West-Africa

Wednesday April 22, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Tuesday opened the new headquarters of the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources in Mogadishu, presenting the move as part of a broader drive to modernize state institutions and improve public services. At the inauguration, Barre said the new facility would give the ministry stronger institutional backing and better support its work as the government moves to expand access to basic services. “This modern building, equipped to meet the needs…

Wednesday April 22, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Tuesday inaugurated the start of a new Curriculum Development Center in Mogadishu, a project aimed at raising education standards and helping modernize Somalia’s school system. At the ceremony, Barre подчеркнул that education sits at the heart of Somalia’s long-term recovery, describing it as a major force behind economic growth and national stability. He said the government is pressing ahead with reforms designed to strengthen learning…

In a strategic shift within the Federal Executive Council, President Bola Tinubu has announced a minor Cabinet reshuffle that will impact key economic and housing roles. As part of this reorganization, Tinubu has removed Wale Edun from his position as Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, alongside Ahmed Dangiwa, who has stepped down as Minister of Housing and Urban Development. Edun will transition his responsibilities to Taiwo Oyedele, who previously held the role of Minister of State in the…

Tuesday April 21, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) – Somalia’s Northeastern State has lodged a formal complaint with the federal government, accusing a senior United Nations official of interfering with development work and violating key humanitarian principles. In a letter dated Tuesday and sent to senior federal ministers, the regional Ministry of Planning and Development said the conduct of George Conway, the U.N. Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, runs…

Former President of Senegal, Macky Sall, has asserted that achieving lasting global peace hinges on addressing the persistent issues of poverty, inequality, and social exclusion. As he positions himself as a contender to replace UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Sall's insights come just ahead of a public inquiry at the United Nations headquarters in New York this week. Introduced in 2016, the public Q&A format aims to foster transparency during the selection process. Nonetheless, the final authority to appoint the…

Tuesday April 21, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Iran on Tuesday sharply criticized Israel’s decision to appoint an ambassador to North Western State of Somalia, accusing Israel of violating international law and undermining Somalia’s territorial integrity as tensions deepen over the breakaway region. In remarks released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the move ran afoul of the United Nations Charter and amounted to an affront to Somalia’s sovereignty. “This unauthorized measure is in blatant…

The Nigerian government has officially charged a number of retired senior military officers in connection with an alleged coup attempt aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu. The accused appeared before a Federal High Court in Abuja, facing a serious 13-count indictment that includes conspiring to "levy war against the state." Reports suggest that the conspirators planned to invade the Presidential Villa, seize control of the government, and imprison President Tinubu along with other senior officials. This intricate…

The military government has escalated its crackdown on civil society, recently dissolving 118 organizations, with many focusing on human rights advocacy. The authorities have invoked a law regarding freedom of association enacted in July 2025, yet they have provided little justification beyond ambiguous claims of noncompliance. This latest move is part of a larger pattern of repression that emerged following the military coup in September 2022. Since that takeover, the regime has systematically targeted non-governmental…

Tuesday April 21, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s constitutional watchdog has moved to force a long-simmering political question into the open, telling cabinet ministers who also sit in parliament that they must give up one of their posts. In a statement released Monday, the Independent Constitutional Review and Implementation Commission (ICRIC) said the instruction is grounded in the new federal constitution, which requires a strict separation between the executive and legislative branches. According to the commission, no…

Tuesday April 21, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia has entered into a cooperation agreement with China aimed at broadening the use of satellite technology in national development, a move that signals the country’s growing ambitions in the fields of space and data systems. The memorandum of understanding was signed at the NewSpace Africa Conference 2026 in Libreville by Somalia’s Department of Space and Satellite, which operates under the Ministry of Communications and Technology, and China’s Land Satellite Remote Sensing…