Somalia

Political Heat, Border Anxiety: Who’s Really in Mandera? In the dusty markets and sparser stretches of Kenya’s northeastern frontier, a debate that began as a whisper has become a roar — and it is testing the fragile seam where local livelihoods, national politics and regional security meet. This week Nairobi dismissed claims that troops from Somalia’s Jubaland state were operating inside Mandera County, calling them “baseless rumours.” But the dispute has already deepened distrust between residents, county leaders and the…

Arrest of Puntland State Football Figure Deepens Rift in Somali Soccer Puntland State’s already fraught football politics spilled into public view on Saturday when security forces detained Mohamed Ali Isse, widely known as Ciiro, at Garowe’s airport as he prepared to board a flight out of the city. Authorities have not announced charges or publicly explained the arrest. Local outlets and football insiders say it may be tied to a leadership struggle inside the Puntland State Football Association, or to alleged political links…

Somalia says 12 al-Shabaab fighters killed in Galguduud raid as forces press pursuit toward El-Buur Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency said Friday it killed at least 12 al-Shabaab fighters, including what it described as senior figures, during a raid on a militant training site in the country’s central Galguduud region. The operation, conducted with unspecified international partners, also wounded 13 others and sent surviving militants fleeing toward the El-Buur district, according to the agency. What…

Abiy’s Red Sea Declaration Raises the Stakes in an Already Volatile Horn of Africa When Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared on national television that “the mistake made 30 years ago will be corrected tomorrow,” he was doing more than rekindling a long‑smoldering grievance about access to the sea. He was signaling a willingness to contest borders and partnerships in a part of the world where history, water and trade routes are tightly braided — and where small shifts can cascade into wider confrontation. Abiy’s…

Egypt prepares to join new African Union mission in Somalia after six-day assessment What happened In Mogadishu, on a humid Friday where the sea breeze barely cuts the dust, the African Union’s top envoy in Somalia closed the door on a week of quiet but significant diplomacy. Ambassador El Hadji Ibrahima Diene, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission and head of the AU Support Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), met an Egyptian military team at the end of its six-day visit — a final check…

Ethiopia’s Red Sea Gambit: Ambition, Anxiety and a Region on Edge For Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the Red Sea is no longer a distant horizon. In a televised interview on September 1, he cast the country’s lack of coastline—lost when Eritrea gained independence three decades ago—not as a historical fact but as a fixable error. “The mistake made 30 years ago will be corrected,” he said, adding that remaining “a prisoner of the land” had become an existential challenge for a nation of more than 120 million. The…

Guinea brush past Somalia in Kampala to keep 2026 World Cup push alive Guinea kept their World Cup dream humming on Friday with a professional 3–0 win over Somalia at Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, a tidy night’s work that moved the Syli National to 10 points and kept them within touching distance of Group G’s frontrunners as Africa’s qualifiers tilt into their decisive stretch. Serhou Guirassy struck early, an own goal midway through the second half doubled the cushion, and a stoppage-time tap-in from Ousmane Camara…

Historic Leap: Somalia's First Female Military Cadets Graduate MOGADISHU, Somalia — In a groundbreaking ceremony that reverberated through the hallways of history, Somalia welcomed its first-ever female military cadets. This significant event marks not just a military milestone but a powerful cultural shift within a nation long-encumbered by traditional patriarchal constraints. The graduation at a Turkish-run military academy epitomizes the slow yet inexorable march toward gender equality in Somalia—a journey many hope…

Puntland State’s Resilience: A New Dawn in the Fight Against ISIS MOGADISHU, Somalia — As the sun rises over the rugged landscapes of Puntland State, the echoes of a different kind of warfare resonate across the Al-Miskad Mountains. In recent weeks, the region has emerged as a frontline in the battle against ISIS, drawing both local and international attention. U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson has lauded Puntland State’s impressive strides in counterterrorism efforts, a move that could be a…

Somalia’s New Envoy to Damascus Signals a Calculated Bet on Arab Re‑engagement Somalia’s appointment of Abiib Muse Farah as ambassador to Syria is more than a personnel change. It’s a deliberate statement about where Mogadishu sees itself in a region tentatively stitching old ties back together. Farah presented his credentials in Damascus this week to Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Hassan al‑Shaybani, stepping into a post that had been nurtured back to life by acting ambassador Dahir Mohamud Muse. The move consolidates a…