Protection Cluster

A new African Union peace enforcement mission, known by its acronym AUSSOM, was launched at the beginning of the year to support a fragile Somali government that has struggled against a jihadist insurgency entrenched in the countryside. AUSSOM is the third iteration of a multinational combat force first deployed in Somalia in 2007. Yet, …

BELEDWEYNE, Somalia — Al-Shabaab militants stormed a hotel in central Somalia’s Beledweyne on Tuesday, killing at least seven people, including local elders and officials, in a deadly siege that underscored the persistent threat of the al-Qaida-linked group. The attack on the Cairo Hotel began early Tuesday with an explosives-laden vehicle detonating …

MOGADISHU — The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has donated assorted life-saving equipment to counter the persistent threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Somalia. The material, which included vehicles, training-of-trainers kits, route search gear, medical hardware, and explosive ordnance disposal equipment, is expected to boost Somalia’s anti-IED efforts, …

MOGADISHU — A senior United Nations official wrapped up a three-day visit to Somalia on Thursday, reaffirming the global body’s commitment to supporting the country’s evolving development, stability, and governance priorities. Abdallah Al Dardari, assistant secretary-general and director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States of the UN Development Program …

MOGADISHU — The Minister of Family and Human Rights Development of the Federal Government of Somalia, Ambassador Khadiija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi, officially opened the first quarterly meeting of the Women’s Issues and Human Rights Consultative Council today. This marks the first such meeting for the council in the year 2025. During …

MOGADISHU — The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) announced that 60 police officers have completed five weeks of intensive training on child protection and welfare in armed conflict. The officers, drawn from the Ghana Formed Police Unit (FPU) and Individual Police Officers (IPOs) from Kenya, Nigeria, …

MOGADISHU — The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Friday that Somalia is hosting 41,765 registered refugees and asylum seekers as of December 2024. The UN refugee agency said in its latest report on displacement that 64 percent of the refugees and asylum seekers are women and children. …

NAIROBI — About 67.4 million people in the Horn of Africa (HoA) are food insecure, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, said in a joint report released Friday. This is a rise from 64.8 million …

HARGEISA — The UK government has initiated intense mediation efforts between the administrations of SSC-Khatumo and Somaliland, who are still in conflict over parts of the Sool and Sanag regions. The UK Ambassador for Somali Affairs, Mike Nithavrianakis, leading this initiative, recently met with the newly appointed peace committee by …

NAIROBI  — Experts met in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Wednesday to promote peace in the Horn of Africa region. The two-day Regional Validation Forum for the Horn of Africa Initiative’s Peace and Social Cohesion White Paper brought together more than 100 delegates, including security officials from Kenya, Djibouti, …