West Africa

Somali opposition bloc says talks with federal government collapse as election deadline nears MOGADISHU — The Somali Future Council, an alliance aligned with the opposition, said Monday its high-level negotiations with the federal government ended without agreement after several days of talks at the Presidential Palace, intensifying political uncertainty as the mandates of federal institutions expire in three months. The discussions focused on elections and constitutional reform. In a statement, the council said it entered…

Somali Future Council says government talks collapse as election deadlines loom Opposition bloc alleges unilateral constitutional changes, exclusion of MPs, and pressure tactics; seeks electoral pact by April 14 MOGADISHU — Somalia’s opposition-aligned Somali Future Council said Monday that its high-level negotiations with the federal government ended without agreement, raising the stakes as mandates for federal institutions expire in three months. The talks, held over several days at the Presidential Palace in Mogadishu,…

At least 50 killed, women and children abducted in overnight attack on Zamfara village, authorities say ABUJA, Nigeria — Gunmen killed at least 50 people and abducted an unknown number of residents, including women and children, during an overnight attack on a village in northwestern Nigeria’s Zamfara State, authorities and residents said Friday. The assault began late Thursday and continued into Friday morning in Tungan Dutse village in the Bukkuyum area, where armed men on motorcycles set homes ablaze and seized residents…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s government on Monday condemned deadly attacks in Nigeria’s Zamfara state that killed more than 50 civilians and led to the abduction of women and children, expressing solidarity with Abuja and urging the “immediate and unconditional” release of all captives. More than 50 civilians were killed in Tungan Dutse, Bukkuyum area of Zamfara state, according to local authorities and residents. Armed men on motorcycles reportedly torched homes and abducted women and children. Somalia called for the…

Monday, February 23, 2026 HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia (AX) — North Western State of Somalia said it is prepared to grant the United States exclusive access to mineral resources and potentially host U.S. military bases, sharpening its bid for international recognition three decades after declaring independence from Somalia. In comments published Saturday by Agence France-Presse, North Western State of Somalia’s Minister of the Presidency, Khadar Hussein Abdi, said the territory is open to exclusive agreements…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government says al-Shabab is facing mounting financial strain after a string of operations that killed senior operatives overseeing the group’s revenue networks and a sustained push to dismantle its funding channels. State news agency SONNA reported Saturday, citing intelligence sources, that the al-Qaida-linked group is struggling to reconstitute income streams amid a coordinated financial offensive aimed at its economic backbone. Independent verification of the internal figures was…

Sunday, February 22, 2026 MOGADISHU — High-level talks between Somalia’s federal government and the opposition-aligned Somali Future Council resumed Sunday at Villa Somalia, with both sides still divided over the country’s electoral direction as current mandates near expiration. The meeting is part of an ongoing consultative conference launched last week to resolve disputes over elections and constitutional reform. The stakes are rising as political actors face pressure to agree on a roadmap that averts a constitutional…

Hargeisa — Former North Western State of Somalia President Muse Bihi Abdi has urged the current administration to publicly release the full text of its agreement with Israel, warning that any pact must be balanced and protect religious sensitivities as diplomatic tensions surge across the Horn of Africa. In remarks delivered this week in the North Western State of Somalia capital, Bihi said the government has not clarified the legal nature of its arrangement with Israel — whether it is a treaty, a memorandum of understanding…

Sunday February 22, 2026 HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia — Former North Western State of Somalia President Muse Bihi Abdi has urged the current administration to publicly disclose the terms of its agreement with Israel, pressing for transparency and caution over any provisions that could affect religion. Speaking in Hargeisa this week, Bihi said the government has yet to clarify the nature of the arrangement — whether it is a treaty, a memorandum of understanding or another form of legal agreement. “The government…

Opinion: Somalia should lead a Horn of Africa economic bloc built on connectivity corridors The Horn of Africa is at a hinge moment. After decades marked by fragmentation and instability, the region faces a practical imperative: build a regional economic bloc anchored in modern connectivity corridors or cede another generation to missed potential. For Somalia, whose Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden coastline sits astride one of the world’s busiest maritime routes, the choice is stark. With recent macroeconomic stabilization,…