August 6, 2009

Somali Instability Poses Challenge for Anti-Terror Efforts
Secretary of State Clinton spent the second day of her African tour expressing support for the fragile transitional government in Somalia. Margaret Warner reports on the visit, and the risks posed by the Somali government's struggles to combat extremist groups linked to al-Qaida.

August 6, 2009

Hunger, Fighting Deepen Somalia's Troubles
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed to "expand and extend" U.S. support for Somalia's fragile government during a sub-Saharan Africa trade forum on Aug. 6. Fighting between government forces and Islamic militants is compounding the economic problems in Somalia.

June 18, 2009

Suicide Bombing in Somalia Kills at Least 20
A suicide bombing in western Somalia killed at least 20 people Thursday, including National Security Minister Omar Hashi Aden. An extremist group with links to al-Qaida claimed responsibility.

April 13, 2009

Combating Piracy Poses New Challenge for U.S. Ships
President Obama vowed Monday to halt the rise of piracy as details emerged about the rescue of a U.S. sea captain. Analysts weigh how to best protect U.S. ships from pirates.

April 13, 2009

Daring Rescue Frees Captive U.S. Sea Captain
After a daring rescue operation by U.S. Navy Special Forces, a U.S. sea captain held hostage by pirates off the coast of Somalia was freed Sunday, ending a five-day standoff but leading some pirate groups based in the Horn of Africa to vow revenge.

April 10, 2009

Somali Pirates Thwart U.S. Captain's Escape
American ship captain Richard Phillips tried to swim away from his Somali captors Friday but was quickly recaptured, as another pirate ship and a U.S. warship headed to the scene about 200 miles off the coast of Somalia.

MP3: Jeffrey Gettleman of The New York Times provides an update on the piracy situation.

Video: Full NewsHour Coverage of Somali Pirates

April 9, 2009

FBI, Navy Join Negotiations for Pirates to Release Captain
After Wednesday's hijacking of a U.S. cargo ship, pirates continued to hold Capt. Richard Phillips hostage in a lifeboat adrift in the Indian Ocean. A Financial Times correspondent talks about the negotiations, including Navy and FBI involvement.

April 8, 2009

Ship's U.S. Crew Endures Pirate Encounter Off Somali Coast, Captain Held Hostage
Off the Somali coast, pirates hijacked a cargo ship and later held the captain hostage. Brian Jenkins, a specialist in hostage negotiations and adviser to the International Maritime Bureau, examines the situation.

April 8, 2009

Pirates Hijack American Crew off Coast of Somalia
The U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, a Danish-owned ship carrying relief aid to Kenya, was seized in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia with 20 American crew members aboard.

December 29, 2008

Somali President's Departure Marks Next Step for Transitional Government
Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf resigned Monday after failing to stabilize the African country that has lacked a functioning central government for 17 years.

December 17, 2008

U.N. Takes New Steps to Curb Somalia's Pirates
After several recent pirate attacks, the U.N. Security Council authorized land and air operations to help stop the flow of the fighters from bases in Somalia. Experts examine the ramifications of the U.N. action.

November 19, 2008

Modern-day Somali Pirates Increase Attacks
Somali pirates are increasing the frequency of their attacks and targeting larger ships, targeting oil supertankers and grain cargo vessels. Experts explain the rise in modern-day piracy and the efforts among the international community to curb the problem.

Forum: Experts Answer Your Questions on Somali Pirate Activity

November 17, 2008

Somali Pirates Hijack Oil Tanker Headed for the U.S.
Somali pirates hijacked a Saudi-owned supertanker Saturday hundreds of miles off the Horn of Africa, seizing the ship loaded with crude oil and its 25-member international crew, the U.S. Navy said Monday.

August 22, 2008

Dozens Dead in Southern Somalia Clashes
At least 70 people have been killed over the past few days in battles between Somalia's Islamist al-Shabaab rebels and a pro-government clan militia in the southern part of the country.

May 5, 2008

Thousands Riot in Somalia over Food Prices; 2 People Killed
Tens of thousands of people protested in Somalia's capital Mogadishu over high food prices Monday. At least two people were killed and several more injured when police opened fire on the rioting crowds.

May 1, 2008

Attack on Terror Target Sheds Light on Somalia's Instability
The U.S. military led airstrikes against terrorism suspects in Somalia Thursday, killing a suspected al-Qaida leader. A panel of experts offer perspective on what the strike may mean for security in the region, the Somali people and the U.S. war on terror.

March 26, 2008

Somali Islamists Capture Town; Aid Agencies Call for Action
Islamist fighters took control of the town of Jowhar, Somalia, on Wednesday in an ongoing insurgency against the Western-backed government that has gathered steam in recent months.

March 3, 2008

U.S. Targets Member of al-Qaida in Somalia Attack
The United States launched an attack against "a known al-Qaida terrorist" in a southern Somali town, the Pentagon said Monday.

January 18, 2008

AU Head Calls for Peacekeepers to Stay in Somalia
African Union Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare called Friday for peacekeeping troops to remain in Somalia for an additional six months amid near daily clashes in the capital, Mogadishu.

November 26, 2007

Violence, Humanitarian Crisis Continues to Grip Somalia
Ongoing violence in Somalia has worsened the humanitarian situation in the war-torn East African country with disease, displacement and hunger among the problems. Two Somalia experts examine the crisis and the international community's response.

