Friday June 21, 2024 {HMC}— Two Somali federal government MPs were briefly detained while visiting Nairobi, Kenya, they told the BBC Somali Service.

Ahmed Abdi Kooshin, who is also the Secretary of the Defense Committee, and Hassan Abdinoor said undercover officers detained them, accusing them of working against the Somali federal government.

“We were at a hotel in the Kilimani area of Nairobi and decided to move to another nearby hotel. A car followed us and then cut us off. Five men were in the car; one left, and three approached us, one wearing a mask. They started questioning us about our activities,” Kooshin said.

“The car had five men; one got out and left, one stayed inside wearing a mask, and three approached us, asking questions, including about our identification,” he added.

The MPs showed their Somali parliamentary ID cards, but the men demanded the passports they used to enter Kenya. The suspected officers refused to show their IDs.

The lawmakers were informed they would be taken to the nearest military base. Another Somali Federal MP, Ali Mahdi Qalato, who was with them, was released as the captors did not recognize him as an MP. “They let him go because they didn’t know he was a member of parliament,” Kooshin said.

Abdinoor added, “I don’t believe they released Qalato because they didn’t recognize him. The car was full, and it seemed like they had information about us.”

The MPs were detained for about an hour and extensively questioned. They emphasized that they had no formal government meetings or organized plans in Nairobi aside from casual gatherings at restaurants or for tea.

The MPs expressed their disappointment that the Somali parliamentary leadership had not yet commented on the incident. They have informed the Somali embassy in Nairobi and plan to contact Somali security agencies.

The issue of abductions is not new. This latest incident adds to growing concerns over security for ethnic Somalis in Kenya. In recent years, there have been several high-profile kidnappings and murders targeting the Somali community in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya. In June 2021, Hamza Mohamed, a Somali businessman, was kidnapped and later found murdered in Nairobi, raising alarm among the Kenyan-Somali community. The month prior, Somali-American engineer Bashir Mohamed’s body was found after he had been missing for several days.

In September 2021, the family of a missing Kenyan scholar, Abdisamad Sheikh Hassan, claimed that the Somali Prime Minister ordered his kidnap. Hassan was eventually released after ten days of captivity.

More recently, Adan Osman, a Nairobi businessman and Madrassa teacher, was kidnapped in November 2023. His abduction was captured on CCTV cameras.

Similarly, there have been multiple reports of targeted kidnappings in the Eastleigh area, a neighbourhood known for its large Somali population.

The recurring theme of these incidents is the targeting of Somali individuals, often with political or criminal motivations. Reports suggest that these kidnappings are sometimes orchestrated by criminal gangs or politically motivated actors seeking to intimidate or eliminate their opponents.

Somali MPs in Kenya have frequently voiced concerns about the rising cases of kidnappings and have demanded thorough investigations. They argue that the security situation is deteriorating and that more needs to be done to protect Somali nationals in the country. In June 2021, Somali MPs held a press conference in Nairobi, decrying the rising cases of kidnappings and urging Kenyan authorities to address the security lapses.

Friday June 21, 2024 {HMC} – The African Union was studying a request from Somalia Thursday to slow down the withdrawal of its forces deployed in the country against Islamist militants, officials from the body said.

Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group, has been waging a deadly insurgency against the fragile central government in Somalia for more than 17 years.

UN resolutions called for forces in the African Union peacekeeping mission, known as ATMIS, to be reduced to zero by December 31 through several withdrawal phases, handing over security to the Somali army and police.

The third and penultimate phase was to see the departure of 4,000 soldiers by the end of June.

However, an AU official who requested anonymity told AFP that in May, the Somali government asked the organisation’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) to extend the presence of half of the troops by three months.

The government wants only 2,000 men to leave in June and the other 2,000 in September, the official said, adding that Mogadishu had put forward the need to carry out an “offensive operation”.

At present, 13,500 ATMIS soldiers are deployed in Somalia.

Meeting on Thursday in Addis Ababa, the PSC was expected to give a favourable response, said the source.

“The PSC will discuss on Thursday the (Somali) request to slow down the reduction in the number of ATMIS troops by a few months,” an AU diplomat, who also requested anonymity, told AFP.

But any extension would lead to budgetary problems, he said, and a change would not be “just a decision by the PSC”.

ATMIS derives its mandate from the AU but must also be authorised by the UN Security Council.

In addition, ATMIS’ main direct financial contributor is the European Union, which has released 70 million euros ($75 million) for 2024.

Comprising troops from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda, ATMIS supports the Somali army, which has been fighting Al-Shabaab for over 17 years.

Although driven out of the capital by AU forces in 2011, Al-Shabaab still has a strong presence in rural Somalia.

It has carried out repeated attacks against political, security and civilian targets, mostly in Somalia but also in neighbouring countries including Kenya.

Last week in southern Somalia, Al-Shabaab planted a roadside bomb that killed six soldiers including a senior military commander.

Friday June 21, 2024 {HMC} – Somalia’s candidate for African Union (AU) Chairperson, Fawzia Yusuf Adam, announced that the Somali government and leaders of four federal member states are pressuring her to withdraw her candidacy at the request of Djibouti’s President, Ismail Omar Guelleh.

Speaking at a press conference in Mogadishu on Thursday, Adam emphasized that she will not give up her candidacy for the Chairperson of the African Union, whose election will be held in 2025. “The government and four federal member state leaders have told me to give up my candidacy. I tried to convince them of the importance of the seat, but it was impossible. They agreed that I should give up the seat to Djibouti, who is also a candidate. I cannot put that responsibility behind me and give up because that compromise has a dark history,” said Adam.
She added that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud excluded her bid for the AU seat in 2026 during his term because Kenya was also contesting for that position. “I have been denied the AU chairmanship twice. I do not know if it is because I am a woman or for other hidden reasons,” she remarked.

Adam’s candidacy was formally announced in February 2024, challenging Kenya’s Raila Odinga. Her bid was supported by Somali national leaders aiming to bolster Somalia’s influence within the AU. In March, the Somali government began lobbying efforts and formed a special committee to support her campaign, underscoring the importance of securing this influential position.

The juxtaposition of Somalia’s leaders privately lobbying Adam to withdraw while publicly supporting her candidacy reveals the power dynamics at play. Despite public displays of support, she claims that Somali leaders have been under pressure from external forces, particularly Djibouti and Kenya, to reconsider her candidacy.

In May, members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed their support for Adam, boosting her campaign against Raila Odinga. The OIC’s endorsement was significant, signalling broader support from Islamic nations that could sway votes in her favour.

Last year, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud faced heavy criticism for refusing to support Somali lawmaker Marwa Abdi Bashir’s candidacy for the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) presidency. Instead, he backed Tanzania, which eventually won, in exchange for Tanzania’s support in helping Somalia join the East African Community and securing another United Nations seat.

The race for the AU Chairperson seat became more competitive with the entry of Djibouti’s Mahmoud Ali Youssouf in April 2024. Youssouf’s candidacy introduced new complexities to the regional dynamics, altering the balance of power and strategic alliances within the Horn of Africa. Djibouti, with its significant geopolitical influence due to its strategic location and international military bases, challenges both Somalia and Kenya for the AU’s top post. Djibouti’s entry intensified lobbying efforts among neighbouring countries and exposed underlying tensions and alliances.

Kenya’s President William Ruto, who seeks to solidify Kenya’s leadership role in regional politics and international relations, also played a pivotal role in the race. According to Kenyan media outlets, Ruto actively lobbied Somalia to withdraw her candidacy in favour of Kenya’s candidate, Raila Odinga.

The competition further intensified with Seychelles entering the race, making it a four-way contest.