عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Somalia Rejects Mediation Efforts with Ethiopia Over Port Deal 

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attends the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) 42nd Extraordinary Session, at the State House in Entebbe, Uganda January 18, 2024. (Reuters)
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attends the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) 42nd Extraordinary Session, at the State House in Entebbe, Uganda January 18, 2024. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Somalia Rejects Mediation Efforts with Ethiopia Over Port Deal 

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attends the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) 42nd Extraordinary Session, at the State House in Entebbe, Uganda January 18, 2024. (Reuters)
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud attends the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) 42nd Extraordinary Session, at the State House in Entebbe, Uganda January 18, 2024. (Reuters)

Somalia rejected any discussions with Ethiopia about Addis Ababa's agreement to lease a port in the breakaway region of Somaliland, as regional heads of state gathered on Thursday to try to defuse a growing diplomatic crisis.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed on Jan. 1, Ethiopia would consider recognizing Somaliland's independence in return for gaining access to the Red Sea, partly through the port lease.

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not won recognition from any country and the port lease deal, which would be a boon to landlocked Ethiopia, has enraged Somalia.

An escalating war of words, including threats by Somalia to go to war to prevent the deal from going through, led the African Union to call on Wednesday for restraint and "meaningful dialogue".

"There is no space for mediation unless Ethiopia retracts its illegal MOU and reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia," Somalia's ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement on Thursday.

Under the deal, which still has to be finalized, Ethiopia would lease 20 km (12 miles) of coastland around the port of Berbera, on the Gulf of Aden, for 50 years for military and commercial purposes.

Ethiopia's current main port for maritime exports is in the neighboring country of Djibouti.

Heads of state from a regional group, the eight-member Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), met in Entebbe, Uganda, on Thursday to seek a peaceful solution.

Those in attendance included the presidents of Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan as well as the leader of the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The US special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, who attended as an observer along with the European Union, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye, said the MOU threatened to further undermine regional security and had been weaponized by Al Shabaab militants.

"We have already seen troubling indications that al-Shabaab is using the MOU to generate new recruits," he told delegates in Uganda, according to a copy of the remarks seen by Reuters.

Ethiopia did not send a delegation, saying it was informed too late about the summit.

At a news conference on Thursday, Ambassador Meles Alem, Ethiopia's foreign affairs spokesperson, rejected a statement by the Arab League on Wednesday that called the MOU "a clear violation of international law".

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Yemeni Army Thwarts Houthi Attempts to Consolidate Gains in West

Yemeni army forces battle the Houthis in a war of attrition on the Taiz fronts (Military Media) 
Yemeni army forces battle the Houthis in a war of attrition on the Taiz fronts (Military Media) 
TT
TT

Yemeni Army Thwarts Houthi Attempts to Consolidate Gains in West

Yemeni army forces battle the Houthis in a war of attrition on the Taiz fronts (Military Media) 
Yemeni army forces battle the Houthis in a war of attrition on the Taiz fronts (Military Media) 

Yemeni government forces have repelled Houthi attempts to seize strategic high ground east of Bab al-Mandab and west of Taiz, as the group seeks to consolidate its control of the strait, Mayyun Island and the western coast by securing key mountain positions and supply routes.

The Kahboub and Al-Wazi’iyah fronts saw heavy fighting over the past 24 hours, accompanied by airstrikes targeting Houthi gatherings and vehicles. Government military sources said the forces had thwarted attacks and attempted advances, inflicting casualties and equipment losses.

At Kahboub, in the highlands separating Lahj and Taiz and overlooking Bab al-Mandab, the Yemeni army announced it had repelled a Houthi attack lasting more than three hours, breaking the assault three times and forcing the attackers to retreat.

Government forces are also seeking to secure positions in the Kahboub mountain range, including Jabal San Sanfa, and open the Al-Nabiyah route linking coastal areas around Ras al-Ara with the highlands. The positions are particularly important because they overlook roads leading to the coast and areas surrounding the strait.

In Al-Wazi’iyah, west of Taiz, the Houthis sent reinforcements and attempted to advance toward new high ground, while government forces responded with ground attacks and airstrikes.

A military source in the Taiz command said the clashes killed 30 Houthis and wounded more than 60 others, while six combat vehicles and two tanks were destroyed.

Local sources reported that warplanes struck Houthi vehicles and gatherings in the Al-Dharifah area, while armed forces spokesman Col. Majed al-Nazili said government forces targeted Houthi supplies and positions in Mokha and on several Taiz fronts.

Preventing Consolidation

The operations are part of government forces’ efforts to prevent the Houthis from turning their control of Bab al-Mandab, Mayyun Island and the western coast into an entrenched military reality. After seizing those coastal positions, the group needs to secure the surrounding territory, particularly high ground controlling routes between the coast and the interior.

The Kahboub and Al-Wazi’iyah mountains form part of the highland belt separating the coast from inland areas, making control of them important to protecting or threatening coastal positions. The Houthis are therefore seeking to capture additional peaks and elevated positions, while government forces are working to keep the area contested, preventing the group from consolidating its defenses and expanding its control.

Clashes have also intermittently spread to the southern and western outskirts of Taiz, particularly around Jabal Jardad toward Al-Shamayatayn district via the Rasn axis, as well as Al-Rahidah, Al-Dimnah and Mafraq Al-Dhikrah, accompanied by airstrikes on Houthi positions.

