Amnesty International is concerned about the continued detention of journalist Mohamed Abdiwahab Nur (Abuja) and the organization is calling on Somalia authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him. Amnesty International is also worried that the journalist who was arbitrarily arrested and detained on 7 March 2020 by the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) is…
Amnesty International is calling on the Somaliland authorities to immediately and unconditionally release detained journalist Abdimalik Muse Oldon who was arrested and arbitrarily detained a year ago today for exercising his right to freedom of expression. Amnesty International is concerned that the journalist who was detained solely for peacefully exercising his human rights is now…
Since late 2017, media freedom in Somalia has been suppressed by the Federal Government of Somalia’s security forces and officials, authorities in regional states and by the armed group Al-Shabaab. This report documents allegations of threats, harassment and intimidation of the media. In addition, it documents new techniques employed by the authorities to bribe media…
This briefing document contains Amnesty International’s assessment of some of the key outcomes and developments that were priorities for the organization at the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC42) and provides recommendations for UN member states to consolidate and build on these outcomes moving forward.
Oral statement at the 42nd session of the UN Human Rights Council on the need for urgent investigations into civilian casualties of US air strikes in Somalia.
Recent research by Amnesty International found that 14 civilians had been killed and eight more injured in five US air strikes in Somalia since April 2017. Given that the US has conducted more than 120 additional strikes across Somalia in the past two-and-a-half years, the true number of civilian casualties is likely to be higher.…
Since the start of the year, significant political changes have taken place in a number of African countries, including in Algeria, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Sudan. While the unfolding political events in these countries inspire some hope, the peace and security condition in several African countries, on the other hand, is a cause…
Since April 2017, the United States of America (USA) has dramatically increased the number of air strikes – from manned aircraft and unmanned drones – it has launched in Somalia, tripling the annual rate of attacks and, in 2018, outpacing US strikes in Libya and Yemen combined. Despite this escalation, the US government claims that…
In 2016, Amnesty International documented that Somali refugees in Dadaab, Kenya, were effectively coerced into returning. This follow-up briefing focuses on the situation in Somalia to which they returned. This briefing concludes that the current context in Somalia is not conducive to returns. The Governments of Kenya and Somalia, and UNHCR, should halt returns until…
On 6 May 2016, the Kenyan government announced its intention to close Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp, by 30 November 2016. Dadaab is home to 280,000 refugees, including 260,000 Somali refugees, some of whom have lived there for over two decades. The government’s reasons for the closure of Dadaab include claims that the camp…
Human Rights Council adopts Universal Periodic Review outcome on Somalia. Amnesty International welcomes Somalia’s acceptance of recommendations to protect the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), to end the use of child soldiers, and to implement a zero tolerance policy on gender based violence. However, Amnesty International is concerned about the lack of support…
This document contains Amnesty International’s suggested recommendations for the 14 states – Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Palau, Paraguay, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands and Somalia – that are coming up for review in the UPR Working Group session commencing 18 January 2016 aimed at addressing human rights challenges and improving respect…