By Faisal AliWednesday May 27, 2026 A flower-decked swing at Lido Beach offered a cheerful backdrop for young women marking Eid in Mogadishu, where the holiday brought a rare, bright pause from the city’s harsher realities. Mogadishu, Somalia- Across the Muslim world, Eid al-Adha — the Festival of Sacrifice — was observed on Wednesday, closing out the Hajj pilgrimage season with prayer, family gatherings and acts of charity. The holiday is the second major celebration in the Islamic calendar, coming after Eid al-Fitr, which…

Wednesday May 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s political standoff has entered another waiting period, but mediators say the effort to bring the federal government and opposition back to the table is still alive. On Tuesday, traditional elders involved in the process met with leaders of the Somali Future Council, saying the talks have been slowed by logistical and procedural hurdles rather than derailed. Garaad Jamac Garaad Ali, who is part of the mediation team, said the main setback has been the incomplete formation of…

Wednesday May 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s National Independent Human Rights Commission has launched a preliminary probe into reports that civilians were killed in the Lower Juba region. In a statement issued Tuesday, the commission said the incident occurred on May 20 in the Diigta Margoos area of Kamjiroon, where armed men were reported to have killed civilians. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. “The commission is gathering information on what happened and the circumstances surrounding the…

Wednesday May 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s top leadership joined worshippers in the capital Wednesday morning as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre attended Eid al-Adha prayers alongside government officials and hundreds of others at the Mosque of Islamic Solidarity in Mogadishu. After the prayers, Mohamud extended holiday greetings to Somalis and offered prayers for peace, prosperity and lasting development in every part of the country. “We will never forget to remind ourselves of…

Wednesday May 27, 2026 Bosaso (AX) — Grief and anger swept through Buruc in Somalia’s Bari region on Tuesday as residents gathered for the mass burial of a pregnant woman and her three children, who were killed in an airstrike in the Haysimo mountains of Qandala district, according to officials and local residents. Puntland State military officials said the strike struck a rural family in the area. Local accounts said the mother and two of her children died at the scene, while a third child later succumbed to wounds. The…

Toby MannTuesday May 26, 2026 A US-AF F-35 Lightning II fighter jet pictured in April 2026 The United States said it carried out fresh strikes in southern Iran, hitting missile positions and boats it said were trying to lay mines, in the latest sign that tensions remain high despite talk of a ceasefire. US Central Command said the operation was conducted in "self-defense" and aimed "to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces". Capt Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesperson, said the military "continues to…

Tuesday May 26, 2026 Dabbasa Dambi and Gurracha Dambala Addis Abeba – Two Borana elders from Kenya’s Marsabit County, held for nearly two weeks on suspicion of ties to the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), have been freed after a court accepted a property bail totaling 14 million Kenyan shillings, or about 17.3 million Ethiopian Birr, their defense lawyer told Addis Standard. The men — Dabbasa Dambi, a former administrator of Gololle village, and Gurracha Dambala, a respected elder from Sololo — walked out of custody yesterday…

Tuesday May 26, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Supreme Court has upheld the results of Southwest State’s House of Representatives election, endorsing the figures released by the electoral commission after reviewing complaints and supporting documents tied to the vote. In a ruling issued Monday, the court said it had considered objections to the electoral process, written submissions and reports from the National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission before determining that the outcome was consistent with Somali…

Tuesday May 26, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s attorney general said Monday that detained bajaj driver and activist Sadia Moallim Ali Hassan will soon appear in court, declaring that her case has now moved into the final phase of investigation and prosecution. Attorney General Suleyman Mohamed Mahmoud said the proceedings have followed legal procedures and dismissed criticism of the justice system as misinformation. He said Ali was taken into custody on April 21 and presented before a court within 48 hours, in line with…

Tuesday May 26, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia has stepped up its public health defenses and finalized a national Ebola prevention plan as reports of the virus emerge in parts of Africa, officials said Monday. The Ministry of Health said Somalia has not confirmed a single Ebola case. Still, authorities have tightened readiness, citing the steady flow of travelers and flights from nearby countries, particularly Uganda and Kenya. “The Ministry of Health confirms that no case of Ebola has been registered in the country so far.…