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SOMALIA

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's return marks key win for MbZ over Doha

The new Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud and his Emirati counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. © Feisal Omar/Reuters/Balkis Press/Abaca via Reuters Connect

The day after his inauguration as president of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan landed himself a new ally in the Horn of Africa, where his influence has been growing to the detriment of Qatar. [...] (784 words)

Issue dated 19/05/2022 Reading time 4 minutes

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Diplomacy

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SOMALIA
Abiy Ahmed Ali
Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud
Al-Jazeera
DP World
Dubai Ports World
Fahad Yasin Haji Dahir
Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir Mohamed
Farmajo
Hassan Ali Khaire
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Isaias Afwerki
Ismaïl Omar Guelleh
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
Mohamed Hussein Roble
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Muse Bihi Abdi
Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke
Said Abdullahi Deni
Silanyo
Tigray Defense Forces
Tigray People's Liberation Front

Somaliland's SSC region enlists US lobbyists to appeal to Washington

Fighting has gripped the east of breakaway province Somaliland since late December. The conflict has regional repercussions and has been the subject of lobbying in Washington. [...]

SOMALIA Diplomacy 16/01/2023

Ambassadors close to Farmajo's master spy to be shown the door

The new president of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, will soon name new ambassadors in the Gulf States in order to balance out his political influence in the region. [...]

SOMALIA Defence Diplomacy 01/12/2022

Ex-PM Roble plays go-between for HSM and Emirates Free

Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud is reliant on the contacts of former prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble to attract funds and various other types of aid from Abu Dhabi. [...]

Former Somalia's Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, in London, on 29 July 2021.

DJIBOUTI Defence Politics Diplomacy 12/10/2022

Afar sultan coronation puts Ismail Omar Guelleh in a pickle

In Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti, the Afar are a minority which their respective governments have to pander to. In Djibouti, a dispute over the coronation of the new Afar sultan, scheduled for the end of October, has added fuel to an already burning issue. [...]

SOMALIA Politics 28/07/2022

President Hassan Sheikh bets the house on containing Al-Shabaab

As well as carrying out a rare attack on Ethiopian territory, the Al-Shabaab terrorist group is taking advantage of the disarray among the security forces to take up position around the Somali capital. Somalia's recently elected president is looking to secure the resources he needs to wage the open war he has declared against it. [...]

SOMALIA Business 04/07/2022

Mogadishu wants to join US-Africa trade treaty

The new president of Somalia has his sights set on the African Growth and Opportunity Act and has hired Karl-Marx Okeke-Von Batten to lobby his cause in Washington. The contract may soon be renewed, as it only lasted one week. [...]

SOMALIA Diplomacy 01/07/2022

Hassan Sheikh and MbZ lay ground for future cooperation

Last week, the Somali and Emirati presidents agreed on a number of issues that had been left unresolved since the 2018 falling out between the two countries. [...]

Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud met with UAE president Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on 22 June 2022.

ETHIOPIA Politics 29/06/2022

Abiy cornered due to inter-ethnic violence in the West

The alliance between the head of government and the Amhara political elite is hanging by a thread. The massacre in Tole and the explosion of ethnic violence between the Amhara and Oromo in the west of the country have made life difficult for Abiy Ahmed Ali in Addis Ababa. [...]

ETHIOPIA SOMALIA Politics 27/06/2022

Abiy irked by choice of Somalia's new PM

Appointed on 15 June by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre is a new thorn in the side of his Ethiopian counterpart. [...]

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud (right) appointed Hamza Abdi Barre as Prime Minister on 15 June.

EGYPT SOMALIA Diplomacy 07/06/2022

Farmajo-foe Egypt sees hope in Hassan Sheikh's election

After years of choppy relations with former Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as "Farmajo", Cairo is counting on the accession of newly elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud to bring about plainer sailing. [...]

The new Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud.

SOMALIA Business 02/06/2022

Jubba Airways under threat of liquidation

The fate of the Somali airline Jubba Airways, which operates in several countries in the Horn, will be decided this month by the Kenyan courts. [...]

SOMALIA Politics 18/05/2022

Abiy alliance takes a hit after Farmajo defeat in Somalia

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has regained possession of the Villa Somalia presidential palace, five years after the end of his first term in office. His election is likely to upset the balance of regional alliances. [...]

Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud's ties to the Tigrayan TPLF could usher in a new era of Somalia-Ethiopia relations.

SOMALIA Politics 13/05/2022

How Puntland president Said Deni plans to take down Farmajo

With the support of Jubaland governor Ahmed Madobe, a strong financial and political base, and an electoral system in his favour, the Puntland leader has put himself in a good position to challenge the incumbent for the Somali presidency. [...]

Puntland president Said Abdoullahi Deni.

SOMALIA UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Diplomacy 24/01/2022

MBZ unsure of which of three presidential candidates to back

Shut out of Somali politics by Qatar since 2017, the United Arab Emirates is undecided on what strategy to adopt to regain its foothold in Villa Somalia. [...]

UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (MBZ).

Inner circles

SOMALIA Politics 21/01/2022

How Fahad Yasin patiently forged his reputation as Farmajo's all-powerful spymaster

President Farmajo's National Security Adviser has made a mark on both his country and the Somali region of Ethiopia and has been able to deflect attacks from the president's enemies as well as certain Gulf states thanks to his robust network of influence. [...]

Spotlight

ERITREA UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Defence Politics 11/02/2021

Emirates quits its Assab military base

The Emirati armed forces stationed at the Assab base in Eritrea since 2015 have discreetly been packing their bags in recent days. Their departure, which is connected Abu Dhabi's decision to withdraw from the conflict in Yemen, could have repercussions as far afield as Tigray. [...]

Set up email notifications for these topics

SOMALIA
Abiy Ahmed Ali
Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud
Al-Jazeera
DP World
Dubai Ports World
Fahad Yasin Haji Dahir
Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir Mohamed
Farmajo
Hassan Ali Khaire
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
Isaias Afwerki
Ismaïl Omar Guelleh
Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed
Mohamed Hussein Roble
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Muse Bihi Abdi
Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke
Said Abdullahi Deni
Silanyo
Tigray Defense Forces
Tigray People's Liberation Front

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