Somalia – 4 March 2016

Somalia denied from joining East African Community bloc

Somalia has been rejected to join the East African Community regional bloc after failing to meet the eligibility criteria, Horseed Media reports. Three years ago, Somalia first applied to join the regional integration but have not been given the green light due to unrevealed reasons.

Somalia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdisalam Hadliye insisted that a committee from the organization will soon visit the country to assess the country’s readiness to join the bloc.

Horseed Media

Somalia’s al-Shabab journalist Hassan Hanafi sentenced to death

A Somali military court has sentenced to death a former journalist who helped al-Shabab kill five fellow reporters. Hassan Hanafi assisted the Islamist militant group by indentifying possible targets amongst journalists between 2007 and 2011. He joined its armed wing after working for Radio Andalus, al-Shabab’s mouthpiece in Somalia

BBC