Thursday June 4, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on Wednesday accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of turning the national army into a political tool, as fierce fighting continued to rage in parts of Mogadishu. At a news conference in the capital, Sharif said government troops had been deployed in large numbers around his home and surrounding neighborhoods ahead of opposition plans to stage protests on Thursday. He said peaceful protest is a constitutional right and cannot legally be…

Wednesday June 3, 2026 Bosaso (AX) — Puntland State security forces have detained a foreign ISIS fighter in the Calmiskaad mountains of the Bari region, officials said Wednesday, in a development they say reflects mounting pressure on the militant group. Gen. Mahmoud Jama Faadhigo, spokesman for Operation Calmiskaad, said the man was arrested in the Af-cas area after reportedly breaking away from an ISIS base in Shakaala. Faadhigo said the fighter, identified as a Yemeni national, told security personnel that he had spent…

Wednesday June 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Gunfire erupted Wednesday afternoon at Dabka junction in Mogadishu, where government forces exchanged fire with the security detail of former Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, just hours before opposition groups were set to stage demonstrations in the capital. Videos and photos circulating on social media showed what appeared to be intense shooting in the area. The number of casualties was not immediately known, and the federal government had not released an official account of…

Wednesday June 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Tensions in Somalia’s capital sharpened on Wednesday after a short but violent exchange of fire near Dabka junction, with police and former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire each accusing the other side as opposition demonstrations loomed just hours away. In a video posted to the Somali Police Force’s Facebook page, spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan said masked armed men targeted a police checkpoint where security personnel were deployed. He said the assailants were carrying heavy…

By Abdishakur Ali MireWednesday June 3, 2026 Somalia is again slipping into political uncertainty, this time driven by the continued failure to settle on a national electoral framework. Every four years, the country appears to relive the same cycle: political tension rises, institutions reach the end of their mandate, and disputes sharpen in the absence of a credible agreement on how elections should be conducted. At the heart of the crisis is the lack of a nationally endorsed electoral model capable of ending repeated…

Wednesday June 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Tensions erupted into gunfire in central Mogadishu on Wednesday, as Somali police and former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire exchanged accusations over a brief clash near Dabka junction just hours before opposition rallies were due to begin in the capital. Police spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan said in a video posted on the Somali Police Force’s Facebook page that masked armed men stormed a police checkpoint where security personnel were deployed. He said the assailants were carrying…

In a troubling turn of events, renowned Nollywood actor Emeka Ike has signaled his intention to pursue legal recourse following the unauthorized disclosure of his personal data from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal. The situation escalated when a senior aide to the Federal Capital Territory minister faced backlash for disclosing what seemed to be Ike's confidential voter information via an INEC webpage. On the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the aide, Lere Olayinka, scrutinized Ike's…

Wednesday June 3, 2026 Wajir, Kenya (AX) — Kenya’s Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on Tuesday said the Somali community in Kenya has secured political freedoms and openings that, he argued, were previously out of reach under President William Ruto’s administration. Addressing a gathering in Wajir County, Duale mounted a strong defense of Ruto’s approach to northern Kenya and to the Somali community, saying generations had faced discrimination in schooling, public sector jobs, access to identity documents and…

Wednesday June 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said Tuesday that opposition leaders will not accept any government attempt to confine planned anti-government protests to a single site in Mogadishu. Addressing a gathering of opposition politicians, Sharif argued that peaceful demonstration is protected by the constitution and that residents should be able to take to the streets throughout the capital. “The protest should take place wherever it can. The whole city should come out,” Sharif…

by STEPHEN ASTARIKOWednesday June 3, 2026 Health CS Aden Duale addressing residents of Maalimin, ladgera sub county./STEPHEN ASTARIKO Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has urged President William Ruto to reopen the Kenya-Somalia border and accelerate the tarmacking of the Garissa-Liboi road, arguing that both steps would unlock the economic promise of North Eastern Kenya. Speaking in Maalim Sub-County at the launch of a Mini-Grid project, Duale took the opportunity to deliver what he called a special appeal on behalf of…