Category: Somalia
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Quick Reflections on DRC/Liberia Election to the UN Security Council
If there were an administration in the U.S. next year that valued the UN – and multilateralism more broadly – the election of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Liberia to the UN Security Council would be a strategic windfall. Why? Because all three African non-permanent members of the Security Council next year (DRC, Read.
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Meeting the Demand for African-led, Internationally Supported Peace Interventions
The Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings has continued its tradition of asking its experts and colleagues to identify what they consider to be the key issues for Africa in the coming year in “Foresight Africa: Top Priorities for the Continent in 2014.” The format of the report is as follows (and includes a contribution from yours truly): Pushing the Employment Read.
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In near term, containment may be the name of the game in Mali
If you’re following the news on Mali, you’ve no doubt seen the most recent developments in the political crisis in Bamako in which the military junta “encouraged” or “facilitated” the resignation of PM Cheikh Modibo Diarra on Tuesday. (For thorough roundup of analyses and reactions to this incident, I would refer you here). Two months ago, Read.
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Playing chicken with the UN, Uganda threatens to withdraw from peacekeeping operations
You could argue that the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, seeks to replace Muammar Qadhafi as the alpha male of Africa and Meles Zenawi as the pan-African mediator. But those aspirations may have to be put on hold. In the UN Group of Experts (UN GoE) report that was leaked last month, Uganda and Rwanda Read.
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Piracy trends off the coasts of Somalia and Nigeria
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) released its Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships Report for the Period 1 January – 30 September 2012. I often find these reports helpful in tracking trends with regard piracy and armed robbery at sea, but it is important to read the reports with two things in mind. First, unlike Read.
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With Al-Shabaab on the Run, Kenya Moves on Kismaayo
(Originally published on RUSI.org on September 5, 2012) In October 2011, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) invaded southern Somalia with the stated purpose of dismantling Al-Shabaab and seizing the port city of Kismaayo, from which the Islamist militant organisation earns the majority of its revenues. After an initially swift invasion, Kenyan forces languished in southern Read.
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Guest post: Meles’ Death and the Implications for Somalia
Meles Zenawi, the repressive but visionary prime minister of Ethiopia, died on Tuesday after months of speculation on his health. His death has created a power vacuum in the Horn of Africa and will undoubtedly have numerous implications for the region. This development prompts several questions with which international observers will now grapple; yet the Read.
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East Africa’s Oil/Gas Rush Highlights Kenya-Somalia Maritime Border Dispute
If you’ve been following energy news in Africa, you are probably aware that East Africa is experiencing a bit of an oil and gas rush. In addition to the discoveries of oil deposits in Puntland and in the Lake Turkana region of Kenya, there have also been discoveries of about 100 trillion cubic feet (tcf) Read.
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My ‘Kenya’s invasion of Somalia’ paper and additional insights on Somalia (made by smarter people)
Earlier this month, my analysis of Kenya’s invasion of Somalia was published in Vol 3., No. 3 of PRISM Journal, which is put out by National Defense University. The abstract is as follows: For the past two decades, Kenya has pursued a multilateral and primarily diplomatic approach to Somalia’s instability. However, in October 2011, Kenya Read.
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The KDF (finally) takes Afmadow and Kenya to (officially) join AMISOM
More than seven months into its invasion of southern Somalia, Kenya has seized the city of Afmadow. The fall of Afmadow marks the second major blow for al-Shabaab this week, having lost the Afgoye corridor located west of Mogadishu to troops from the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). Having controlled much of south-central Somalia Read.
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Implications of EU NAVFOR Strikes on Somali Pirate Bases
From outset of the international community’s efforts to counter piracy off the coast of Somalia, a wide range of options have been under consideration. In an article written in 2009, I identified eight possible counterpiracy options, which are as follows: Accepting piracy as a cost of doing business Tracing and targeting pirate finances Increasing the Read.
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From Diplomacy to Invasion: Will Kenya be the Next Country That Fails to Stabilize Somalia?
(Originally published in the Journal of International Peace Operations, Volume 7, Number 5 – March-April 2012) SINCE the fall of the Siad Barre regime in 1991, Kenya has opted to pursue a multilateral and primarily diplomatic approach to addressing the many problems in Somalia. Yet by the fall of 2011, the persistent instability emanating from Somalia Read.
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From Sea to Shore: Somali Piracy Requires a Solution on Land
(Originally published in the Journal of International Peace Operations, Volume 5, Number4, January – February 2010) SINCE the spike in piracy off the coast of Somalia in 2008, the United States and other international stakeholders have achieved moderate success employing a range of counter-piracy methods at sea. A series of U.N. Security Council resolutions passed in 2008 Read.
Lesley Anne Warner, PhD: Insight | Strategy | Impact 
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