West-Africa

The aspirations of former Senegalese President Macky Sall to ascend to the role of UN Secretary-General have hit an impasse following the African Union's (AU) decision to withhold formal endorsement. On March 27, the AU announced that 20 out of its 55 member nations either opposed Sall's candidacy or sought an extension on the tightly constrained 24-hour deadline. Djiby Sow, a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), emphasized that this outcome does not reflect discord among African nations. Instead,…

Monday April 6, 2026 Türkiye is pushing back hard against an online attempt to tie it to the downing of a U.S. F-15 fighter jet over Iran, with the country’s official anti-disinformation body saying the claims are part of a broader campaign to draw Ankara into the war. The Directorate of Communication’s Center for Combating Disinformation dismissed allegations that Turkish air-defense systems shot down a U.S. F-15 and that Ankara is arming Iran with advanced anti-aircraft and UAV missiles. In a statement on…

Wednesday April 8, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A fresh political row has broken out over seat HOP204 in Somalia’s House of the People after incumbent lawmaker Isaaq Ali Subag said the post was put to vote while he was still serving in office and had never stepped down. The indirect election, held Tuesday in Baidoa, produced Minister of Ports and Maritime Transport Abdulqadir Mohamed Nur Jama as the winner with 96 votes from delegates. But the result has quickly raised questions about whether the seat was properly declared vacant…

Wednesday April 8, 2026 IDP mother and her children find shelter in IDP camp/File Photo A fresh wave of fighting in southern Somalia’s Bay region has driven thousands of families — including people already uprooted before — into parched rural communities where food, safe water and shelter are in painfully short supply. Gudey Abdullahi Malin, a mother of eight, told Radio Ergo that she fled her home in Baidoa with her children after violence broke out in her area in late March. She is now living in Buula Gedisoy village,…

Arturo Chang Wednesday April 8, 2026 Najib Warsame says Somali asylum claimants often spend months unable to work as they wait for their immigration claims to be processed. (Submitted by Najib Warsame) A hard-line immigration push in the United States is sending more Somalis to Manitoba in search of asylum, according to a Winnipeg refugee advocate who says anxiety in the community has risen sharply. Najib Warsame said many of the people he has recently assisted came to the province after feeling targeted by U.S. President…

Wednesday April 8, 2026 Garowe (AX) — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni on Tuesday sharply criticized Somalia’s federal government, accusing it of pursuing a course that would erode the country’s federal model and concentrate power in Mogadishu. Addressing residents in Qardho district, Deni pointed to comments attributed to Sheikh Ali Wajiis, an adviser to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, saying they amounted to a push for the federal government to take direct control of regional states — a move he described as…

Wednesday April 8, 2026 Addis Ababa (AX) — Somalia has secured a place on the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) for the first time since the body was created in 2003, a diplomatic breakthrough that signals the country’s rising profile on the continent. Somalia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union, Abdullahi Warfaa, hoisted the Somali flag at the council’s headquarters on Tuesday, marking the start of Somalia’s responsibilities during the 2026–2028 term. Government officials described the moment as a…

Tuesday April 7, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday night convened a high-level security meeting in Baidoa, just days after mortar fire hit the city’s airport soon after his arrival. The session brought together senior military and security officials and centered on efforts to calm the Southwest region after a period of political turbulence and mounting security risks. According to officials, the president was briefed in detail on plans to step up operations against al-Shabab, improve…

Will XavierTuesday April 7, 2026 An Iranian-flagged dhow that had been seized off Somalia’s coast has been freed after sustained pressure from EU naval forces, with the vessel now back under control and its crew accounted for, Operation Atalanta said. The Alwaseemi was hijacked on March 24, roughly 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, according to the mission. A warship and other Atalanta assets kept the fishing boat under close watch in the days that followed. "The pirates left the fishing vessel as a result of the…

Tuesday April 7, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Somalia’s Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission has set April 28 as the date for elections to the Southwest State House of Representatives and 11 district local councils, opening the way for the region to choose a president and lawmakers through a one-person, one-vote system within 45 days. Commission chairman Abdikarim Ahmed Hassan announced the schedule Monday in Baidoa, framing the ballot as a major milestone in widening public participation and strengthening…