Africa Headlines International

Somalia asks Ethiopian troops to leave before December 2024

Somali authorities said Ethiopian troops, stationed in the country as part of an African Union peacekeeping mission, should leave the country before December 2024. The decision came as the mission’s mandate expires in a context of worsening ties between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa. Ethiopian forces will not be part of an African Union force that […]

Africa Headlines International

Somalia requests end of UN mission as Shabab attacks surge

Somalia has asked the UN to terminate its mission in the war-stricken country as attacks by Al-Qaida-linked Shabab militants. Somalia has sent a letter to UN chief Antonio Guterres expressing the government’s wish to end the mission of the UN, which has been operating in the country since 1993. The current mandate of the UN […]

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33 African countries in need of food aid due to armed conflicts and drought — FAO

A total of 45 countries and regions worldwide, including 33 in Africa, are in need of external assistance for food, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has warned. The FAO’s latest “Crop Prospects and Food Situation” report indicates that 33 African countries are in dire need of external assistance for food […]

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Somalia officially joins East African Community

Somalia has finished the process of becoming a fully-fledged member of the East African Community (EAC) after it has ratified the accession treaty to an economic bloc that has some of Africa’s rapidly growing economies. Somalia joined Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, and South Sudan, as part of the exclusive […]

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Somalia-Turkey security deal to deter terrorism, piracy and Ethiopia’s territorial designs — experts

The defense cooperation agreement between Somalia and Turkey signed earlier this month (8 February) aims to achieve several objectives, experts say, including Ankara’s helping Mogadishu secure its maritime interests and serving as a counterbalance against the recent Ethiopian controversial deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland. The defense cooperation agreement Somalia inked with Turkey last […]

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Egypt’s president warns Cairo won’t allow any threat to Somalia amid dispute with Ethiopia

Cairo will stand shoulder to shoulder with Somalia and will not allow any threat to the Horn of Africa country, Egypt’s president has said, referring specifically to Ethiopia’s recent agreement with the breakaway Somaliland that would give it access to the sea and allow it to establish a marine force base. “Egypt will not allow […]

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Somalia: no mediation with Ethiopia until Somaliland port deal cancelled

The Ethiopia-Somalia feud continues as Mogadishu has called on Addis Ababa to retract its deal with Somaliland, ruling out on Thursday (18 January) any possible mediation until a controversial agreement with the breakaway region is cancelled. Claiming its territorial integrity has been violated by the agreement, Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated there was […]

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East African Community to benefit from Somalia’s entry and DRC president’s re-election

Somalia’s entry into the East African Community (EAC) and the re-election of the Congolese president are likely to provide an important impetus to the financial services, banking and tourism, as well as to investments in renewable energy, oil, transport and logistics, all of whom are set to drive business opportunities in the East African region […]

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Somalia’s new law ‘nullifies’ ‘illegal’ Ethiopia-Somaliland port-access deal

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has signed a law that “nullifies” the contentious memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and a breakaway Somaliland region in a largely symbolic move expressing his government’s displeasure over the deal to grant port access. As part of the deal that was announced on 1 January, the landlocked Ethiopia will gain […]

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Somalia formally joins East Asian Community but enormous security challenges remain

Somalia has finally been admitted to the East African Community (EAC) as its eighth member, thirteen years after its original application to join, as the economic bloc seeks to expand free trade across the region. Somalia was officially admitted to the East African Community (EAC) at the Summit of the East African Community (EAC) Heads […]