MOGADISHU – Somalia’s government said on Friday that security forces had re-established control in two districts of the capital following a day of gunfire between state troops and militias aligned with opposition politicians, clashes that sent some residents fleeing. The unrest erupted this week as tensions rose over planned demonstrations against President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s decision to stay in office after his term expired last month. Those protests never materialized. In March, parliament approved constitutional…

By Hussein Mohamed and Matthew Mpoke BiggHussein Mohamed reported from Mogadishu, Somalia, and Matthew Mpoke Bigg from Nairobi, Kenya.Friday June 5, 2026 Smoke drifted above Mogadishu on Thursday as heavy fighting engulfed parts of the Somali capital, where residents said the violence was the most intense in years. The U.S. Embassy called the clashes reckless and appealed for calm. Credit...Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Gunfire and explosions shook Somalia’s capital on Thursday, with residents describing the clashes as…

Friday June 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — In a move that could ease rising political friction in Somalia’s capital, former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire on Friday left the temporary homes they had taken up in two Mogadishu neighborhoods, according to sources familiar with the situation. Sharif had recently relocated to Mirinaayo in Abdiaziz district, while Khaire had been staying in the Bermudo area. Opposition figures said the relocations were tied to efforts to mobilize supporters…

by STEPHEN ASTARIKOFriday June 5, 2026 Muktar Dahir, Garissa County Human Rights Defenders Network, speaking to the press at a Garissa hotel./STEPHEN ASTARIKO Human rights organisations in Garissa are pressing President William Ruto to turn his words on Northern Kenya into measurable action. They want the newly created National Infrastructure Fund to be fully rolled out and say the region should be the first to benefit from it. Speaking to reporters in Garissa town on the sidelines of a training forum, the activists said…

Friday June 5, 2026 This handout photograph taken on January 30, 2024 and released by the Indian Navy shows an Iranian fishing vessel after it has been freed by the Indian Navy from Somali pirates, off the Somali coast, some 850 nautical miles (1,574 kilometres) west of the Indian city of Kochi. (AFP/ file) ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday that efforts were still under way to win the release of ten Pakistani sailors held by Somali pirates since April, while warning that the vessel’s highly explosive cargo had narrowed…

by STEPHEN ASTARIKOFriday June 5, 2026 Garissa Governor Nathif Jama chairing the high-level security meeting./STEPHEN ASTARIKO Garissa’s standing as one of Kenya’s safest towns is facing a serious test after a wave of killings, muggings and violent break-ins jolted leaders into urgent action. Governor Nathif Jama said the county can no longer ignore the escalating insecurity that has left many residents afraid to move about freely. Shaken by the rise in crime, senior government officials, security agencies, religious…

Friday June 5, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — A protest in Sheikh district in North Western State of Somalia’s Sahil region turned deadly on Thursday, leaving one person dead and another injured, according to residents and witnesses. The unrest followed the recent arrest of Sultan Qabile in Mandera district. Residents said anger over the detention quickly spilled into the streets of Sheikh, where crowds gathered before confrontations erupted between demonstrators and security forces. The woman killed was identified by residents as…

Friday June 5, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Southwest State’s lawmakers on Thursday chose Mahad Mohamed Sheikh Hassan as speaker of the regional House of Representatives, marking a major step in completing the new parliamentary leadership. In a vote held at the regional parliament hall in Baidoa, Mahad secured 70 votes. His rival, Abdihakim Fiqi, won 25. Lawmakers also elected Aden Hassan Mohamed Osama as first deputy speaker. He secured 82 votes, defeating Abdirisaq Hussein Aden, who received 12. Shamso Mohamed Yarow was elected…

Mohamed DhaysaneWednesday June 3, 2026 Somali forces, working with international partners, killed 28 al-Shabaab militants in coordinated operations in the Hiran and Middle Shabelle regions, according to an official statement released Tuesday. Among those killed in the airstrikes was Abdirahman Abdi Mudallib, identified as a senior terrorist figure in Hiran, along with five other militants. The Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency said Mudallib had played a direct role in organizing and plotting attacks in the…

AXADLE, Somalia — Puntland State on Thursday mounted a sharp attack on Somalia’s federal leadership, accusing it of creating a "constitutional vacuum" and blaming President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for armed raids carried out against former state leaders in Mogadishu. The rebuke came after a cabinet session in Garowe led by Puntland State’s Acting President and Vice President, Ilyaas Lugatoor. In a strongly framed statement, the cabinet denounced "armed confrontations targeting civilians and former senior leaders" in the…