Cairo Hotel Attack
On 11 March 2025, six al-Shabaab militants detonated a suicide car bomb at the Cairo Hotel in central Beledweyne, Hiran, Somalia. The assault began with an explosion, followed by intense gunfire as attackers stormed the hotel and clashed with security forces. More than 21 people were killed, including all attackers and two traditional elders, and dozens were injured. The death toll is expected to rise due to the severity of the incident. The hotel hosted traditional elders and military officers coordinating government reports. Background Al-Shabaab, a Jihadist militant group and ally of al-Qaeda, has waged an insurgency for over a decade and continues to control parts of southern and central Somalia. The Cairo Hotel is a prominent location in the city of Beledweyne that serves as a base for traditional elders and military officers who play a vital role in coordinating government offensives against al-Shabaab militants. South and central Somalia offensives On 20 Februa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Beledweyne
Beledweyne (, ) is a city in central Somalia. Beledweyne District is the capital city of the Hiran region. The city is situated in the Shebelle Valley riverine near the Ethiopian border, 210 miles (345 km) north of Mogadishu. Beledweyne is divided by the Shebelle River into eastern and western sections. History During the Ethiopian invasion that occurred during June 1982, Beledweyne was a primary objective before driving onto the Somali coastline. On 30 June 1982 the first offensive came at the border town of Ferfer a few kilometers away from the city, in an attempt to capture the high ground overlooking a vital roadway connecting north and south Somalia. Despite heavy ground and air attacks, the army garrison stationed in Beledweyne inflicted heavy losses on the invaders and repulsed the Ethiopians. Soon after a stalemate ensued as the conflict became a border war. During the invasion of Somalia in 2006, the Ethiopian Air Force began carrying out airstrikes on I ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was established in London in 1851 by Paul Reuter. The Thomson Corporation of Canada acquired the agency in a 2008 corporate merger, resulting in the formation of the Thomson Reuters Corporation. In December 2024, Reuters was ranked as the 27th most visited news site in the world, with over 105 million monthly readers. History 19th century Paul Julius Reuter worked at a book-publishing firm in Berlin and was involved in distributing radical pamphlets at the beginning of the Revolutions of 1848. These publications brought much attention to Reuter, who in 1850 developed a prototype news service in Aachen using homing pigeons and electric telegraphy from 1851 on, in order to transmit messages between Brussels and Aachen, in what today is Aa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ali Guudlaawe
Ali Abdullahi Hussein (Ali Guudlaawe) (, born 1974) is a Somali politician who has served as the President of Hirshabelle from 12 November 2020. Biography Gudlawe completed his primary and secondary education in Jowhar. Then he received his undergraduate degree from Somali International University. He previously served as the Chief of Finance of the Middle Shabelle Regional Administration, during the Mohamed Dheere Administration from 2001 to 2006. He served as the deputy governor of Middle Shabelle during the Transitional Federal Government from 2007 to 2009. Gudlawe was the governor of Middle Shabelle region in 2014 and 2016 and the interim president of Hirshabelle State in 2017. In October 2016, he was elected Vice President of Hirshabelle State, presided over newly recruited HirShabelle State Police, and protested the enslavement of Somalis in Libya.Doubková, Tereza. "Politicko-geografické důsledky rozpadu státu-případ Somálska." (2018). He became the president ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jowhar
Jowhar (, , Italian: ''Giohar'') is the capital city of Hirshabelle state of Somalia. Jowhar is also the administrative capital of Middle Shabelle region of Somalia. Along with Baidoa, it used to form the joint administrative capital of the Transitional Federal Government, which it captured from the Islamic Courts Union. The city lies 90 km (50 mi) along a major road north of the national capital of Mogadishu. Etymology Jowhar, (also ''Jawharad'' or ''Johoorad'') is the word for a precious stone in Somali, and the city may have been named after the lush lands it's situated on, near the Shabelle river. Originally from Persian, this word is also used in Arabic and other languages to describe gemstones and other jewels. History During the Middle Ages, Jowhar and much of the surrounding area in southern Somalia was governed by the Ajuran Empire.Lee V. Cassanelli, ''The Shaping of Somali Society: Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900'', (Uni ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lower Shabelle
Lower Shabelle (, , , ) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southern Somalia. Geography Lower Shabelle is bordered by the regions of Banaadir, Middle Shabelle (Shabeellaha Dhexe), Hiran, Bay, Middle Jubba (Jubbada Dhexe) and by the Somali Sea. It is named after the Shebelle River, which passes through it. Until 1984, when the regions were reassigned, it was part of the larger Benadir region and its capital was Mogadishu. Merca is now the Lower Shabelle capital. Districts Lower Shabelle Region is divided into nineteen districts: * Merca Minicipality (Capital City) * Afgooye District * Barawa District * Kurtunwarrey District * Jilib Merca District * Danaane District * Gondershe District * Ceeljaalle District * Lambar 50 District * Qoryooley District * Sablaale District * Wanlaweyn District * Awdheegle District * Mubaarak District * Bariire District * Jannaale District * Shalambood District * Buul Golweyn District * Buulo marer District Major citie ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Middle Shabelle
