Somalia

EU–AU human rights talks expose a shared crisis of civic space — and an urgent test of the partnership When civil society leaders stood before officials from the African Union and the European Union in Brussels on 7 October, their message was stark and unvarnished: the basic infrastructure of civic life — independent media, watchdog organisations, protest — is under pressure on both continents. For a gathering meant to stitch together cooperation across two sprawling political orders, the warning was less an appeal than a…

Kenya’s mediation frays as passports withdrawal exposes fragile balance in Somalia Nairobi’s attempt to broker a truce between Mogadishu and Jubaland has produced not a ceasefire but a fresh crisis — one that underlines how external actors, local strongmen and fragile federal institutions are reshaping Somalia’s political future. Hours after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud flew to Kismayo for high-stakes talks with Jubaland leader Ahmed “Madobe” Mohamed, Kenyan authorities reportedly revoked the travel documents of two…

Mustafa Omer and the Somali Region: A Debate That Mirrors Ethiopia’s Bigger Test On a breezy evening in Jigjiga, you still hear the word “isbeddel” — change — tossed around tea houses in the old quarter like a benediction and a warning. It’s the phrase that came to define Ethiopia’s Somali Region after 2018, when a feared security state gave way to an administration that promised to open space, lower voices, and put civilians at the center. Today, that promise — and the man who personified it, regional president Mustafa…

Somalia’s turn toward Kiswahili: a classroom move with regional reach MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal government has announced a policy shift that could reshape how the country talks to its neighbours: Kiswahili, the East African lingua franca, is to be introduced into the national school curriculum and promoted in Somali universities. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud framed the decision as part of a broader push toward regional integration. “The Somali National University, along with all Somali universities, must take the…

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…