Ankara and Riyadh have been at odds for years over foreign policy and attitudes towards Islamist political groups (AFP/File photo) In phone call, two leaders agree to keep channels of communication open to improve bilateral ties and overcome issues Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman agreed in a phone call on

By: Can Kasapoglu Africa has become an important pillar of Turkey’s widely debated expeditionary military policy and forward-basing posture. The Turkish contingent stationed in Mogadishu, Somalia has an official patch with the Afrika Kartalı (African Eagle) inscription on it, which is telling when seen through the prism of Turkey’s calculus behind this symbol. Specifically, it

By Vanda Felbab-Brown With many around the world focused on the dangerous military confrontation in Ethiopia, Somalia too is facing a triple security crisis that can jeopardize the country’s halting progress. Ethiopia’s instability and ethnic strife are producing security repercussions in Somalia. Somalia’s upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections are the second component of the emerging

German Chancellor says EU will wait and see developments in Mediterranean before discussing any sanctions European leaders will discuss the future of EU-Turkey relations at their summit in December, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday. Speaking at a press conference following a video conference of EU leaders, Merkel said the meeting was largely focused on

Photo: Credit Reuters Jailed Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul There is mounting pressure on world leaders to boycott the upcoming G20 Summit, which is to be held later this month in Saudi Arabia, over the kingdom’s detention and alleged “torture” of women activists. The fate of female detainees has become a major source of

By Jack Erickson Ethiopian troops help fight Al-Shabaab in Somalia. What happens when they’re called back home? Observers could be forgiven for thinking these days that East Africa is on the verge of unraveling. An ongoing conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray province is affecting the entire region, with its consequences being felt most keenly in Somalia.

Photo: Credit Amisom. Ethiopia said on Wednesday peacekeepers from its Tigray region serving in Somalia had been disarmed over a security issue, raising concerns over the forces’ ability to fight al Qaeda-linked militants. Diplomatic and security sources said earlier that between 200 and 300 Tigrayans had had their weapons removed. Ethiopian troops began fighting forces

Ethiopia’s prime minister Abiy Ahmed said in a social media post on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020 that “the final and crucial” military operation will launch in the coming days against the government of the country’s rebellious northern Tigray region. (Ethiopian News Agency via AP) People are going hungry in Ethiopia’s rebellious northern Tigray region as

US President Donald Trump speaks during a Make America Great Again campaign rally at the Erie International Airport on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020 in Erie, PA [Noah Riffe/Anadolu Agency] President Donald Trump may withdraw nearly all U.S. troops from Somalia as part of a global pullback that includes reductions of forces in Afghanistan and Iraq,

Capital city of Tigray Region in Ethiopia. Mekele Ethiopian forces pushed towards the capital of the rebel Tigray region on Wednesday, ignoring international appeals for talks to end the conflict and denying it was targeting any ethnic group. Federal troops are locked in a two-week conflict against Tigray’s forces, which has killed hundreds on both