October 15, 2007

Tensions Among Troops, Insurgents Fuel Further Violence in Somalia
Unrest in violence-plagued Somalia continues amid tensions over the presence of Ethiopian troops who entered the country last year to oust an Islamic government. Independent Television News reports on the military and humanitarian situation in the East African nation.

June 7, 2007

Somali Government Works to Stem Booming Illegal Arms Trade
Somalia's Transitional Federal Government launched a security crackdown in April to disarm Mogadishu, but efforts to confiscate weapons have yet to bring peace or stability to the ravaged African nation.

April 26, 2007

Somali Leader Declares Victory in War with Militants
After a nine-day offensive by Ethiopian and Somali forces to clear Islamic militants from the capital city Mogadishu, Somalia's prime minister declared victory over the insurgents Thursday.

March 30, 2007

Somali Rebels Shoot Down Helicopter as Clashes Worsen
In Somalia's most violent clashes in months, Islamic insurgents and clan militias battled Ethiopian and Somali government forces, hitting an Ethiopian helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade on Friday.

March 23, 2007

Plane Aiding AU Peacekeepers Shot Down
A cargo plane taking off from Mogadishu was shot down Friday, after delivering equipment to Ugandan peacekeepers in Somalia's capitol.

March 6, 2007

First African Union Peacekeepers Encounter Mortar Fire
Just hours after African Union peacekeepers from Uganda landed in Mogadishu Tuesday, insurgents launched mortar attacks on the airport and on Somali government targets.

January 26, 2007

Violence in Somalia Furthers Humanitarian Crisis
The ongoing conflict between Somalia's transitional government and Islamist groups has exacerbated an already desperate humanitarian crisis in the country due to drought and flooding.

January 9, 2007

U.S. Launches Airstrikes in Southern Somalia
The United States has launched airstrikes against suspected al-Qaida forces in southern Somalia, the first acknowledged American military action inside the country since 1994. Two regional experts assess the U.S. operation and targets.

January 8, 2007

Somali President Returns Government to Embattled Capital
Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf returned to Mogadishu on Monday, reclaiming the capital as the seat of his government for the first time since taking office in 2004.

January 3, 2007

African Countries Plead for International Aid in Somalia
Ethiopian and Somali leaders are calling for international peacekeepers to help stabilize Somalia. Meanwhile, Kenya bolstered border security to keep fleeing Islamists from entering the country. Experts discuss what comes next for Somalia and the region.

January 1, 2007

Ethiopian Backed Troops Take Last Major City from Somali Islamists
After two weeks of clashes, troops of Somalia's fledgling U.N.-organized government swept into the southern city of Kismayo with the help of Ethiopian firepower Monday, taking back the final major city controlled by Islamic militias.

December 28, 2006

Government Troops Capture Somali Capital from Islamists
Nearly a week after Somali soldiers and their Ethiopian allies began fighting Islamic militias that claimed control over most the country, government troops entered Mogadishu unopposed Thursday forcing the Islamists to retreat.

December 26, 2006

Conflict in Somalia Escalating Toward War
Fighting between Somali Islamists and interim government forces has escalated in recent days. After a background report, Ray Suarez talks with two experts about the reasons for the conflict and the possibility of it enveloping the Horn of Africa region.

December 20, 2006

Somali Islamists Clash with Ethiopian Forces
Ethiopian troops in Somalia to defend the country's embattled government exchanged heavy gunfire with Somali Islamist forces Wednesday, a day after an Islamist deadline passed demanding that the Ethiopians leave or face war.

December 15, 2006

Threat of War Rises in Somalia; Islamists Set Deadline for Ethiopian Withdrawal
Residents of the Somali town of Baidoa stocked up on emergency provisions Friday as tensions between Somalia's Islamic Court fighters and government-backed Ethiopian troops heated up.

July 20, 2006

Ethiopian Troops Enter Somalia to Resist Islamic Militia
Ethiopian troops rolled into the Somali town of Baidoa Thursday, Somali residents and other witnesses reported, in an effort to bolster the country's transitional government currently under threat from Islamic militants.

June 22, 2006

Somalia's Political Factions Reach Cease-fire Agreement
Somalia's interim government and the rival Islamic Courts Movement vowed to end fighting and work toward peace in an agreement signed Thursday in the two groups' first ever high-level talks.

June 14, 2006

Somali Islamist Militants Seize Town from Warlords
Somali Islamist militias that took over the capital Mogadishu last week ousted warlords from the strategic town of Jowhar on Wednesday.

June 8, 2006

Islamist Control of Mogadishu Raises Concern of Extremist Future for Somalia
Islamic militias that recently took control of the Somali capital Mogadishu after nearly a decade of warlord rule are drawing widespread support among Somali citizens for their efforts to stabilize the troubled nation.

June 6, 2006

Islamic Militia Takes Control of Somali Capital
A day after Islamic militias took control of Mogadishu from warlords, the U.S. State Department expressed concerns that Somalia could become a "safe haven" for foreign terrorists.

June 5, 2006

Somali Militias Claim Control of Embattled Capital of Mogadishu
Islamic militias took control of the Somali capital of Mogadishu Monday from warlords who have controlled the city since the 1991 ouster of former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

May 25, 2006

Severe Drought Hits Horn of Africa
Millions of people in Somalia and Kenya "are on the brink of starvation" because of a severe drought that has swept the Horn of Africa.

March 29, 2006

Drought Plagues Horn of Africa
Drought and hunger are spreading quickly across east Africa, specifically in Somalia and Kenya, damaging the countryside and killing families. A report on the severity of the famine and ways that organizations are helping soothe the plight.