Somalia

Somalia’s New Opposition Bloc Warns of ‘Red Lines’ as Federalism Wobbles NAIROBI — In a city that often hosts Somali politics in exile, a newly formed alliance of regional leaders and opposition figures gathered Wednesday and issued the sort of warning that lands with a thud in Mogadishu: Do not bend the country’s fragile constitutional order. Do not change the rules without consensus. Do not extend your mandate. And do not squeeze Somalia’s federal system until it breaks. Calling itself the Somali Future Council, the bloc…

Opinion/Analysis A pragmatic embrace: What Somalia’s deals with Algeria really mean On a crisp day in Algiers, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Algeria’s Abdelmadjid Tebboune signed a set of agreements that, on the surface, read like a conventional exercise in diplomacy: memorandums, scholarship pledges and cooperation pacts. But beneath the ritual of ceremonial pens and ministers exchanging folders there is a subtler story about how fragile, resource-rich states seek partners beyond the usual Western and…

EU warship seizes suspected pirate ‘mother ship’ off Somalia after tanker hijack; 24 crew freed unharmed A 30-hour standoff ends without casualties in the Western Indian Ocean European naval forces have captured an Iranian-flagged dhow believed to have served as a pirate “mother ship” in the hijacking of the oil products tanker Hellas Aphrodite, bringing a tense 30-hour standoff to a close and freeing all 24 crew members unharmed, officials said. Operation Atalanta, the European Union’s counter-piracy mission, said the dhow…

Why Sweden’s Quiet Mission in Somalia Matters MOGADISHU — This summer, small units of the Swedish Armed Forces arrived in Somalia. They are not the first foreign troops to set foot here, but their focus — training, advising and what militaries call “technical exploitation” — speaks to a shift in how European nations are choosing to engage with fragile states long shadowed by jihadist violence. “We were invited,” a Swedish defence statement said, underscoring a rarely spoken rule of intervention in Somalia: foreign help is…

The Silent Cries of el-Fasher: A Genocide in Sudan's Unseen War In the heart of Sudan, the city of el-Fasher is unraveling under the horrors of a silent genocide. As Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) tighten their grip, the world watches, seemingly immobilized, as civilian lives are erased and entire communities are extinguished. The Hidden Atrocities Reports emerging from el-Fasher paint a grim picture. The Sudan Doctors Network, a key witness on the ground, describes a harrowing scene: streets once bustling…

European naval forces shadow Somali pirates after string of attacks; no immediate threat to shipping, officials say NAIROBI — European Union naval forces and allied navies are keeping a close watch on a pirate group off Somalia’s coast after a spate of attacks in recent days, but they say commercial shipping faces no immediate danger thanks to an international security presence. In a brief posting on X on Wednesday, EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta said the suspected pirates “remain in the area under surveillance,” urging…

Somalia Passes Revised Anti-Piracy Law as Attacks Resurface Off Its Coast Unanimous vote in Mogadishu Somalia’s Parliament has overwhelmingly approved a revised anti-piracy and anti-kidnapping law, a sweeping update to legislation first written in 1975, as authorities confront a worrying uptick in attacks along one of the world’s most strategic sea lanes. All 140 lawmakers present backed the bill, an unusual show of unity in a chamber more accustomed to hard bargaining over security and federal powers. “This is a…

A Gate Birth in Mogadishu Sparks a Bigger Question: Who Gets Care in Somalia? In a city that understands endurance, one image has shaken Mogadishu this week: a woman giving birth on the steps outside Banadir Maternity and Children’s Hospital after she was reportedly refused admission while in active labor. An elderly passerby helped bring the child into the world at the hospital gate, witnesses said. Both mother and newborn were later reported in critical condition. The incident, on October 26, triggered outrage far beyond…

Djibouti’s president vows to run again — and the world must weigh the price of stability When President Ismail Omar Guelleh accepted his party’s nomination this week to run for a sixth term in Djibouti’s 2026 election, he did more than announce another campaign. He formalized a trajectory that has steadily reworked the rules of governance in this tiny but strategically vital Horn of Africa nation: the removal of limits that once capped age and terms for the presidency, and the consolidation of a political order in which…

The Dire Toll: One in Five Children Living in War Zones In 2024, an unsettling reality enveloped the world: one in five children, roughly 520 million, lived amid active warfare. This figure represents a stark increase of 47 million from the previous year, marking the highest count since formal tracking began in 2005. The 2024 Save the Children report, published Tuesday, paints a grim picture of the ebbing tides of conflict sweeping across the globe. Global Surge in Conflict The report’s data, sourced from PRIO and the…