West Africa

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed Somalia and broader Horn of Africa security in a phone call Thursday, with Cairo reiterating its firm opposition to any recognition of North Western State of Somalia and signaling plans to deploy troops to Somalia as part of a reconfigured African Union mission, according to statements from both governments. Both sides said the conversation focused on preserving stability in the Horn at a moment of rising regional volatility. Abdelatty…

Saturday March 7, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A political party led by former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has urged President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to prioritize a broadly agreed electoral process as Somalia nears the end of the current term and digests sweeping constitutional amendments that extend federal mandates to five years. In a statement issued Friday, the Himilo Qaran party called on the president to devote the remainder of his mandate to organizing elections anchored in consensus among all political…

MOGADISHU — Somalia has extended the mandates of its federal institutions to five years under a newly adopted constitution, effectively adding one year to current terms, Speaker of the House of the People Aden Mohamed Nur Madoobe announced Thursday. The move, unveiled at an iftar gathering in the capital, immediately deepened political fault lines in a country already grappling with drought and humanitarian strain. Madoobe said parliament and other constitutional bodies would now operate under the revised charter, which…

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Calls for Revision of Citizenship Clause in Liberia Former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has revived a long-standing debate on the need to revise the constitutional clause that restricts Liberian citizenship exclusively to people of "Negro descent." In a rare address to members of the Liberian Legislature, Sirleaf highlighted broader national issues and argued that the law is no longer relevant, undermining the country's commitment to equality and international norms. The controversial clause,…

East Africa’s new drought surge pushes millions toward hunger as water prices soar and livestock die Friday March 6, 2026 MOGADISHU — A failed rainy season has deepened drought across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, thrusting nearly 26 million people into extreme hunger, accelerating livestock deaths and sending water prices soaring, Oxfam warned in a report released this week. The crisis arrives less than three years after the Horn of Africa’s longest and most severe drought on record, when five consecutive rainy seasons…

New York — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday appointed U.S. diplomat James Swan as his new Special Representative for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUSCO, placing an experienced Africa hand at the helm of one of the U.N.’s most challenging peace operations. Swan succeeds Bintou Keita of Guinea, whom Guterres thanked for her leadership and service during a difficult period for the mission. The appointment lands at a pivotal moment for MONUSCO,…

Somalia adopts revised constitution; President Mohamud hails ‘historic achievement’ amid opposition boycott MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday hosted an iftar dinner for members of both houses of parliament, praising lawmakers for approving Somalia’s revised constitution after months of heated debate and years of stalled review. The gathering at a Mogadishu hotel came a day after a joint sitting of the House of the People and the Upper House voted to adopt amendments that complete a…

Nigeria's Historic Settlement Paves Way for Oil Development President Bola Tinubu has presided over the successful conclusion of a historic settlement agreement between the Federal Government of Nigeria, ENI, and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAEL), resolving the long-running dispute about Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245. The agreement brings to a close 15 years of legal battles over OPL 245, paving the way for the development of one of Nigeria's most significant deepwater resources. This resolution is viewed as a…

Opinion: Somalia’s rushed constitutional push risks deepening division. An agreed election must come first. Somalia’s 2012 Provisional Constitution was conceived as a bridge from state collapse to national healing. The latest attempt to declare it “completed” has instead opened old wounds. Driven through amid allegations of political pressure, opaque deal-making and procedural shortcuts, the process has intensified mistrust at a moment when the federal institutions near the end of their mandates. The priority now is not to…

Farmaajo warns Somalia risks instability over unilateral constitutional changes as term nears end MOGADISHU — Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo warned that unilateral constitutional changes and disputed election plans could push Somalia toward political instability as the current presidential term nears its end, urging President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to pull back from what he called one-sided decisions. Farmaajo says rushing constitutional amendments without consensus could destabilize Somalia…