West-Africa

Tuesday April 28, 2026 The third annual Somali Day at the Capitol drew together Somali community members, leaders and advocates in a show of unity at the State Capitol. The rally focused on major concerns facing Somali-Minnesotans, including education, access to healthcare, workforce development and civil rights, underscoring how those issues shape daily life across the community.

Tuesday April 28, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — North Western State of Somalia’s Guurti, the upper house of elders, has voted to extend the mandates of the local councils and the House of Representatives by 27 months, a decision that is expected to intensify arguments over the region’s election timetable and political direction. The measure passed on Tuesday with overwhelming support, as 71 of the 72 members present backed the extension. The move pushes the terms of the two institutions out by more than two years. Under North…

Tuesday April 28, 2026 Nairobi (AX) — A Kenyan court has authorized investigators to hold a Somali female political aspirant from Garissa County for 10 days as they pursue allegations of hate speech and incitement to violence, authorities said Monday. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said Bare Sahara Ahmed is being detained at Kilimani Police Station after the Chief Magistrate’s Court at Kahawa Law Courts in Nairobi approved the request. Investigators said the extra time is needed to examine digital material,…

Tuesday April 28, 2026 Sa’dia Moalim Ali, a Somali tuktuk driver at the centre of a political storm after her arrest during protests opposing evictions in Mogadishu. Mogadishu (AX) — Amnesty International is demanding the immediate and unconditional release of Sadia Moalim Ali, a 27-year-old tuk-tuk driver and social activist who has been held in Mogadishu since earlier this month without formal charges. Ali, widely known as “Sadia Bajaj,” was taken into custody on April 12 in Hodan district by officers from the National…

In a shocking incident, eight children are still unaccounted for following an armed assault on an unregistered orphanage in Kogi State. Kingsley Fanwo, the state's information commissioner, reported that 15 children were successfully rescued thanks to a "prompt and coordinated response" from security forces. While no group has officially claimed responsibility for this violent act, security officials suggest that a functional Boko Haram cell operates within the region, citing a history of violent incidents there. Fanwo…

Tuesday April 28, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — In a pointed appeal during a state dinner at the presidential palace on Monday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud pressed Somalia’s traditional elders to throw their weight behind universal suffrage as the country moves through a fraught political transition. The event brought together elders from across Somalia at a moment when debate over the voting system and the shape of future governance has become increasingly intense. Hassan Sheikh lauded the elders for their longstanding…

Tuesday April 28, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A new report handed to Somalia’s top human rights watchdog on Monday paints a stark picture of the pressures facing the country’s media, with the National Union of Somali Journalists warning that abuse of reporters remains widespread and rarely punished. NUSOJ presented its 2025 State of the Media Report to the National Independent Human Rights Commission (NIHRC), saying it had verified 72 violations of media freedom between January and December 2025. The union said the findings point…

Monday April 27, 2026   Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s political tensions deepened on Sunday after Senior Presidential Advisor on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism Abdullahi Mohamed Nor resigned, saying his departure stemmed from disagreements with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud over the country’s political course during a fraught transition. In a statement, Abdullahi said the split with the president reflected growing differences over how the government is managing the ongoing political process and the broader…

Monday April 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — North Western State of Somalia authorities say they have intercepted weapons they allege were shipped from abroad and meant to stir clan violence in the western regions of Awdal and Salal. Interior Minister Abdalle Mohamed Arab told North Western State of Somalia state media in an interview aired Sunday that the territory has been under persistent foreign pressure, especially since North Western State of Somalia gained diplomatic recognition. He said the alleged interference has taken…

Monday April 27, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — Israel has named its first ambassador to North Western State of Somalia, moving ahead with diplomatic ties months after becoming the first country to recognize the self-declared republic, the foreign ministry said Sunday. Michael Lotem, who currently serves as Israel’s roaming economic ambassador to Africa, will take up the post in North Western State of Somalia. He has previously represented Israel in Kenya, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Israel formally recognized North Western State of…