Topic: Somalia

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Briefing
Top 3 reasons why Al Qaeda is more dangerous than ever

On the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, defense analysts say that there are plenty of reasons to think that a resurgence of the perniciously resourceful Al Qaeda is not out of the question.
Somalia: A timeline of change in a troubled country

Here is a timeline of changes, intervention, and mediation in 5 bite-sized bits.
5 ways Americans and Iranians are surprisingly similar

Despite escalating US-Iran tensions, remarkable similarities between their peoples have prompted some to suggest that the US and Iran could one day be powerful ‘natural’ allies.
Pentagon budget: top 3 winners and losers

In Pentagon parlance, the word “cut” is a relative term. The Defense Department’s base budget decreases from $553 billion this year to $525 billion in 2013, but it rebounds steadily to $567 billion in 2017. With this in mind, here are the top three winners and losers:
Famous US Special Forces operations

Here are six of the most famous successful American special operations missions in recent memory.

All Content

Is Nigeria's Boko Haram group really tied to Al Qaeda?

A string of increasingly brutal attacks – along with reports that Boko Haram may soon hit Nigeria's predominately Christian South – is bringing fresh scrutiny of the Islamist group.
Global News Blog
Good Reads: Somalia's famine, India's sex selection, and Twitter wars

Today's picks warn that Somalia's famine is about to get worse, give an inside look at sex-selection in India, and poke fun at that Twitter war between Western peacekeepers and the Taliban.
Guns, migrants, mercenaries: Qaddafi's loss is the Sahel's gain

Aside from Qaddafi and his family, up to one million migrants from Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso may leave war-torn Libya, and arms from Qaddafi's arsenal are already showing up in conflict zones as far away as Somalia.
Denmark's election a litmus test for Europe's far-right politics

Denmark's election Thursday is the first national poll in northern Europe to gauge appeal for radical politics since the Norway killings carried out by far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik.
Response to 'credible threat' shows how much has changed since 9/11

Al Qaeda may have been degraded since 2001. But the threat since 9/11 has become more complicated, decentralized and elusive with franchises, affiliates, and homegrown terrorists.
Africa Monitor
Calls for activist's release ahead of Kampala bombing trial

The 19 people accused in the 2010 bombing in Kampala, Uganda, will begin standing trial Monday. Among them is a human rights activist who was arrested when he came to help the accused.
After 9/11 anniversary: the return of US diplomacy

The US has relied on the military to hit back when attacked or even threatened; to place first priority on building up defenses; to sometimes shoot first, ask questions later. But the most difficult challenges ahead will require greater reliance on diplomacy and traditional statecraft.
Global News Blog
Good Reads: Qaddafi's pest fixation, Libya's missing weapons, and a former hostage returns to help Somalia

In today's papers, Muammar Qaddafi reveals in a recorded audio message that he has not fled the country. The Monitor's Scott Peterson reports that thousands of Libya's weapons have gone missing, and Geoffrey York finds a former hostage who returns to Somalia to make a difference.
Chapter & Verse
A "third wave" of Somali pirates?

A new group of younger, more violent Somali pirates may be on the rise, says Jay Bahadur, author of "The Pirates of Somalia."
As Ugandan nomads adapt to drought, less dependence on food aid

After a decade of Ugandan military operations to disarm rival clans, Uganda's Karamoja region has become more secure. Now the region is becoming more self-sufficient.
Somalia famine spreads to new region in south; warning issued on aid

The Somalia famine has spread to the Bay region, where acute malnutrition afflicts a majority of children, the UN says. Aid experts say the starving are losing the strength to reach refugee camps.
Global News Blog
Good Reads: Sept. 11 and Somalia famine pieces that rise above

The New Yorker's Sept. 11 coverage is a keeper, while the Globe and Mail's reporting from a Somalia famine victims' camp introduces you to one family's tragic trek toward safety. The Monitor explains how the US allegedly sent Libyan Al Qaeda suspects back to Tripoli, knowing they'd be tortured.
Africa Monitor
World Bank steps in to help an overwhelmed Kenya

With Somalian refugees pouring in, former leaders standing trial, food prices climbing, and constitutional changes up in the air, Kenya is struggling.
Chapter & Verse
Interview with Jay Bahadur on "The Pirates of Somalia"

Jay Bahadur chewed khat, fielded lies, and made his way through the intricacies of Somali clan politics as he gathered information for "The Pirates of Somalia."
Africa Monitor
Why aren't African leaders giving more for famine relief?

African leaders talk often of 'African solutions for African problems,' but the paltry $70 million pledged at an AU famine-relief conference raises questions whether this mantra is just rhetoric.
Africa Monitor
Global Stories to Watch Today: Libya's rebels and the search for Qaddafi

It's so not all about Muammar Qaddafi, except it mostly is.
Will Africa miss Qaddafi?

Even with Muammar Qaddafi's deep financial ties across Africa, many of the continent's leaders are ambivalent about his departure.
Change Agent
Backpack Farms helps small African farmers defeat drought

Backpack Farms supports African farmers with low-cost products and training suited to their needs.
In Pictures: Famous fatwa targets
God's provision and protection in the Horn of Africa

A Christian Science perspective: Thousands of Somalis have made their way to refugee camps in Kenya, seeking food and aid. Is there anything we can do to help?
Change Agent
Abaarso Tech, run like a business, brings top-notch education to Somalia

Jonathan Starr founded Abaarso Tech in Somaliland to unlock the potential of the country's brightest boys and girls.
African musicians look to launch new 'Band Aid' to fight East Africa famine

Sara Mitaru, a Kenyan singer-songwriter, is rallying artists across the continent to raise money for the East Africa famine – and to put pressure on African governments to chip in as well.
Africa Monitor
Al Shabab not the only guilty party in Somalia's famine, violence

A Human Rights Watch report documents abuses by the Somali government and African Union peacekeeping forces, as well as Al Shabab.
Change Agent
Ghana schoolboy launches his own Somalia famine fundraiser

An 11-year-old boy in Ghana, Andrew Adansi-Bonnah, has started his own effort to raise millions of dollars to help hungry refugees in Somalia.
Help starving Somalia now

The worst drought in 60 years has brought 12 million people to the brink of starvation. Time is running out to avoid a large-scale disaster.