Eye on Africa

Somalia looks to Belgrade: a Cold War friendship recalibrates for a new security era Belgrade — On a brisk morning in the Serbian capital, Somalia’s defense chief Ahmed Moallim Fiqi moved between government buildings off Kneza Miloša Street, the city’s corridor of power where the architecture still whispers the history of a country once at the heart of the Non-Aligned Movement. His meetings — with Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, senior security officials including Vladimir Orlić, and Defense…

Somalia says senior al‑Shabaab commander killed in planned raid in Hiiraan Somalia’s intelligence service says it has killed a senior al‑Shabaab commander in a targeted operation in central Somalia, the latest strike in a grinding campaign to weaken the al‑Qaeda‑linked insurgency as it battles for influence along the Shabelle River valley. In a statement Wednesday, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said its forces, backed by international partners, conducted a planned raid in the Shaw area of Hiiraan…

Egypt’s Somalia Gamble: Peacekeeping, Power Plays, and a Dam That Won’t Go Away On paper, Egypt’s plan to send troops to Somalia is a textbook peacekeeping deployment under an African Union mandate. In practice, it lands squarely on the fault lines of one of Africa’s thorniest rivalries: Cairo versus Addis Ababa, with the Horn of Africa as the stage and the Nile as the subtext. Egypt says its soldiers are going to Somalia to help fight al-Shabaab and stabilize a country clawing its way out of decades of war. Ethiopia hears…

Burkina Faso's Controversial Step Backward: The New Anti-Homosexuality Law In a rapid and unsettling turn of events, Burkina Faso's transitional parliament has unanimously passed a bill that criminalizes homosexual acts, placing the West African nation in a club of over 30 African countries where same-sex relations are outlawed. The new law imposes harsh penalties, including prison sentences ranging from two to five years, fines, and even the threat of deportation for foreign nationals caught violating its provisions. This…

Somalia and Serbia Reach for Old Ties to Shape New Deals In the polished halls of Belgrade’s presidential complex, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre stood beneath a bank of flags and spoke a sentence you now hear in capitals across the Global South: “Somalia offers vast opportunities for investment.” On Tuesday, Barre and Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut signed a health cooperation agreement and pledged to deepen ties in trade, investment, education and security—an agenda that reads less like a single visit than a…

Israel Tightens Siege of Gaza City as Dozens Killed and Famine Deepens; Ceasefire Push Stalls Gaza City woke up to another day of smoke and sirens on Tuesday, with Israeli warplanes pounding densely packed neighborhoods while troops tightened a siege on the enclave’s largest urban center. Local authorities said more than 50 people were killed in Gaza City alone, among at least 105 Palestinians reported dead across the Strip in the past 24 hours. Aid workers said many of the dead were cut down not in combat zones but while…

Arab League cancels 75 percent of Somalia’s arrears, a boost for Mogadishu’s hard-won comeback The Arab League has agreed to cancel 75 percent of Somalia’s unpaid membership dues, a rare step that trims nearly four decades of arrears and signals renewed political backing for a country still rebuilding from conflict and climate shocks. The decision was taken in Cairo during the League’s 164th session of permanent representatives, Somali officials said Tuesday. Somalia’s Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to…

Ghana's Cost-Cutting Measures Ahead of the UN General Assembly As the world prepares to gather for the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, Ghana's government is taking a distinctly cautious approach, urging its officials to temper their travel plans. In a recent directive from Julius Debra, the Chief of Staff to President John Mahama, stringent guidelines have been put forth regarding attendance at the event, a move framed as part of the nation's broader cost-cutting strategy dubbed "Resetting…

The Fall of Chief Justice Torkonoo: A Watershed Moment for Ghana's Judiciary In a significant turn of events in Ghana's political landscape, President John Mahama has officially dismissed Chief Justice Gertrude Torkonoo following a thorough investigation into alleged misconduct. This dramatic decision, marked by controversy and debate, highlights the intricate interplay between politics and judicial integrity in the West African nation. A Historical Precedent Torkonoo’s removal is not just a procedural event; it signifies…

Prominent elder slain in Somalia’s Gedo region as tensions simmer along border Attack in Beled Hawo A prominent community elder and local council member was shot dead late Monday in Beled Hawo, a hard-to-govern border town in Somalia’s Gedo region where political strain and armed groups have frayed the edges of daily life. Residents identified the victim as Aden Mohamud Buurdhubo, a respected figure known for mediating disputes and pushing for calm in a place that often runs on uneasy truces. Gunmen opened fire under cover…