Protection Cluster

MOGADISHU — The death toll in Wednesday’s twin suicide attacks in central Somalia has climbed to 35, including both civilians and soldiers, with another 72 people wounded. Two suicide bombers of the al-Shabaab terrorist group targeted two residential buildings in Mahas, a town in Somalia’s Hiran region, early on Wednesday. The …

BOSASO — At least 20 people have been killed in Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland in clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces over several days, according to a doctor at a public hospital. For more than a week police and the military have been battling the protesters in Laascaanood, a …

JOHANNESBURG —  Conflicts and military coups continued to haunt the African continent in 2022. But there were some accomplishments by several countries aimed at strengthening democracy on the continent. On Jan 24, military leaders in Burkina Faso ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and replaced him with Lieut. Col. Paul-Henri …

MOGADISHU — Severe drought and conflict have caused more than 2.4 million displacements in Somalia since the start of 2021, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Friday. The UN refugee agency said the ravaging drought is attributed to 1.3 million displaced people in search of food, …

For most of 17-year-old Katra’s* life, school has been a distant dream. Born with a physical disability that impacted her legs, Katra wasn’t allowed to leave her family home in Burao, Somaliland because of the stigma around disability in her community. That meant no trips to the market, no visits …

MOGADISHU — The first deputy speaker of the Lower House of the Somali parliament, MP Sadia Yasin Samatar, has distanced herself from pushing the controversial Sexual Intercourse Bill, also known as the Penetration Bill. The bill sparked outrage among Somalis and was seen as incompatible with Islam and Somali culture; …

GENEVA — In 2022, more than 100 million people were forced to flee their homes because of conflict, violence or disasters but they are rarely in the headlines, said the UN on Tuesday. By 2050, climate change could force more than an estimated 216 million people to evacuate their homes, leave …

MOGADISHU — The mass casualty incidents related to the armed conflict in Somalia have increased by 30%, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday. Fifty-seven conflict-related mass casualty incidents were registered between January and October compared to 43 during the same period in 2021, according to the …

MOGADISHU — At least 10 people were killed when armed attackers stormed a hotel near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu, according to the police. Among the victims are two individuals with dual Somali-British citizenship, Mohamed Dahir of the Somali police told dpa. The hotel, which is popular among …

CAPE TOWN —  A 17-year-old Somali girl was kidnapped from her father’s tuck shop in Western Cape this week, the latest in a string of kidnappings targeting business people and foreign nationals. According to local police and witnesses, the teenage girl was grabbed by gunmen while her father was offloading …