Somalia

Somalia signals deeper AU security role at Addis Ababa defense summit ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Somalia joined African Union defense and security talks this week in Addis Ababa, underscoring a bid to move from recipient of assistance to contributor in shaping the continent’s collective response to rising threats. Deputy Defense Minister Omar Ali Abdi led Somalia’s delegation to the 17th Ordinary Session of the African Union’s Specialized Technical Committee on Defense, Safety and Security at AU headquarters. The forum convened…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Al-Shabaab insurgents have released a new video showing Oleynik Aleksandr, a Ukrainian national and helicopter pilot held by the group since early 2024, appealing to the Ukrainian government and the United Nations to launch talks for his release and that of fellow crew members. The footage features Aleksandr identifying himself as the captain of a United Nations–contracted helicopter that made an emergency landing in militant-held territory in January 2024 while en route to Wisil, near Ceelbuur, in…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A man believed to be a Somali National Army soldier shot and killed a rickshaw operator in Mogadishu’s Dayniile district on Sunday night before fleeing the scene, according to local witnesses and family members. The victim was identified by relatives as Abdirisaq Abuukar Mohamud. He was shot in the Barwaqo area of Dayniile, witnesses said. The assailant, described as wearing a military uniform, escaped while firing sporadly as he fled. Family members accused the gunman of an unprovoked killing and said…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Several Somali political organizations have rejected the National Electoral Commission’s announcement that 20 groups are registered for the December 25 local council elections in the Banadir region, accusing the commission of violating electoral law and operating under political influence. Representatives from the organizations told reporters in Mogadishu on Sunday that five rounds of talks with the National Electoral Commission (NEC) “ended in vain,” arguing the body lacks the independence required to…

MOGADISHU — Several Somali political organizations said they are not part of the 20 groups the National Electoral Commission (NEC) has listed for the December 25 local council elections in Banadir region, alleging violations of electoral law and undue government influence over the process. Representatives of the organizations spoke at a Sunday press conference in Mogadishu, warning that the dispute threatens to derail the first-phase vote in the capital. “Five rounds of talks with the commission ended in vain because there…

MOGADISHU — Jubbaland’s Darwish forces launched a sweeping security operation Saturday in the town of Qooqaani in Somalia’s Lower Jubba region, targeting areas used by Al-Shabab and working to secure key routes linking the town to surrounding districts, regional officials said. Security chief Mahmoud Adan Hassan Gaaboow, who directed the mission, said troops searched access roads and nearby settlements that have served as transit points for the militant group. The operation is intended to curb ambushes and roadside…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Al-Shabaab has released a video showing a Ukrainian helicopter pilot contracted by the United Nations pleading for his freedom, in one of the group’s most prominent hostage appeals involving a foreign national in recent years. In the footage distributed by al-Shabaab’s Kataib media arm, the pilot identifies himself as Oleynik Aleksandr and says he was captured after an emergency landing in central Somalia in January 2024, in territory controlled by the militant group. Addressing the camera directly, he…

Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting kills 15; Albanese condemns ‘antisemitic terrorism’ SYDNEY — Two gunmen opened fire during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday evening, killing 15 people — including a child — and wounding dozens more in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an act of antisemitic terrorism. Authorities said the attackers were a father and son. A 50-year-old man was shot dead by police and his 24-year-old son was wounded and hospitalized, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon…

MOGADISHU (AX) — Somalia’s House of the People on Saturday completed the first reading of a sweeping police reform bill that would overhaul the legal framework guiding the Somali Police Force, signaling a new phase in efforts to modernize the country’s security institutions and strengthen rule of law. The session — the 21st meeting of the chamber’s seventh sitting — brought lawmakers into a structured review of the draft’s core provisions, which aim to tighten police governance and clarify chains of command and operational…

Raphinha brace sends Barcelona seven clear as Atletico keep pace; Mallorca climb, Girona stun Real Sociedad FC Barcelona opened up a seven-point lead over Real Madrid in La Liga with a 2-0 win against Osasuna on Saturday night, a result powered by a late Raphinha burst and framed by slips and surges elsewhere in the league. Atletico Madrid stayed in the title conversation with a gritty home win over Valencia, Mallorca eased relegation fears at Elche’s expense, and Viktor Tsygankov’s dramatic double lifted Girona out of the…