Somalia – 13 May 2016

US Air Strike kills 5 Al Shabaab fighters in Somalia

A US forces in Somalia called in an air strike on Thursday that killed five fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabaab, the latest in a series of US military operations targeting the organisation, the Pentagon said.

The US forces had been advising Ugandan soldiers with the African Union mission (AMISOM) during an operation against an illegal taxation checkpoint when the Ugandans got into a firefight with 15-20 al-Shabaab fighters.

Eyewitness

Somalia and Somaliland restart dialogue

Somalia has made a $1 million donation to the drought-hit breakaway northwestern region of Somaliland, ahead of controversial talks between the two sides later this month to clarify their future relations. Mogadishu, far from one of the world’s flushest governments, has been quick to point out the donation was not designed to influence the talks in Turkey due on 31 May.

It is “not meant to gain any political sympathies, but it is brotherly responsibility to help each other in these difficult times,” said Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Mohamed Omar Arteh.

IRIN News