose brief also covers
Somaliland, arrived in Somaliland this week. The Egyptian
ambassador met with President Dahir Rayale Kahin, the minister
of foreign affairs, the minister of health and the minister of
interior. He also met with officials from the ministries of
education and fisheries. The two sides discussed how to
reinvigorate relations between the two countries in a variety of
fields including security, health, education, and fisheries.
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Hargeysa,
Somaliland, December 12, 2009 (SL Times) – The University of
Hargeysa donated 2000 books to the University of Sanag. The
ceremony for the transfer of books was held at the University of
Science and Technology in Sanag and was attended by the
President of the University of Erigavo, Professor Ibrahim
Muhammad Jama (Balayax), Vice-Minister of Justice, Yusuf Ise
Duale (Tallaabo), teachers, students, representatives of
remittance companies, officials from communications businesses,
and other distinguished guests.
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Sheikh Sharif’s Representative At
The UN Resigns |
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New York, December
12, 2009 (SL Times) – Idd Beddel, one of Sheikh Sharif’s
representatives in New York who had a dispute with Foreign
Minister Ali Ahmad Jama (Jangali) over the addition of Omar
Jamal to Somalia’s UN staff, has resigned.
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Sheikh Sharif Admits That His
Troops Sell Weapons And Ammunitions To Their Enemies |
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Mogadishu, Somalia, December 12, 2009 (SL Times) – Sheikh Sharif
has finally admitted to the widely known fact that the arms and
ammunition he receives from foreign countries to fight
terrorists end up in the hands of these same terrorists.
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Somaliland: IGAD Delegation Visits
Somaliland |
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Hargeysa, Somaliland, December 12, 2009 (SL Times) – The
President of Somaliland, Dahir Rayale Kahin met on Monday
(December 7, 2009) with a delegation from the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development (IGAD) in East Africa. The IGAD
delegation is on a short visit to Somaliland led by Mr. Kipsuto
Arap Kirwa. Mr. Arap Kirwa is the head of the Somaliland/ and
Somalia office for IGAD.
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EU Climate Cash Pledge 'Not
Enough' Say Small Nations |
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A large
globe in a square in Copenhagen |
Copenhagen, December 12, 2009 – Developing
countries and aid agencies have derided the latest pledges by
richer states to tackle global warming.
EU leaders ended a Brussels summit with a three-year deal to pay
7.2bn euros (£6.5bn; $10.6bn) to help poorer nations cope with
climate change.
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Diplomacy Urged As Activist Haidar
Hunger Strike Continues |
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Aminatou
Haidar outside Lanzarote airport, Spain where she is
currently on hunger strike. |
Madrid, Spain, December 12, 2009 – With each
passing day, she looks a little weaker.
Western Sahara independence activist Aminatou Haidar's hunger
strike has lasted more than three weeks at the airport on
Spain's Lanzarote Island situated in the Atlantic Ocean, just a
short distance from her homeland.
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Two Muslim Public Affairs Council
officials say concern about radicalism in the Muslim community isn't
new. |
Washington, December 12, 2009 – A leading Muslim-American
civil rights group is advocating intense grassroots engagement among police and
U.S. Muslim neighborhood leaders to thwart the emergence of homegrown Islamic
terrorists.
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WORLDWIDE CORRUPTION 2009 |
BERLIN, December
12, 2009 — Lawless Somalia and war-torn Afghanistan topped a blacklist on
Tuesday of the world's most corrupt countries drawn up by the anti-graft
watchdog Transparency International.
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By BOB
VON STERNBERG
St. Cloud, MN,
December 12, 2009 – A St. Cloud human rights group has offered a $1,000 reward
in the hopes of finding the person responsible for posting anti-Islamic cartoons
in the city this week.
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Abdillahi
Ahmed Ali |
"I'm not going anywhere. I prefer to die in my house", Abdillahi
Ahmed Ali, a drought-affected herdsman in Somaliland
Louis Belanger, Oxfam International Spokesman in New York
Balli Hiile, Somaliland, December 12, 2009 – The town of Balli
Hiile lies about an hours drive south east of Burcao in eastern
Somaliland. Miles and miles of monotonous semi-desert landscape
surrounds the village, nothing but acacia trees, termite mounds
and small prickly shrubs scatter the land.
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Embrace Diversity // End
Discrimination
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Today (Thursday), the 10th of December 2009,
we are commemorating the Historic Occasion of the International
Human Rights Day, the first day Governments and states world
wide gathered to adopt and sign the First Historic Document, the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. The
adoption of this document had neither been a past time fallacy
nor an intellectual folly, but a genuine product of the
saddening human experiences observed as awfully unbearable which
was meant to prevent the recurrence of the past tragedies driven
by the understanding of Human communion of interests and guided
by the conscientious duty discharge of collective
responsibility, In response to the violations of human rights
and underlying philosophies.
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UK explorer ties up with SWE
as it targets finds in ‘last frontier’
Tullow Oil is teaming up with Hong Kong-registered SouthWest
Energy (SWE) to explore the Horn of Africa in a move to
secure a frontline position in what the industry has
recognized as one of the last remaining untapped frontiers.
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Fresh
fields: Ethiopian farmers walk in their wheat field
near Addis Ababa. Tullow is teaming up with
Ethiopian player SWE in an effort to tap virgin
plays in the Horn of Africa |
Barry Morgan London
London, UK, December 12, 2009 – This is the UK independent’s
next big thing, said a senior executive close to the deal.
