Somalia

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday it has uncovered more than a million additional documents potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein case, delaying a congressionally mandated release of records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act as officials review the material for legally required redactions. In a social media post, the department said the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI informed Justice officials of the trove, prompting DOJ lawyers to “work around the clock”…

UNITED NATIONS — Somalia is set to assume the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council in January 2026, a move widely seen as a significant diplomatic milestone that underscores the country’s growing role in global decision-making. For the monthlong term, Somalia will steer the council’s work: setting agendas, presiding over high-stakes sessions, and guiding debates on international peace and security. The role places Mogadishu at the center of the world’s most powerful diplomatic forum, where the daily…

UNITED NATIONS — Somalia is set to assume the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council at the start of January 2026, a milestone seen by diplomats as a sign of the country’s growing voice in global security debates and multilateral diplomacy. The monthlong presidency will place Somalia at the center of the council’s work. The presiding member sets the program of work, chairs meetings, steers discussions and can convene high-level debates on urgent threats to international peace and security. While the role…

Somali president urges turnout as Mogadishu holds first one-person, one-vote local polls in more than 50 years MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday night urged Mogadishu residents to fully participate in Thursday’s one-person, one-vote local council elections, calling the vote a milestone in the country’s state-building and democratic recovery as polls opened across the capital’s 16 districts. In a nationally televised address, Mohamud framed the elections as a defining moment in the restoration of…

Mogadishu’s municipal elections are more than a local contest; they are a stress test for Somalia’s long-promised transition from elite bargaining to citizen-driven governance. If they hold, they could become the clearest step yet toward the country’s first direct national elections in more than half a century. For decades, Somalia’s political order has been defined by indirect electoral arrangements and power-sharing formulas negotiated among clans and political elites. Those frameworks helped stabilize a state battered by…

Tragic Mosque Explosion in Maiduguri During evening prayers, an explosion in a mosque in Maiduguri, Borno state, led to the deaths of several worshippers. This tragic event has raised alarms about the insurgency in the region. Incident occurred at a mosque in the city's Gamboru market. Witnesses reported a suspected bombing during evening prayers. Conflicting reports on the death toll, with estimates between seven and eight dead. Details of the Attack The explosion took place as worshippers gathered for…

Somalia’s khat bill: How a daily airlift of mira to Mogadishu drains a fragile economy Somalia’s dependence on khat—known locally as qaad and as mira in Kenya—has evolved from a social habit into a structural economic liability. Official statements tabled in Kenya’s National Assembly on December 3, 2025, show just how lopsided the trade has become: Somalia is Kenya’s largest export destination for mira, accounting for more than 95 percent of Kenya’s total mira export volume. The crop supports an estimated 110,000 Kenyan…

Somali capital holds first direct elections in 57 years MOGADISHU — Voters in Somalia’s capital cast ballots Thursday in municipal elections billed as a pivotal step toward the country’s first nationwide direct vote since 1969, underscoring a gradual shift away from two decades of indirect power-sharing. The East African nation last held direct elections shortly before Mohamed Siad Barre seized power in a 1969 coup. Following Barre’s ouster in 1991 and years of civil war, Somalia adopted an indirect electoral system in 2004…

Somali president opens door to talks as Mogadishu holds first one-person, one-vote polls in decades Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says “all doors are open” for dialogue with opposition over Somalia’s electoral process Banadir Regional Council elections mark Mogadishu’s first direct vote in more than 50 years Citywide lockdown and flight suspensions imposed as security forces secure polling MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud pledged open dialogue with opposition leaders on Thursday and hailed Mogadishu’s…

Somalia’s 2026/2027 elections: a state-saving blueprint, not a power struggle Somalia is approaching a constitutional cliff with the 2026/2027 electoral cycle. There is no agreed framework, no final roadmap and little time before current mandates reach their limits. The risk is not only delay, but paralysis: a vacuum that invites fragmentation, corrodes institutions and erodes public trust. The imperative now is to treat the coming vote as a state-saving exercise — designed to preserve legitimacy, not simply to deliver…