Al Shabab Strike A Passenger Bus in Kenya

Somaliland: A Would-be Nation State Soon

almisweekly.com on Vimeo.

Pirates, cyber crime and case studies

The film Captain Phillips, inspired by the true story of the hijacking of a container ship and the kidnapping of its captain by Somali pirates, may seem the ideal viewing choice for a long plane journey. But for Bertrand Monnet, professor of criminal risk management, it was too close to reality for comfort.
“I watched it then thought maybe that wasn’t such a good idea,” he says. The professor of criminal risk management was on his way to the port city of Hobyo, Somalia – a hotspot of piracy, where he would have 38 bodyguards. Three weeks earlier, two UN representatives had taken the same journey and been killed on arrival.

Read Full Article

MN Guard, Somali leaders join forces to attract recruits

Some Somalis are touting the opportunities of military service — both for young recruits and a community that doesn’t want to be defined by the recent departures of youths to join radical Islamist militants.The Minnesota National Guard did not want to lose Mohamed Mohamud.

The high school senior was eager to enlist, but his mother, a refugee of Somalia’s brutal civil war, balked. Where Mohamud saw new experiences and money for college, his family saw danger. So the Guard took the unusual step of sending a longtime Muslim member to Mohamud’s home to address his family’s fears and secure their blessing.

Somali-Americans have enlisted in the Guard and U.S. military for years, but by all accounts, the numbers have remained low. As in Mohamud’s case, recruiters come up against concerns about balancing service and the Muslim faith, the anxiety of refugees who fled armed conflict — and, some acknowledge, their own lack of awareness of the growing community. Read More

Life After Guantánamo’

Peace-building in Somalia