In 2020 business owners and traders in Eastleigh suffered a major blow when the government locked down the estate for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, things are looking good for businesses in this estate regarded as an economic hub at the heart of Kenya’s capital Nairobi. Police manning a roadblock in Eastleigh during lockdown. Photo: NMG. The lockdown in Eastleigh affected major businesses like hotels and markets which left many traders and business owners making millions in losses. Many traders accused the government of ill motive for the lockdown and grudgingly accepted it. Th ..read more

Uganda’s military said its soldiers killed 189 fighters of the Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militant group in an attack on their camps on Friday, January 22. Ugandan troops are part of the African Union peacekeeping mission deployed in Somalia to support the central government and stop Al Shabab’s efforts to topple it. Ugandan soldiers. Photo/Wall Street Journal. The Ugandan People’s Defence Force said in a statement that its soldiers raided al-Shabaab hideouts in the villages of Sigaale, Adimole and Kayitoy, just over 100 kilometres south-west of the capital Mogadishu, in the Lower Shabelle reg ..read more

The Somali community is mourning the tragic death of online stars Muna Mustafa popularly known as Munish of Somali React arts group and Zakariya Zaki. The two online sensations were among five people killed in a road accident in Mai Mahiu on Sunday, January 10. According to reports they were on a road trip when the horrific accident occurred. Muna Mustafa aka Munish was the leading actress in the popular YouTube series called Somali React that has over 30 million hits on YouTube. Munish on set shooting an episode for YouTube. READ ALSO: Muwado: Photos of cute 8-year-old Somali comedian who is ..read more

In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, US military’s Africa Command forces conducted an airstrike in the vicinity of Saaxa Weyne, Somalia on Thursday, January 7. Initial assessments by Africa command indicate the strike killed five al-Shabaab members including the targeted al-Shabaab leaders.  The US military on Friday said that its forces working with the Somali National Army killed five top al-Shabaab leaders in a joint airstrike in the vicinity of the Saaxa Weyne region. Photo: Africa Command. The command’s initial assessment is that no civilians were injured or killed ..read more

Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) troops on Sunday, December 27, killed three al-Shabaab terrorists during a raid in their camp in the vast Boni Forest, Lamu County in the coast region, an official confirmed. Gabriel Musau, head of the Coast police, said that the special forces, in the dawn raid, killed the terrorists and recovered communication equipment and weapons that were being used by the terror group to wreak havoc in the Lamu area that borders Somalia. Some of the items recovered by Kenyan soldiers during the raid. Photo/Nation. The Kenyan military recovered grenades, several rounds of ammuni ..read more

Somalia agreed to de-escalate tensions with neighboring Kenya during a conference Monday in Djibouti.  Somalia said the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) put pressure on the country to resolve its diplomatic tiff with Kenya during the 38th Extraordinary Assembly of IGAD Heads of State and Government. Somalia agreed to de-escalate tensions with neighboring Kenya during a conference Monday in Djibouti.  READ ALSO: Hassan Ali Khaire: Somalis around the world react after former PM announces he will contest presidency IGAD, which consists of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Soma ..read more

Dozens of soldiers and insurgents were killed in two days of fighting between Somali government forces and Al-Shabaab militants northwest of the capital Mogadishu, a witness told Reuters on Friday. Somalia’s state news agency Sonna said the military had killed about 50 fighters from the extremist group. No immediate account of the battle was available from the militants. Hussein Ali, a farmer in the Afgoye area, told Reuters he and other civilians had been trapped in the crossfire during two nights of fighting. “The Somali government transported dozens of dead bodies. Likewise, Al-Shabaab took ..read more

Mahdi Mohammed Hashi is among 39 Somali nationals who have been removed by US authorities, according to the US government, some of the Somali nationals have criminal histories and are regarded as dangerous. Below is the full statement from the US authorities on the removal of Hashi. Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed a Somali man Thursday who was convicted in 2016 in U.S. District Court of providing aid to a terror organization. Mahdi Mohammed Hashi, 31, a citizen of Somalia, was removed by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago Field Office vi ..read more

Section of Somalis in Somalia and around the world have turned to social media to congratulate new Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble after his appointment on Friday, September 18. The announcement naming Mohamed Hussein Roble as PM was made by Somalia’s President Mohamed Farmaajo on Twitter. Madaxweyne @M_Farmaajo ayaa Mudane Maxamed Xuseen Rooble u magacaabay Ra’iisul Wasaaraha XFS. Madaxweynaha ayaa u rajeeyay RW Rooble inuu si hufan u guto waajibaadka shaqo ee horyaalla. pic.twitter.com/ustzxMNvTp — Villa Somalia (@TheVillaSomalia) September 17, 2020 The news of Roble’s appointment im ..read more

The announcement by former Somalia prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire that he will be challenging incumbent President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has elicited reactions among Somalis around the world. Khaire made the announcement on his social media accounts on Saturday, September 12. “After long thinking and consultations, I will like to share with you my candidature for the presidency of the Federal Republic of Somalia. With complete understanding of the opportunities and challenges with regards to the kind of leadership our country needs now and in the future, I once again put myself up to ser ..read more