East Africa

Qalanjo, the Star Who Gave Somalia Its Soundtrack, Dies in Hargeisa She walked onto the stage with a dancer’s grace and a singer’s certainty, a silk scarf sweeping like a banner. In the 1970s and ’80s—when Somali theaters were full and radios hummed in every teashop—Khadijo Mohamud Yusuf, known to her country simply as Qalanjo, helped give Somalia its soundtrack. The Ministry of Information confirmed she died on August 29 in Hargeisa, calling her passing a profound loss to Somali culture. She was among the first women to…

Kenya police admit failures as new graves push Kwa Binzaro cult toll to 32 Kenya’s police on Friday publicly acknowledged failures in their response to an emerging cult tragedy on the country’s Indian Ocean coast, as authorities revised the death toll to 32 and intensified exhumations in a forested stretch of Kilifi County. The announcement, paired with fresh discoveries of human remains, stirred memories of the Shakahola massacre in 2023, one of the deadliest cult-linked events in recent history. Revised toll and a grim…

Somalia courts China in Ningxia as Mogadishu seeks a new investment chapter In Yinchuan, the windswept capital of China’s Ningxia region, a small delegation from the Horn of Africa tried to cast a very large shadow. Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre stood before a hall of businesspeople and provincial officials at a newly minted Somalia-China Business Networking Conference and made a pitch that was at once practical and aspirational: come see Somalia for yourselves. “Directly explore,” Barre urged Chinese investors,…

Ethiopia Bets on Homegrown Fertilizer as Dangote Signs $2.5 Billion Deal in Somali Region For a country where seven in ten people make a living from the land, the announcement landed with the weight of a good rain. Ethiopia will partner with Nigeria’s Dangote Group to build one of the world’s largest urea fertilizer complexes in Gode, in the Somali Regional State—an arid corner better known to many Ethiopians as a frontier than a factory town. The deal, framed as a bid for “food sovereignty,” is also a test of whether East…

Egypt’s troop deployment to Somalia is legal — and a spark in an increasingly combustible region When Cairo announced in late August that Egyptian soldiers would join the African Union’s stabilization mission in Somalia, the move was presented as a routine piece of security cooperation: units trained in Egypt were to be deployed to the central and southern frontlines — Hiiraan, Lower Shabelle and Gedo — to help Somali forces press the fight against al-Shabab. But beneath the procedural language lies a story about shifting…

Northeastern State's Offensive Against ISIS: A Turning Point in Somalia's War on Terror In the shadow of the al Miskad mountains, the resilient forces of Northeastern State, backed by American airstrikes, are waging an increasingly aggressive campaign against Islamic State militants. This offensive, the most significant in recent memory, underscores the broader geopolitical recalibrations influencing the Horn of Africa. The Battle at the Ballade Valley On August 22, the serene landscape of Ballade Valley erupted into…

Changing Tides at Mogadishu Port: A New Chapter for Somalia's Economic Lifeline MOGADISHU, Somalia — In the heart of the Horn of Africa, where geopolitical currents are as tumultuous as the Indian Ocean waves, Mogadishu Port stands as a beacon of economic potential and national resilience. Thursday marked a notable shift in its stewardship as Ambassador Mohamed Ali Nur, affectionately known as Americo, took the helm, poised to chart a fresh course for Somalia’s primary gateway to the world. Leadership Transition: Americo…

Tragedy in Nairobi: The Death of a Blogger Ignites Protests in Kenya Nairobi's streets swarmed with thousands of protesters on Thursday, driven by demands for justice in the death of 31-year-old Albert Ojwang, a political blogger whose life was cut short under the shadow of police custody. His story has become a rallying cry against a force that many Kenyans see as oppressive and unaccountable. A Blogger’s Fatal Journey Albert Ojwang's journey from Homa Bay to Nairobi marked more than mere geographic distance. It…

Rwanda's Withdrawal from ECCAS: A Step Towards Unease In a striking move that could reverberate across Central Africa, Rwanda has officially withdrawn from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). The decision comes amid escalating tensions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), casting a spotlight on a conflict that has already claimed thousands of lives throughout Eastern DRC. Roots of the Conflict The withdrawal marks a significant development in the relationship between two…

Rwanda's New Role in Global Migration: A Controversial Partnership with the U.S. In a significant and controversial development in global migration policy, a group of seven migrants recently found themselves transported to Rwanda, the first wave under a contentious agreement struck during former President Donald Trump’s tenure. This initial transfer paves the way for what is expected to be the relocation of 250 migrants, stirring both hope and trepidation within the international community. The Context of the Deal This…