Somalia

Arturo Chang Wednesday April 8, 2026 Najib Warsame says Somali asylum claimants often spend months unable to work as they wait for their immigration claims to be processed. (Submitted by Najib Warsame) A hard-line immigration push in the United States is sending more Somalis to Manitoba in search of asylum, according to a Winnipeg refugee advocate who says anxiety in the community has risen sharply. Najib Warsame said many of the people he has recently assisted came to the province after feeling targeted by U.S. President…

Wednesday April 8, 2026 Garowe (AX) — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni on Tuesday sharply criticized Somalia’s federal government, accusing it of pursuing a course that would erode the country’s federal model and concentrate power in Mogadishu. Addressing residents in Qardho district, Deni pointed to comments attributed to Sheikh Ali Wajiis, an adviser to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, saying they amounted to a push for the federal government to take direct control of regional states — a move he described as…

Wednesday April 8, 2026 Addis Ababa (AX) — Somalia has secured a place on the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) for the first time since the body was created in 2003, a diplomatic breakthrough that signals the country’s rising profile on the continent. Somalia’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union, Abdullahi Warfaa, hoisted the Somali flag at the council’s headquarters on Tuesday, marking the start of Somalia’s responsibilities during the 2026–2028 term. Government officials described the moment as a…

Tuesday April 7, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday night convened a high-level security meeting in Baidoa, just days after mortar fire hit the city’s airport soon after his arrival. The session brought together senior military and security officials and centered on efforts to calm the Southwest region after a period of political turbulence and mounting security risks. According to officials, the president was briefed in detail on plans to step up operations against al-Shabab, improve…

Tuesday April 7, 2026 Gunfire erupted near the building that houses the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday, leaving three people dead and two police officers wounded, according to Turkish media reports. A Reuters video from the scene showed a police officer drawing a weapon and moving for cover as shots rang out. One person could be seen with blood on their clothing. According to Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, three people were involved in the shooting and were “eliminated” by Turkish police. Koseoglu said the consulate…

Somalia’s federal authorities and the semi-autonomous Puntland state have clashed repeatedly over who has the final say on governance, elections, and the wider constitutional direction of the country. The dispute has continued even as Somalia faces security threats from Al-Shabab and economic pressure across the region. At the core of the tension is a political question: whether federal institutions should lead reforms and national decision-making in a way Puntland believes must be treated as constitutional and agreed by…

Will XavierTuesday April 7, 2026 An Iranian-flagged dhow that had been seized off Somalia’s coast has been freed after sustained pressure from EU naval forces, with the vessel now back under control and its crew accounted for, Operation Atalanta said. The Alwaseemi was hijacked on March 24, roughly 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, according to the mission. A warship and other Atalanta assets kept the fishing boat under close watch in the days that followed. "The pirates left the fishing vessel as a result of the…

Jowhar, 07 April 2026 – Troops from the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) set up a medical camp in Jowhar today, bringing care directly to Hirshabelle communities as part of a drive to deepen ties through humanitarian action. The outreach at Jowhar Airfield provided medical services to people living in the Towfik Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp and residents of nearby villages. Medical staff from AUSSOM’s Burundian contingent staffed the Level 1 hospital and examined at least 20…

QARDHO, Somalia — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni on Tuesday accused Somalia’s federal government of trying to erode the country’s federal system, warning that proposals linked to officials around President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud could splinter the nation along regional lines. Addressing army officials in Qardho, Deni said comments attributed to presidential adviser Sheikh Ali Wajiis pointed to a plan in which the federal government would take direct control of Somalia’s regions, a course he said would amount to…

Berk Kutay GokmenTuesday April 7, 2026 President Donald Trump escalated his warning to Iran on Tuesday, saying “a whole civilization will die tonight” as the clock ticked down on his deadline for a ceasefire deal. “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “However, now that we have Complete and Total Regime Change, where different, smarter, and less radicalized minds prevail, maybe something…