Spotlight

Rabat (Reuters + Diplomat.so) - Morocco on Saturday urged Spain to open an investigation into the circumstances of a Western Sahara independence leader's arrival in the country for medical treatment and explain its findings to Rabat.

Jerusalem (AP + Diplomat.so) - Hamas militants fired dozens of rockets into Israel on Monday, including a barrage that set off air raid sirens as far away as Jerusalem, after hundreds of Palestinians were hurt in clashes with Israeli police at a flashpoint religious site in the contested holy city.

Nairobi (Reuters + Diplomat.so) - Eritrean forces have started withdrawing from Ethiopia's Tigray region in the north, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said.

Addis Ababa ( AFP + Diplomat.so) - The war in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region risks dragging on for months and even years, with both sides eyeing a military "knockout blow" that appears unrealistic, the International Crisis Group (ICG) said Friday.

Brussels (Diplomat.so) - According to a press release issued by the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President Josep Borrell on the current political situation in Somalia, he stressed that Somalia needs to find a compromise leading to an immediate electoral…

Mogadishu (Diplomat.so) – Efforts to protect Somalis during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic stepped up today with the arrival of the first shipment of 300,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The first consignment of vaccines targets, as recommended by the COVID-19 National Task…

Washington (AFP + Diplomat.so) - President Joe Biden has suspended drone strikes outside of war zones where US forces are operating, reversing the policy of his predecessor Donald Trump, who had given the military free rein in countries such as Somalia.

Washington (Diplomat.so) - Today the U.S. Department of State announces a reward increase of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Kamchybek Kolbaev and/or for information leading to the disruption of financial mechanisms of Kolbaev's criminal organization.

Press Statement

Washington (Diplomat.so) - US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken issued today a press statement about the attacks against the Tigrayan minority in Ethiopia, as many of them are subjected to racial persecution, according to the statement.

Asmara ( Shabait + Diplomat.so) - This interview with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki was published today by the Eritrean Ministry of Information. This is the text of the detailed questions and answers:

Mogadishu (Diplomat.so) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Federal Republic of Somalia issued a press statement regarding the situation resulting from the political stagnation in connection with the holding of the elections with statements from some countries about…

Addis Ababa (AFP + Diplomat.so) - Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared victory in his military operation in the northern region of Tigray, but there are clear signs that fighting persists despite a claimed return to normalcy.

Washington (AP + Diplomat.so) - Police and National Guard troops stood sentry at newly fortified statehouses Sunday ahead of demonstrations planned for the leadup to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, as authorities worked to deter a repeat of the recent riot that overran the U.S. Capitol.…

Aden (Xinhua + Diplomat.so) - A new round of UN-sponsored talks over a prisoner swap deal between the Yemen's government and the Houthi rebel group was postponed due to Washington's designation of the rebels as "terrorists," an official told Xinhua on Sunday.

Los Angeles (Xinhua + Diplomat.so) - Los Angeles became the first county in the United States to surpass 1 million total cases since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, local health officials said Saturday.

Khartoum (Reuters + Diplomat.so) - At least 48 people died and 97 people were injured in a militia attack on the West Darfur city of El Geneina on Saturday, Sudan's state news agency SUNA said, citing a local doctors union.