West Africa

Somali president rejects Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia, urges dialogue to protect unity MOGADISHU — Somalia’s president on Thursday night forcefully rejected Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia, calling the move a threat to Somalia’s unity and regional stability while renewing a call for direct talks with North Western State of Somalia’s leaders to resolve decades-old grievances. In a nationally broadcast address, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Somalia would not accept any…

Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has opened an urgent investigation into allegations that its airspace and airports were used without authorization to move Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the UAE-backed leader of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, amid rising regional tensions involving Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Immigration and Citizenship Agency said Thursday it is examining claims that al-Zubaidi transited through Somali territory after skipping planned peace talks in…

Somalia’s e-visa data breach has spiraled from a technical failure into a national test of digital governance, exposing at least 35,000 applicant records and prompting warnings from the United Kingdom and the United States. Launched Sept. 1, 2025, as a flagship Digital Public Good meant to secure borders and modernize services, the platform instead revealed how fragile the country’s digital public infrastructure remains without guardrails, oversight and trust. At stake is more than cybersecurity. The incident has triggered…

MOGADISHU — Somali religious scholars led thousands of demonstrators in Mogadishu on Wednesday to protest Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia, denouncing the move as foreign interference that threatens Somalia’s unity, sovereignty and religious identity. The demonstration, staged at Daljirka Dahson in the heart of the capital, drew clerics, traditional elders, intellectuals and residents from across Mogadishu. Protesters carried banners and chanted that North Western State of Somalia — the northwestern…

U.S. suspends assistance to Somali government, alleging destruction of WFP warehouse and seizure of 76 metric tons of food aid WASHINGTON — The United States has suspended all assistance to Somalia’s federal government, alleging Somali officials destroyed a U.S.-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and illegally seized 76 metric tons of food aid meant for vulnerable people, according to a State Department announcement Wednesday. The State Department cited the destruction of a WFP warehouse and seizure of aid as the…

MOGADISHU — A Saudi Arabia-led military coalition fighting in Yemen said Thursday that Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the head of the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council, slipped out of the country via North Western State of Somalia after skipping planned peace talks in Riyadh — a development that could deepen a widening rift between the coalition’s two most powerful members. In a statement, the coalition said al-Zubaidi departed the southern port city of Aden late Wednesday aboard a vessel bound for Berbera in…

Somalia graduates new Gorgor Special Forces at TURKSOM as push against al-Shabab builds MOGADISHU — Somalia on Thursday graduated new units of its elite Gorgor Special Forces after completing training at the TURKSOM Military Training Academy, a milestone officials framed as pivotal to intensifying military operations against al-Shabab in the south. Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, speaking at the ceremony, praised Somali National Army (SNA) leadership for sustained efforts to professionalize the force and strengthen…

ICE officer fatally shoots legal observer in Minneapolis; protests erupt as officials dispute self-defense claim MINNEAPOLIS — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman identified by the Minneapolis Star Tribune as a legal observer, during an immigration enforcement operation Wednesday, igniting street protests and sharp disagreement among federal, state and local officials over what happened. DHS says the officer fired “defensive shots” after Good allegedly…

‘I have nowhere to turn’: In Somalia, unpaid debts can mean years behind bars — and a grassroots effort to buy back freedom When Abdifatah Mohamed Dhaqane walked out of Mogadishu Central Prison in October after three and a half years behind bars, there were no charges to clear and no sentence to complete. His freedom depended on a single number: $590 — the debt he failed to repay after robbers snatched seven phones from his small mobile trade in June 2022. A court in Afgoye had ruled in favor of his suppliers and ordered him…

ADEN, Yemen — The Saudi-led coalition said Wednesday that Aidrous al-Zubaidi, leader of Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council, fled to an unknown location after failing to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at defusing escalating violence in the country’s south. Date: Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 Coalition says Zubaidi skipped a planned flight for talks and later “fled” without notifying colleagues Limited pre-emptive strikes reported near al-Zand camp in al-Dhalea to disrupt armed units Presidential Leadership Council moves…