Civilian Toll

In Al-Wazi’iyah, Houthi shelling of Al-Turairah village in the Al-Dharifah subdistrict killed three children Friday, according to official sources. They were Nour al-Din Yaqoub Abdo al-Dharafi, 4; Asawer Fahd Mohammed Ghanem al-Dharafi, 14; and Tala Mohammed Ahmed al-Dharafi, 2.

In Marib, cautious fighting continued on the western and southern fronts, with government forces using artillery, snipers, drones and warplanes to target Houthi positions and movements.

Brig. Gen. Akram al-Adimi, commander of the 13th Infantry Brigade, said his forces had neutralized dozens of Houthi fighters and seized weapons and equipment.

On the political front, Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi, during a meeting with French Ambassador to Yemen Catherine Corm-Kammoun, affirmed that government forces were capable of regaining the initiative on the western coast, pointing to continuing operations in Taiz, Marib, Lahj, Al-Jawf, Hajjah, Al-Bayda and Al-Dhalea.

Al-Alimi said the repositioning of forces and strengthening of their capabilities were aimed at preventing any temporary battlefield gain from becoming a fait accompli or a platform for threatening waterways, stressing that the state was working to secure its territory, coastline and territorial waters.

 

 

Arab World

Sudanese Army Repels Blue Nile Attack, Advances in Kordofan

Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 
Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 
TT
TT

Sudanese Army Repels Blue Nile Attack, Advances in Kordofan

Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 
Sudanese army troops take part in a military parade in Gedaref (AFP) 

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has spread from the Kordofan fronts to the Blue Nile region, where local authorities reported repelling an attack on Al-Kaili in Kurmuk locality, while the army announced it had retaken 11 areas in North Kordofan after battles with the RSF.

Authorities in Kurmuk reported that army forces prevented the RSF from entering Al-Kaili, adding that the attacking force had crossed from Ethiopian territory.

The army, for its part, said a preemptive attack south of the area killed a number of RSF fighters and destroyed nine combat vehicles.

The route taken by the attacking force and the casualties reported by the army could not be independently verified.

In North Kordofan, the army announced Thursday that it had retaken 11 areas west of El Obeid, including Kajmar, Sharshar, Al-Qulay’at and Awlad Hazmah, as well as the area surrounding Al-Mazrub.

Sudan’s official news agency SUNA reported the army’s announcement that it had “liberated several areas” in the state.

According to the military, its forces fought battles with the RSF and carried out sweeping operations in areas into which they had advanced. There was no independent confirmation, however, that the army controlled all the locations it listed.

The developments come amid escalating fighting on several fronts across Kordofan.

According to military sources, army forces and their allies had advanced around the city of Bara and moved toward Sodari in the northwestern part of North Kordofan, while other sources reported the recapture of Al-Farshaya in South Kordofan and Al-Mamsouka in West Kordofan.

Pro-army platforms reported fighting west of Bara and indicated that army forces had entered villages where RSF fighters had been stationed.

At the same time, reports emerged that eight people had been killed and others wounded in an attack in North Kordofan attributed to the RSF, although sufficient independent details about the circumstances were not available.

Sodari is militarily significant because of its location along routes linking North Kordofan with Darfur, making control of surrounding roads important for the movement of troops and supplies westward.

Fighting in recent months has altered the map of territorial control around Bara and along the Export Road linking Khartoum and El Obeid.

In South Kordofan, military operations have focused on routes linking Kadugli, Dilling and El Obeid.

Field sources indicated that the recapture of Al-Farshaya, if confirmed, could improve army movements along the Dilling axis. They also reported movements toward Al-Dibaybat, along roads leading to West Kordofan.

The army has expanded its area of control in North Kordofan in recent months following heavy fighting in which it regained control of Bara, Umm Sayala, Jabra al-Sheikh, Jireikh, Umm Qirfa and other areas, allowing it to reopen the Export Road linking Khartoum and El Obeid.

Arab World

Syria Arrests Five Former Officers over Assad-era Airstrikes

A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
TT
TT

Syria Arrests Five Former Officers over Assad-era Airstrikes

A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
A man holds Syrian opposition flags as he celebrates after Syria's army command notified officers that President Bashar al-Assad's 24-year authoritarian rule has ended, in Aleppo, Syria December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Syrian security forces said on Friday they had arrested five former air force officers accused of involvement in airstrikes on civilians during the rule of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Over more than 13 years of a civil war that claimed more than half a million lives, Syrian forces relentlessly shelled areas held by the opposition forces before Assad was toppled in December 2024 and the current government came to power.

The Internal Security Forces said in a statement that they carried out a series of operations that led to "the arrest of five senior Air Force officers and commanders from the former regime".

The force said investigations were ongoing ahead of the suspects' referral to the judiciary.

The detainees were involved "in planning, managing and carrying out aerial bombardment operations, and in using the air force, air bases and field command centers to conduct intensive combat airstrikes targeting populated areas", the statement said.

Since Assad was overthrown in December 2024, Syria's new authorities have arrested dozens of former security officials, while trials began in April.

Earlier this month Syrian authorities said they had arrested nine former pilots including three generals accused of taking part in lethal bombings of towns and villages under Assad's rule.

Syria sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and five other security officials to death in absentia in August for atrocities committed during the civil war.

The former president fled Syria as his government fell and is believed to be living in Russia.