North Africa

Gaza City Braces for a New Offensive — and a New Test for the West On a sweltering August night in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, a blast ripped through the darkness and left seven Israeli soldiers wounded, the Israel Defense Forces said. The army rejected reports from Arab media that Hamas had tried to abduct soldiers in the chaos, but the exchange underscored what everyone here already knows: the next phase of this war is moving fast, and it is moving toward the heart of Gaza. Israel declared Gaza City a “dangerous…

Morocco edges Madagascar 3-2 to clinch CHAN 2024 crown in Kasarani thriller Morocco became champions of Africa’s home-based talent once again, outlasting Madagascar 3-2 in a breathless African Nations Championship (CHAN) final at Kasarani Stadium on August 30. In a match that swung like a metronome, the Atlas Lions twice surrendered a lead before Oussama Lamlioui’s late strike handed them their third CHAN title and a new piece of African football history. A final that swung like a pendulum The night began with a dart of…

Opinion | Mogadishu’s New Port Terminal Is a Bet on Trade, Trust, and a Different Future The cranes at Mogadishu’s seafront swung into motion this week with a confidence that felt new. Somalia inaugurated a modern container terminal—lifting capacity from roughly 150,000 to 250,000 twenty-foot equivalent units—and launched work on a new harbor headquarters to tighten management. For a city where the port once evoked images of conflict and relief shipments, the sight of fresh steel and bright paint is its own kind of…

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…

At least 70 dead after migrant boat capsizes off Mauritania; dozens feared missing Authorities in West Africa are counting the dead after a wooden boat packed with people attempting the Atlantic crossing toward Europe capsized off Mauritania, in one of the region’s deadliest maritime disasters in recent years. The Gambia’s foreign affairs ministry said late Friday that at least 70 bodies have been recovered and more than 30 others are feared dead. Only 16 passengers are known to have survived. The vessel, believed to have…

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…

Complex Web of Conflict: Sudan's Accusations Against Libya's Haftar In a dramatic escalation of ongoing regional tensions, the Sudanese army has accused forces loyal to Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar of attacking its border posts. This marks the first direct accusation against Libya in Sudan's tumultuous two-year conflict. Unraveling the Regional Tapestry The conflict in Sudan, primarily between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has frequently drawn in international actors with varying…

Somalia Defends Diplomatic Moves Amid Regional Tensions By Ali Musa Axadle Times International–Monitoring. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud shakes hands with UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan during a meeting in Mogadishu on August 27, 2025. CREDIT/ SONNA In the midst of a tempestuous geopolitical landscape, Somalia finds itself at the heart of swirling online discussions, with its recent diplomacy under intensified scrutiny. The arrival of notable delegations from…