Somalia

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the civil societies have resolved to come up with programmes that will help empower citizens to actively participate in the affairs of the country.

Somalia’s al Shabaab stormed a government building, detonating a suicide car bomb in the heart of Mogadishu with at least 15 people, including an assistant minister, killed during the ensuing gun battle.

A human rights group says 14 civilians were killed during five U.S. airstrikes in Somalia in the last two years, an allegation the U.S. military strongly denies.

The Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday that he “strongly condemns the deadly terrorist attacks” that took place in the Somali capital Mogadishu late on Thursday local time, which reportedly killed more than 20 people, with scores injured.

The African Union is on the spot over a request by Burundi and Somalia to convene an urgent summit of troop contributing countries to discuss withdrawal of the African Union Mission in Somalia. The continental body has not responded, amid a threat by an angry Bujumbura to withdraw all its 5,432 troops from the Amisom.

Burundi and Somalia have called for an emergency summit to discuss the contested withdrawal of 1,000 Burundian troops from the Horn of Africa nation before the end of the month. The African Union is gradually scaling back its Amisom force in troubled Somalia, and announced late last year that the Burundian soldiers must leave by the end of February. Burundi has strongly opposed the drawdown of its troops, … .

[…] The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. Tuesday’s attack came as the U.S. military increased airstrikes against al-Shabab. … The latest two strikes bring the total number of airstrikes against al-Shabab this year to 11. Last year the United States carried out 47 strikes, all of them against al-Shabab.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is set to be reduced by 1,000 soldiers this month in line with the United Nation Security Council resolution. In a statement, AMISOM said the resolution authorizes the member states of the African Union to reduce the number of uniformed AMISOM personnel by February 28 without "further delay".

Since 2017, the US military has stepped up air raids against the group in Somalia, carrying out 47 attacks last year.