Somalia

Somalia braces for a decisive political test as May 10 approaches, with the country’s leadership, opposition and international partners all watching a meeting that could shape the next phase of its transition. MOGADISHU — As the four-year term of Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud nears its end, the spotlight has shifted to May 10, a date many now view as critical to the country’s political future. Mohamud has officially invited members of a national consultative forum to a high-level meeting set for that day. The…

Sunday May 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s opposition leaders say the country is drifting into dangerous political territory, warning that an approaching electoral transition could trigger a constitutional showdown. At a press conference in Mogadishu on Saturday, the politicians said they had spent recent days consulting widely with traditional elders, scholars, women, young people, media figures, and civil society activists about the country’s political climate and the road to elections. “We agreed to safeguard the…

Sunday May 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — With his term set to expire in less than two weeks, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called members of the Somali Future Council to a high-level meeting in Mogadishu on May 10, 2026, as political friction deepens over the country’s next steps. In a statement released Saturday, the presidency said the invitation came after the president consulted with a range of social groups in recent days. The planned gathering is expected to examine major national issues, among them Somalia’s…

MOGADISHU, Somalia 3 May 2026 – As Somalia observes World Press Freedom Day, journalists across the country and in North Western State of Somalia say they are working under growing threats and constraints, with reporters increasingly targeted as the nation navigates political uncertainty and electoral tensions. Operating already amid severe challenges, media workers in Somalia and North Western State of Somalia are reporting a rise in arbitrary arrests, threats and intimidation by state actors. That pressure has fostered a…

Saturday May 2, 2026 A Filipino pilgrim presents her paperwork at immigration at Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah late on Thursday. (SPA) MADINAH: The first Hajj flights from the Philippines, Algeria, Somalia and Morocco touched down on Thursday at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, marking the start of inbound pilgrim arrivals as the kingdom steps up preparations for the annual pilgrimage, the Saudi Press Agency reported. According to SPA, the…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called the Somali Future Council to a meeting in Mogadishu on May 10, according to a statement released by the presidency on Saturday. The invitation comes after several weeks of consultations between the president and different sectors of Somali society, and the proposed session is expected to tackle some of the country’s most pressing political questions. In the statement, the presidency said the discussions will focus on speeding up state-building efforts,…

By Daniel Tari and News AgenciesSaturday May 2, 2026 Pirates appear to be exploiting a widening security gap in the region, with officials saying patrols in the Red Sea have been stretched by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the diversion of commercial shipping lanes. Somalia maritime police from PMPF patrol in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of semi-autonomous Puntland State State in Somalia Yemen’s Coast Guard said on Saturday that it is trying to track down an oil tanker seized off the country’s coast and now…

New UNICEF Child Alert warns violence, hunger, and displacement are once again defining childhood in one of Sudan's most conflict-affected regions PORT SUDAN/NEW YORK/GENEVA, 28 April 2026 - Two decades after Darfur first became a global humanitarian alarm, children in the region are once again engulfed by widespread violence, hunger and displacement — and international attention and aid remain far more limited, UNICEF warned in a new Child Alert released today. Titled "Darfur: 20 Years On,…

Saturday May 2, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s labour movement marked International Labour Day in Mogadishu on Saturday with a gathering of more than 1,000 people, turning the occasion into a public display of worker solidarity and shared purpose. The commemoration was hosted by the Federation of Somali Trade Unions, with backing from the International Labour Organization, and formed part of the National Conference on Employment-Intensive Investment and Decent Work. Senior government officials, labour representatives, and…

NATO is reviewing the United States’s plan to pull roughly 5,000 troops out of Germany, as friction over the war in Iran deepens between Washington and its European allies. In a statement on Saturday, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said the alliance is “working with the US to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany”, with the Pentagon saying the process is expected to take six to 12 months. The proposed reduction lands against a backdrop of sharpened tensions between US President Donald Trump and…