AMISOM Archives » Elite News

Feb132021 by Abel Kawere & keefa NuwaherezaNo Comments

Car bomb Explosion leaves Many Dead Near Parliament.

At least three people have been killed and eight others wounded after a car bomb exploded near a checkpoint close to the Somali parliament headquarters in the capital Mogadishu. A security official and witnesses reported the explosion on Saturday as the explosive-laden vehicle passed through a security checkpoint causing security forces to open fire. The car exploded close to another checkpoint at the Sayidka junction, according to local media and police sources. “The police were chasing the hostile vehicle after spotting it a few kilometres away from where it exploded,” security official Abdirahman Mohamed told the AFP news agency. “Three civilians died according to the information we have received so far and eight others are wounded,” he said. “The police opened fire on the...

Nov152020 by Abel Kawere & keefa NuwaherezaNo Comments

Ethiopia Withdraws Thousands of her Troops from Somalia

FEATURED, NEWS, Politics

Ethiopia pulled back thousands of troops who’ve been helping Somalia’s government fight an Islamist insurgency, according to three people familiar with the matter, raising concerns of a security vacuum in the war-torn nation. Their departure from Somalia comes as federal soldiers continue to battle forces loyal to the ruling party in the northern Ethiopian region of Tigray. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump told top advisers he’s also considering extracting U.S. troops from Somalia. Ethiopia is redeploying about 3,000 troops to help with the Tigray offensive, the people said, asking not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak to the media. The troops being withdrawn are Ethiopian National Defence Force soldiers and don’t fall under the command of the...

Sep102020 by Abel Kawere & keefa NuwaherezaNo Comments

3 Dead, Scores Injured After Suicide Bomber Explodes In Restaurant

FEATURED, NEWS

By Our Reporter Three people are confirmed to have died and several others sustained severe injuries after a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a restaurant in Mogadishu, Somalia on Wednesday. Information ministry spokesman Ismail Mukhtar Omar said the attacker walked into the Blue Sky restaurant near Mogadishu National Theatre on Wednesday before blowing himself up. "The target of the suicide bomber was civilians sitting at the restaurant," he said. "He walked [among] them and detonated himself, killing three civilians and wounding seven. "I was walking towards the location when the blast occurred and instantly got to the incident scene. Among the dead was a very young child." Witnesses said security forces cordoned off the scene after the blast, temporarily susp...

Aug212020 by Our ReporterNo Comments

Iranian hostages held by Somali pirates since 2015 freed.

FEATURED, NEWS, Politics

The men are the last of the crew of Iranian fishing vessel FV Siraj, captured by the pirates on March 22, 2015. Three Iranian hostages held by Somali pirates since 2015 have been freed, a senior maritime crime adviser told the Reuters news agency on Thursday. The men are the last of the crew of the Iranian fishing vessel FV Siraj, which was captured by pirates on March 22, 2015. The fourth member of the crew was freed last year as he needed urgent medical care. "This marks the end of an era of Somali piracy and the pain and suffering of Somalia's forgotten hostages," said John Steed, coordinator of privately supported, Nairobi-based Hostage Support Programme, on Thursday. Steed, a former British army officer who has spent years negotiating the release of piracy hostages in ...

Aug172020 by Our ReporterNo Comments

Explosive Terrorist Attack at Somali Hotel

FEATURED, NEWS

Terrifying Violence Several dead and around many more wounded Sunday evening after a thunderous car suicide bomber exploded the security gates of an upscale hotel open in the Lido beach area of Mogadishu, Somalia. In what was a terrifying and chaotic episode of violence. According to Col. Ahmed Aden, a police officer, the attackers invaded the Elite Hotel, a new establishment popular amongst the young crowd of the capital city. A scene of chaos at the Elite Hotel Sunday evening Sadiq Adan Ali, a spokesman of the Somali police force, briefly described the nature of events, "Totally, those who have been killed or passed away in the accident, the attack, were 16. Eleven (of them were) Somali civilians and five of them terrorists. The other remaining was 13 wounded or injured pe...

Aug52020 by Our ReporterNo Comments

African Union Mission In Somalia Gets New Commander

FEATURED

By Keefa Nuwahereza The African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has Wednesday August 5th, 2020 ushered in a new force commander, who welcomed in Mogadishu by senior officers and men of the force. Lieutenant General Diomede Ndegeya, who arrived in Somalia on Sunday, will lead a force mainly from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. The countries have been enforcing order in Somalia for over a decade now, with support from the United Nations and African Union. The Commander, who is no stranger to the country, will have to confront the unending Al shaab attacks and the frequent claims of the presence of non-AMISOM troops in Somalia. Gen. Diomede Ndegeya (in suit) poses for a photo with other AMISOM senior officers With a career spanning 38 years, General Ndegeya, 57, previously s...

May182020 by Our ReporterNo Comments

Horror: Governor Killed In Al-Shabab Suicide Bombing

FEATURED, NEWS

By Elite Reporter The governor of the Mudug region in Somalia's Puntland has been killed along with three of his bodyguards in a suicide car bombing, which was claimed by armed group Al-Shabab, according to the police and a security official. "A suicide car bomb hit the governor's car. Governor Ahmed Muse Nur and three of his bodyguards died," police captain Mohamed Osman told the Reuters news agency on Sunday. Security official Muse Ahmed confirmed the death toll. "There are other casualties but the details are still being investigated," he told AFP news agency. In late March, the governor of Puntland was killed in similar circumstances. Al-Shabab has been fighting for years to topple Somalia's internationally-recognised central government and frequently carries out bombin...

May22020 by Our ReporterNo Comments

Fear As Coronavirus Invades UPDF Camps, 9 Soldiers Quarantined In Somalia

FEATURED

By Elite Reporter There is concern among the armed forces that the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) could ravage the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF), after 9 soldiers were quarantined in Somalia on Thursday. Sources reveal that the 9 soldiers who are part of the UPDF contingent in Somalia serving under AMSOM (African Mission for Somalia), were put into isolation after coming into contact with a confirmed case who is in Mogadishu. On Wednesday evening, UPDF confirmed a soldier attached to the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) had tested positive COVID-19 and was undergoing treatment. The UPDF said that the confirmed case, a soldier who first manifested flu and cough signs, is now very stable and those with whom he got contact, are isolated. However, ...

Mar312020 by Our ReporterNo Comments

Al-Shabab Terrorists Kill Somali Governor In Suicide Attack

Jan32020 by Our ReporterNo Comments

New UPDF AMISOM Commander Brig. Otto Inspects Sector One Frontline Troops

FEATURED, NEWS

By Elite News Reporter The newly deployed Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF African Mission for Somalia (AMISOM) Sector One Commander Brig. Gen. Richard Otto on Thursday met the AMISOM Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) based at KM50, Lantabur and Arbiska respectively. The sector commander was visiting the FOBs for the first time since his take over of Sector One command and control on the 19th December 2019. Brig. Otto was briefed on the general security situations by the frontline commanders and later inspected troop alertness in each respective FOB defence. In his remarks to the troops, Brig Otto implored officers to be vigilant and very security conscious to avoid unnecessary casualties. “You have to be very security conscious. I don’t want negligence especially...