Somalia

Ethiopia’s lost coastline: Abiy’s legal claim, a diplomatic gamble and the region’s fragile future When Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed stood before Ethiopia’s parliament this week and declared that his country “lost access to the sea” under circumstances he now calls legally flawed, he was doing more than restating a grievance. He was reviving a central theme of modern Ethiopian politics: the economic and psychological toll of being landlocked in a region where control of ports can determine a nation’s fate. What the prime…

Between a Scholarship and a Closed Door: A Somali Student’s Long Wait for a Yes The calls stopped first. Then the messages. For 12 days, a Somali student who had won a coveted Erasmus Mundus scholarship waited for a residence permit to study in Denmark—only to learn, as so many young people with dreams find out, that the hardest borders are often the invisible ones. Ali Musa, a scholar who had secured full funding to study at the University of Copenhagen, found his plans stalled when Danish authorities denied his residence…

You are a senior international journalist. First, read the source news carefully and decide whether it is best written as: Breaking News → urgent, fast-moving event, immediate facts first. Feature Story → human, textured, on-the-ground narrative. Opinion/Analysis → reflective, interpretive, connecting events to wider trends. Based on the content, automatically choose the right style (don’t ask me to specify) and rewrite into an original piece for a global audience. Rules: Length: 700–1100 words depending on…

South West Somalia Tries to Turn Down the Temperature — Online and Off Somalia’s South West State is drawing a line against those it says are fanning inter-clan tensions from afar, announcing this week it will pursue legal action against people accused of inciting violence and revenge killings. The warning comes as local elders and administrators push a fragile peace deal in Diinsoor, a town in Bay region where recent clashes between armed militias ignited long-simmering grievances. “There are people outside the conflict…

Somali forces, backed by international partners, kill founding Al-Shabaab figure in Bu'ale raid BU'ALE, Somalia — Somali security forces announced Tuesday that they killed Jaafar Gurey, a senior founding member of the militant Islamist group Al-Shabaab, in a targeted operation in the southern town of Bu'ale, a bastion of the insurgency in Middle Jubba. The Defence Ministry said Gurey, who had worked closely with the group’s former leader Ahmed Abdi Godane and is believed to have ties to the current leader Ahmed Diriye, was…

The Siege of el-Fasher: A Humanitarian Crisis Unfolds in Sudan As the dust settles over the war-torn landscape of Darfur, the city of el-Fasher finds itself encircled by the gripping tension of Sudan’s brutal conflict. For civilians trapped within its boundaries, the future remains grim as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) declare control over this last army stronghold in the region. A City Under Siege El-Fasher, a once vibrant hub in North Darfur, is now a stage for the latest chapter in a protracted war that has torn Sudan…

El-Fasher's Desperate Exodus: A Humanitarian Crisis in North Darfur In the heart of North Darfur’s turmoil, the city of El-Fasher finds itself once again engulfed in chaos, compelling thousands to flee as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) push further into urban territories. This escalation has left a humanitarian crisis in its wake, with the UNHCR voicing urgent appeals for intervention. Renewed Instability For a city already battered by over 500 days of siege and conflict, El-Fasher’s most recent upheaval symbolizes…

Somali Youth Unemployment Deepens as Foreign Workers Take Local Jobs — A Threat to the Nation’s Future

Kenya’s elite unit thwarts Al-Shabaab IED plot in Garissa after community tip-off NAIROBI — Kenya’s Special Operations Group (SOG) says it disrupted a potentially deadly attack by Al-Shabaab militants in Garissa County after local residents alerted security forces to suspicious activity along a rural stretch of road. Officials reported that eight suspected militants were intercepted on the Welmerer–Yumbia road as they were attempting to assemble improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Security teams engaged the group,…

Somalia’s Jobless Youth and the Expat Premium: What Happens When a Country Outsources Its Future? MOGADISHU — On a hot morning near Kilometre 4, the capital’s arteries of traffic pulse around concrete blast walls and coffee stalls. At a curbside kiosk, a queue of young men and women refresh their phones, swapping links to job ads that feel always just out of reach. Many are college graduates; most live with family; almost all say the same thing: the opportunities are elsewhere. Somalia is far from the only place where a…