By  OMAR FARUKWednesday June 10, 2026 A scene of celebration greeted Somalia’s Omar Artan on Wednesday when the World Cup referee, blocked from entering the United States, landed in Mogadishu to applause, cheers and Somali flags. Artan said he still intends to reach the next World Cup and urged young Somalis to stand tall and be proud of their nation. Artan had been poised to become the first referee from Somalia to work at a World Cup after earning a place on FIFA’s final tournament list. Already regarded as one of…

By  OMAR FARUKWednesday June 10, 2026 When Omar Artan stepped off the plane in Mogadishu on Wednesday, he was met not as a disappointed official but as a national symbol — a Somali World Cup referee whose journey to football’s biggest stage had been abruptly halted by the United States. Artan, who had been poised to become the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after landing on FIFA’s final tournament list, told the cheering crowd in Somalia’s capital that his dream was far from over. A leading figure in…

By  OMAR FARUK and GERALD IMRAYWednesday June 10, 2026 A journey that was supposed to lift Somalia onto the World Cup stage has instead ended at a Miami airport, where referee Omar Artan was turned away, then removed from FIFA’s tournament roster. Artan, set to become the first referee from Somalia to work a World Cup after earning a place on FIFA’s final list announced two months ago, arrived with rare distinction. Widely regarded as one of Africa’s elite officials, he was named the continent’s best male referee in 2025.…

Wednesday June 10, 2026 Mandera (AX) — Two people were killed and another left badly injured on Monday after what police described as a suspected cross-border militia raid in Mandera County, close to the Kenya-Somalia frontier. Police said in a report that about 10 heavily armed militia fighters, believed to have come in from Somalia, stormed Elgolicha village at around 3 a.m. and began shooting at residents. Police said the attackers, armed with assault rifles, killed 82-year-old Abdo Ali Gole, who was identified as a…

Somalia’s foreign relations are being driven by a mix of security cooperation, maritime and counter-terrorism support, and efforts to manage regional tensions. The United States and European Union have long backed Somalia’s national forces and maritime safety, while neighboring countries and regional blocs focus on peace processes and conflict prevention across the Horn of Africa. Below is a factual explainer of the main channels of diplomacy and cooperation, and the points where they often intersect—especially around…

Rwandan troops and the M23 armed group carried out a sweeping campaign of abuses in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Human Rights Watch alleged, citing forced recruitment, arbitrary detention, torture, and killings of civilians and captured fighters between mid-2024 and December 2025. In a 78-page report, the group said thousands of people — including children as young as 12 — were seized across North and South Kivu and transported to detention and training camps in Rumangabo and Tshanzu. Detainees were subjected to…

The United States is providing critical health assistance, albeit with a significant caveat: broad access to surveillance data and rights to pathogen samples for pharmaceutical development, according to a recent assessment by Human Rights Watch. This evaluation scrutinizes seven bilateral health agreements established in late 2025 with Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Liberia, and Uganda. These agreements have sparked substantial concerns regarding the potential misuse of individuals' private health…

Zimbabwe is once again in the spotlight over workers’ rights after the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) added the country to its watch list in the 13th edition of the Global Rights Index, a report that documents labour-rights violations around the world. In its assessment, the ITUC groups Zimbabwe among countries where labour conditions are deteriorating, pointing to what it describes as a rollback of workers’ rights fuelled by state harassment, arbitrary arrests of trade unionists, and limits on collective…

Mohamed Gabobe, MogadishuSunday June 7, 2026 Fighters from the Union of Islamic Courts took control of Mogadishu in June 2006 For Yusuf Ali, the sounds of Mogadishu’s past have never really gone away. The 34-year-old shopkeeper still lives with the memories of being drawn into Somalia’s insurgency as a child soldier, fighting in the streets of the capital while the city around him descended into ruin. As Mogadishu gradually rebuilds, the psychological wounds left by years of war remain largely untreated. Few services are…

Sunday June 7, 2026 Addis Ababa (AX) — Somalia’s ambassador to Ethiopia says Mogadishu is determined to extend federal authority across every part of Somali territory, including Hargeisa and Berbera, as tensions flare again over North Western State of Somalia’s disputed status. Speaking to Al Jazeera this week, Ambassador Abdullahi Mohamed Warfa said the federal government is rebuilding state institutions and bolstering the national army so that federal authority can reach all regions of the country. “Northern Somalia is…