Middle Shabelle (, , ) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southern Somalia. It is bordered by Hiran to the north, Galgaduud to the east, the Indian Ocean to the south and the region of Lower Shabelle and the capital Mogadishu to the west. The Shabelle River also passes through this region. The region of Middle Shabelle formed the Hirshabelle State by 2016, which considers itself an autonomous state within the larger Federal Republic of Somalia, as defined by the Provisional Constitution of the Federal Republic of Somalia. RADIO ASAL Radio Asal is private Radio located jowhar city capital of Hir-Shabelle State in Somalia. Radio Asal is a local Radio 88.6 MHz jowhar-somali. Overview As part of the former Benadir region, Middle Shabelle's capital was Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mogadishu
Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has an estimated urban population of 2,610,483. Mogadishu is located in the coastal Banaadir region on the Indian Ocean, which, unlike other Somali regions, is considered a municipality rather than a (federal state). Mogadishu has a long history, which ranges from the ancient history, ancient period up until the present, serving as the capital of the Sultanate of Mogadishu in the 9th-13th century, which for many centuries controlled the Indian Ocean gold trade and eventually came under the Ajuran Sultanate in the 13th century which was an important player in the medieval Silk Road maritime trade. Mogadishu enjoyed the height of its prosperity during the 14th and 15th centuries and was during the early modern period considered the wealthiest ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The bloc was launched on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa. The intention of the AU was to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments; the OAU was disbanded on 9 July 2002. The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states. The AU's secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa. The largest city in the AU is Lagos, Nigeria while the list of urban areas in Africa by population, largest urban agglomeration is Cairo, Egypt. The African Union has more than 1.3 billion people and an area of around and includes world landmarks such as the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Federal Government Of Somalia
The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS; , DFS; ) is the internationally recognised government of Somalia, and the longest running attempt to create a central government in Somalia since the collapse of the Somali Democratic Republic in 1991. It replaced the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia on 20 August 2012 with the adoption of the Constitution of Somalia. It officially comprises the executive branch of government, with the parliament serving as the legislative branch. It is headed by the President of Somalia, to whom the Council of Ministers reports through the Prime Minister. After the collapse of the Somali Democratic Republic in 1991, there were no relations between the government of Somalia and the Somaliland government, which declared itself an independent country. Background In 1991, the collapse of the Somali Democratic Republic amid the outbreak of the Somali Civil War left the country without a central government. Over the following decade, numerous ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hirshabelle
Hirshabelle, officially Hirshabelle State of Somalia ( Somali: ''Dowlad Goboleedka Hirshabelle ee Soomaaliya''), is a Federal Member State in south-central Somalia. It is bordered by Galmudug state of Somalia to the north, South West State of Somalia and Banadir region to the south, Ethiopia to the west and the Indian Ocean to the east. Jowhar is the capital state. Hirshabelle consists of the Hiran and Middle Shabelle regions of Somalia. The name of the state originates from combining their names. Hirshabelle proclaimed itself the autonomous Federal Member State of the Federal Republic of Somalia as stipulated in the provisional Constitution of Somalia. Background The creation of the Hirshabelle State has long been controversial, as both regions, Hiran and Middle Shabelle, have expressed a desire to create their own separate regional states. In October 2016, local presidential elections were held, which were won by Ali Abdullahi Osoble. On 11 March 2017, the Hi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ma'awisley
Ma'awisley () are a collection of clan-based militias based in central Somalia, primarily active in the states of Hirshabelle and Galmudug. Formed as a grassroots response to the militant group al-Shabaab, they have emerged as a critical, albeit controversial, force in Somalia’s counter-insurgency efforts. Their role has expanded significantly since 2022, with the Somali government increasingly relying on them to reclaim territories under al-Shabaab control. Overview Named after sarongs (ma'awis) that the militia fighters wear, the Ma'awisley (lit. "The Wearers of Ma'awis") originated as loosely organized community defense groups in rural central Somalia, spontaneously mobilizing organically to resist al-Shabaab’s excessive demands for taxation and recruits. The Ma'awisley are primarily made up of farmers and herders, with most of them having no prior formal military training, and number about 8,000-10,000 fighters. Their efforts gained structure through government support, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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African Union Transition Mission In Somalia
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is a former African Union transition and drawdown mission from peacekeeping operations in Somalia. Formerly the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), which began in 2007 and operated until 2022, the goal of ATMIS was to fully transition security operations to the Somali National Armed Forces. The operation consisted of troops from the East African nations of Ethiopia, Kenya, Burundi, Djibouti, and Uganda. ATMIS transitioned into the AU Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) at the start of 2025. Financial constraints and rising tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia during late 2024 have complicated the transition. Overview The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia was formed on 1 April 2022, following the end of the AMISOM mandate on 31 March. The mission is focused on both military and institutional autonomy of the Somali government as the African Union pulls out. The mission's mandate is se ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |