Abu Yassir Hassan—a militant leader in Mozambique—is believed to be steering a deadly insurgency in the northern part of the country. Under his watch, a band of militants under the banner of Ansar al-Sunna has carried out deadly attacks in the gas-rich northern province of... MORE

The Somali and Kenyan governments fear a resurgence by al-Shabaab as a result of the U.S. withdrawing its forces from Somalia. The exit was completed on January 15 in line with the deadline ordered by former President Donald Trump and involved about 600-800 U.S. soldiers... MORE

Indonesian Jemaah Islamiya Founder Abubakar Baasyir’s Quiet Release From Prison  Jacob Zenn In 2019, the Indonesian government decided it would release Jemaah Islamiya founder Abubakar Baasyir from prison earlier than initially scheduled. He had been tried in 2011 and sentenced to 15 years in prison... MORE

A Kenyan-U.S. military camp in Manda Bay, Lamu County in the coastal region came under heavy attack from armed militants on January 5, 2020. Three Americans were killed in the raid, for which al-Shabaab – the Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa – claimed responsibility.... MORE

On September 17, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Crime released a public report detailing the use of hawala remittance exchanges in the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons between Yemen and Somalia. [1] The report identified nearly $3.7 million in financial transactions executed... MORE

Ethiopia is a key prize in the scramble for influence and power in the Horn of Africa and broader Red Sea region. With its natural resources, population of 110 million, and well-equipped military, Ethiopia has become an African power. The nation’s capital, Addis Ababa, moreover,... MORE

Shaykh Abukar Ali Adan—a hardliner within al-Shabaab, the Somali-based Islamist militant group—is believed to have risen to the organization’s top leadership position, after the current emir transferred power to the organization’s former military leader. In August this year, reports emerged that Shaykh Ahmed Diriye a.k.a.... MORE

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... MORE

Fighting Escalates in Yemen’s Port City of Hodeidah Michael Horton For months, the port city of Hodeidah has enjoyed relative calm compared with much of war-torn Yemen. This has changed over the last two weeks. The uneasy ceasefire between the Houthis and rival forces agreed... MORE

Shaykh Hassan Hussein Adam is an ideological and spiritual leader of al-Shabaab who has done the most to shape how the Somalia-based militant group has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. His opinion on the virus is the latest missive from the 41-year-old cleric whose past... MORE