Somalia

Uganda and Somalia tighten security ties after joint gains against al‑Shabaab A Kampala meeting with eyes on intelligence, training, and the front lines Kampala—Somalia and Uganda have moved to deepen their security partnership after a fresh battlefield gain in southern Somalia, with both governments framing the moment as a chance to accelerate counterterrorism coordination in the Horn of Africa. On Tuesday in Kampala, Somalia’s Minister of Internal Security, Gen. Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag, met Uganda’s Minister of…

Somalia’s Fragile Federal Compact Tested Again as Jubaland Rift Deepens When Cabdirashiid Janan, once Jubaland’s security minister and now describing himself as the intelligence chief for Gedo, stood before supporters in Beled-Hawo this week and declared that the federal government had been “defeated” in Lower Juba, he did more than score a rhetorical point. He crystallised a slow-burning crisis at the heart of Somalia’s experiment with federalism — a contest over territory, revenue and the meaning of sovereignty that is…

Somalia’s Quiet Test of Federalism: A New State’s Speaker Knocks on Mogadishu’s Door In the thick summer heat of Mogadishu, a meeting that might have gone unnoticed told a larger story about where Somalia’s fragile federal experiment may be heading. On Tuesday, Abdullahi Ali Hirsi Timacadde, the Second Deputy Speaker of Somalia’s Upper House, hosted Dr. Adan Abdullahi Aw-Hassan, the Speaker of the North Eastern State Parliament, for talks that were part ceremony, part signal, and all politics. The official readout was…

Security lapse exposed as Al‑Shabaab storms NISA detention centre near Mogadishu’s seat of power MOGADISHU — Grainy, extended video footage verified by Somali security agencies has revealed how Al‑Shabaab militants slipped into the capital and mounted a daring raid on Godka Jilacow, a detention facility run by the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), underscoring fresh questions about gaps in urban security and the growing sophistication of the Islamist group. The footage, circulated by state media and checked…

Analysis: Somalia bets on Swahili to anchor its East African future In Mogadishu this week, amid tight security and a self-assured regional mood, Somalia’s president reached for a tool as old as nation-building itself: language. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said his government will speed up the introduction of Swahili into Somalia’s schools and universities, a decision aimed squarely at deepening the country’s new place inside the East African Community (EAC). “The Somali National University, along with all Somali…

Stalled talks in Kismayo expose a deeper crisis for Somalia’s unity and security KISMAYO — A week of chest‑thumping and handshakes in this southern port city has done little to resolve the core question that has shadowed Somalia since the collapse of central authority three decades ago: who truly speaks for the places that sit on the line between clan, commerce and the state? President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s visit to Kismayo and his face‑to‑face with Jubaland strongman Ahmed Islam Mohamed Madobe produced the ritual…

Puntland State’s opposition rejects reported North Western State of Somalia understanding — and the political ground shifts In Garowe, the political heart of Puntland State, four opposition parties walked into a hastily called meeting and walked out with a message sharper than usual for Somalia’s notoriously tempered political language: whatever “understanding” was reportedly reached between Puntland State and neighboring North Western State of Somalia, they want no part of it. The parties — Ifiye, Mustaqbal, Mideeye, and…

Kenya’s quiet diplomacy in Kismayo underscores fragile balance between Mogadishu and Jubaland KISMAYO — When a federal delegation led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud traveled to Kismayo this month for talks with Jubaland’s leaders, the public language that followed was notably measured. Jubaland’s presidency thanked Kenya for its “constructive efforts” in facilitating the discussions, and Jubaland president Ahmed Mohamed Islam — better known as Ahmed Madobe — spoke of dialogue, compromise and unity. But the absence of an…

In Puntland State’s Cal-Miskaad, a puncture wound to ISIS — and a reminder of unfinished war BOSASO, Somalia — For nearly a year, Puntland State’s counterterrorism forces have methodically pushed into the mazelike caves and dry riverbeds of the Cal‑Miskaad Mountains, chipping away at an ISIS presence that once projected violence across Somalia’s northeastern corridor. This weekend’s operation — which local commanders say captured two key spring sites and netted a foreign fighter — is being framed in Puntland State as proof…

Libya’s offshore revival: Eni and the NOC return after a five‑year pause — but stability remains the real prize Libya’s state oil company announced this weekend that seismic surveys and geological work have resumed in several northwestern offshore blocks, marking the first time exploration operations by Italy’s Eni have been active in those waters in more than five years. The move, NOC officials said, follows technical and environmental assessments and is presented as part of a broader plan to “increase production capacity…