Somalia has drifted through 20 years of anarchy and war. The international community has recommitted itself to establishing order there. But an EU mission to train Somali soldiers in Uganda has come under scrutiny.  In 1993, the United States organized a peacekeeping mission under the auspices of the United Nations to end a [...]

Helsinki (Aarannews)- Talks have been held in Helsinki city in Finland this week aimed at bringing peace to war-ravaged Somalia. The four-day seminar brought together representatives of groups from Somalia and abroad, including Islamists and supporters of militant groups and was chaired by Pekka Haavisto, a former UN official and government minister who now serves as [...]

Aarannews(London) David Cameron has promised to “fight” for Turkey’s membership of the European Union, saying he is “angry” at the slow pace of negotiations. On his first visit as prime minister, he said the country could become a “great European power”, helping build links with the Middle East. He compared hostility to the membership bid [...]

The emergence of Al-Shabab in Somalia is not an accident. It stems from many decades of mismanagement, dictatorship, regional and international abuse. Superficially, one expects Somalia to be a unified entity because all Somalis speak a common language and are not plagued by ethnic differences as in many parts of the post-colonial world. Yet Somalia [...]

One more time, the International Community (IC) led by the United States is confronted with the urgent necessity to develop a “comprehensive strategy” for Somalia after the counter-terrorism-centered strategy, primarily delegated to Ethiopia (IGAD), has utterly failed. This necessity existed when Obama Administration came into office.  Indeed, Prof Ken Menkhaus wrote in February 2009, “While [...]

In recent months, many in the United States seem to have given up on Somalia. In March, for example, the Council on Foreign Relations issued a special report calling for a “new” policy of “constructive disengagement” from our country — in other words, the withdrawal of international support for the Somali government. That idea is [...]

aarannews(London)The UN Security Council has voted in favour of fresh sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme. The council voted 12 to two, with one abstention, in favour of a fourth round of sanctions, including tighter finance curbs and an expanded arms embargo. The US has promoted the sanctions as the toughest Iran has yet [...]

aarannews(London)Iran faces its toughest sanctions for failing to comply with UN demands over its nuclear enrichment, the US says. The Security Council is set to vote on a fourth round of sanctions to tighten financial curbs on Iran, while expanding a limited arms embargo. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said they were “the most [...]

On a side street off Mogadishu’s Wadnaha Road frontline a young officer is explaining the unwritten rules of the city’s intractable civil war as his men exchange fire with an unseen enemy. The fighters shooting at him are from the Hizb al-Islam, he explains. He knows this because they fight longer than al-Shabab, the other [...]

Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, has usurped the Speaker’s position of the Transitional Federal Parliament (TFP) through a deplorable process that lacked concern for rule of law and good governance. This comes in the light of publicized allegations of political scandals and embezzlement of public funds against him [...]