Shifta War News Today

Every decade since 1963 has seen enormous changes in Kenya, some for the better, others for the worse, but change all the same.

Pre-independence, Kenya's Northern Frontier Districts fought to be part of Somalia during Shifta War or Gaf Daba (1963–1967). The post-1963 Kenya war against the "Shifta," securitized the relationship between the state, the region, and the people. Since then a series of massacres- the Wagala (1984), Bagala (1998), and Malka Mari (1982), and the advent of the war on terror saw the rise of the label, terrorists. The result is a huge difficulty in accessing state services, National...

Much like in 1977, all the conditions have come together that could turn conflicting interests into ruinous warfare across the region.

The challenge with Africa is that it has over 3,000 ethnic groups and 2100 languages, making it unfeasible to break up states further.

The peace and safety that were the raison d’être of the Kenya Defence Forces’ incursion into Somalia are nowhere in sight a decade after the first boots marched in.

Supporters of different opposition presidential candidates demonstrate in Mogadishu on February 19, 2021. [AFP] Somalia is, once again, in political turmoil. The Horn of Africa nation’s opposition leaders say they no longer recognise the authority of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, popularly known by his nickname “Farmaajo”, after his term expired on February 8 without a political agreement on a path towards elections to replace him. Somalia’s most recent political impasse, and the...