West Africa

Clashes in Mogadishu as Government Accuses Opposition Guards of Trying to Seize Police Station What happened Somalia’s federal government on Wednesday accused opposition politicians of attempting to storm a police station in Mogadishu, an allegation that, if confirmed, would mark one of the most serious confrontations in the capital this year. The clash, outside the Warta Nabadda District Police Station, involved security forces and armed guards escorting opposition lawmakers. Shots were fired and injuries were reported,…

Somalia says airstrike kills three senior al‑Shabab commanders in Hiiraan What happened Mogadishu — Somalia’s government said Tuesday it killed three senior al‑Shabab commanders in an airstrike in the central region of Hiiraan, the latest strike in a campaign it says aims to shear away the group’s leadership and sap its battlefield strength. In a brief statement, the federal government said the operation was carried out by Somalia’s intelligence service “working with international partners,” and targeted “important…

The U.S. Takes a Stand Against Corruption in Nigeria In a bold move signaling its commitment to tackling global corruption, the U.S. mission in Nigeria recently announced that government officials found guilty of corruption will face a significant consequence: denial of U.S. visas. With a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the mission made clear that "fighting corruption knows no borders." This statement resonates deeply in a country where the scars of corruption run deep, casting a long shadow over…

A Changing Sahel: Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger Withdraw from the ICC In a significant geopolitical shift, the military-led governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have declared their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC). Describing the institution as a "neo-colonial" tool wielded by imperialist powers, these West African nations are charting a new course in their foreign policy. A New Alliance Against the West The juntas that have risen to power in these countries between 2020 and 2023 have allied…

Somalia airstrike controversy exposes the fragile line between counterterrorism and community trust In the scrubland around El Buh, a coastal settlement in northern Somalia’s Sanaag region, the U.S. military says its jets found a weapons trafficker. Locals say they lost a peacemaker. That gap—between the intelligence picture from the sky and the social reality on the ground—has become the defining tension of remote warfare in Somalia. On Sept. 13, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) carried out what it called a “precision…

Alaa Abdel Fattah’s pardon: a relief that raises bigger questions about Egypt’s politics President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision to pardon the prominent British‑Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah after six years behind bars marked an emotional turning point for a generation of Egyptians who once filled Tahrir Square with hope. But the gesture — long demanded by rights groups and the British government — offers relief more than resolution, and leaves unanswered questions about rule of law, diplomacy and the costs of…

Feature Story: Navigating Guinea's Path to Democracy Amidst Tensions

Ramla Ali Comes Home: Somalia Honors a Fighter Who Changed the Script On a humid afternoon in Mogadishu, where the Indian Ocean throws salt into the breeze and the city’s traffic hums like a restless drum, a boxer walked into City Hall and rewrote an old story. Ramla Ali, Somalia’s first Olympic boxer and one of its most recognized athletes, accepted the Medal of Honor from the Governor of Banadir Region and Mayor of Mogadishu, Hassan Mohamed Hussein Muungaab—an emblem of a nation eager to celebrate achievement amid the…

Shifting Sands: The Exit of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger from the ICC In an unprecedented move that echoes through the annals of international justice, the West African states of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have officially withdrawn from the International Criminal Court (ICC). This dramatic decision, announced by the military-led governments of these nations, underscores a growing sentiment in the region: a rejection of what they describe as "neocolonial repression" wielded by international bodies. The implications are…

Somalia’s ‘Iron Rock’ Vanishes: A Village Relic, a Scientific Marvel, and a Global Tug of War In a quiet river valley of central Somalia, children once clambered over a vast iron boulder and pretended it was a horse. Elders told stories about it. Knife-makers chipped off slivers to sharpen their blades. They called it Shiid-birood—the iron rock. It was part landmark, part myth, and, as it turns out, a relic from deep time: a 13.6-metric-ton meteorite shaped by primordial collisions that predate life on Earth. Today, the…