Despite having its hands full developing mammoth finds in
the Ghanaian deep and the Ugandan Rift Valley, Tullow last
week decided to reach out to Ethiopian explorer SWE with a
view to “building a strategic partnership in the Horn of
Africa”.
Read
full text...
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Somaliland Should Capitalize On The Favorable Geopolitical
Environment |
World Bank delegation arrives in Somaliland. IGAD delegation
visits Somaliland. Pakistani delegation arrives in Somaliland.
The Egyptian ambassador visits Somaliland. Ethiopian and
Somaliland foreign ministers hold talks. UK House Of Commons
Debates Somaliland’s Elections. These are just some of the news
headlines in the last few weeks. Surely it has been a busy week
for Somaliland’s diplomacy, which raises the question: what is
behind all this diplomatic activity? Why now?
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1969 Military Coup In Somalia
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By Dr. Mohamed-Rashiid Sh. Hassan – Part IV
In the second anniversary of the coup, Barre made a long
speech whose contents were even more rhetorical. He appealed
to people to forget clan differences and unify their efforts
to build one nation committed to the principles of socialism
Hantiwadag. By evoking nationalism (waddaniyad), revolution
(Kacaan) and socialism (Hantiwadag), the regime believed
they could undermine or even eradicate clannishness and
create a new society.
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University Of Pretoria Awards
Dr. Edna Adan Ismail The Chancellor’s Medal For Her
Outstanding Contribution To Humanity |
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Ms Edna
Adam Ismail, recipient of the Chancellors’ Medal
with Prof Chris de Beer, Senior Vice-Principal of
the University of Pretoria. Source UP |
“You cannot make progress unless you stick your neck out but
with due caution”. Dr. Edna Adan, recipient of University of
Pretoria's Chancellor's Medal.
“Edna Adan Maternity Hospital is the best hospital in
Africa”.Mr. Martin Nsibirwa, University of Pretoria’s LLM
Programme Manager introduced Dr. Edna profile to the
audience.
Compiled by: Saeed Furaa,
Pretoria, SA, December 12, 2009 – The recognition that
Centre for Human right at the University of Pretoria is
bestowing upon me belongs to all who speak out for the
voiceless and will hopefully encourage those who are
concerned about human rights but who keep silent out of fear
of repercussions. Perhaps
we should learn from the tortoise whose motto is “You cannot
make progress unless you stick your neck out but with due
caution” Says
Dr. Edna Adan former Minister of Foreign Affairs in
Somaliland, the founder of Edna Adan Maternity Hospital (www.ednahospital.org),
Hargeysa, Somaliland.
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Dubai’s Debt Crisis – Fact &
Fiction In The Media Blizzard |
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Written
by Ahmed M.I. Egal
There has been much written about the announcement by Dubai
World (DW) on Thursday 26 November requesting a six-month
freeze on debt repayments from its creditors.
Read full text.....
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Tougher International Action Is Needed Against Somali
Pirates In Order To Make The Seas Safe Again |
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By Liban
Obsiye, Bristol, UK
Piracy along the Somali coast has seen an unprecedented
increase in the last year. According to the BBC So far,
there have been 147 incidents in the waters off the Somali
coast and in the Gulf of Aden, compared with 63 for the same
period last year. A total of 533 crew members have been
taken hostage.
Read full text.....
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In Mogadishu, They Slaughtered The Cream Of The Best... |
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By Ahmed
Arwo
They were so decent, so kind and more practicing-Muslim than
most of us. Their faces tell a lot: determination, courage,
kindness, honesty and integrity. They gave all they can and
more without reservation. It is easy to destroy and quite
simple to denounce and condemn an evil, but impossible to
comprehend the mind of evildoer.
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Somaliland
Election Trapped Between New Technology And Enemies Of Democracy |
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By Abdulazez
Al-Motairi
For the second time, Republic of Somaliland defused another
election dispute in limited time, which could have harmed
the democratic process. The ruling and opposition parties
signed six terms agreement that replaced old members of
National Election Commission.
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A Crossing
Made In Hell - Somali Refugees Risk Everything |
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By Abdinasir Mohamed Guled
Jawhar, Somalia, December 12, 2009 – Mohamed "Yarisow"
Hassan lived in war torn Mogadishu for over 20 years before
he attempted to flee to Yemen by boat.
He failed to reach Yemen three times, each time just barely
surviving tragedies at sea.
Hassan carries an aged bag with some belongings, ready to
board a car to Bossaso, from where he’s hoping to catch a
boat to Yemen and to a better life. He knows that Bossaso,
the harbor where the migrants’ journeys start, will be
crowded with other determined youths looking to cross the
Gulf of Aden in spite of all the difficulties.
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The Boom In Piracy |
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By Simon
Wilson Dec 12, 2009
Piracy, including kidnap and ransom, is doing so well in
some parts that a kind of profit-sharing co-operative has
been set up to share out the proceeds. Simon Wilson reports.
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By: Dr. Michael A. Weinstein
A closed source in the Horn of Africa reports on
al-Shabaab’s strategy at the current juncture of the
conflicts in southern and central Somalia. According to the
source, Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen (H.S.M.) is preparing
to launch an offensive in the central regions to gain the
kind of dominance over them that it has achieved in the
Jubba regions in the south over the past month by displacing
its former ally Hizbul Islam (H.I.).
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