by Frankline Oduor Friday May 15, 2026 President William Ruto has laid out the reasons the Kenya-Somalia border remains sealed 15 years after it was first shut, even after he said earlier this year that reopening would begin in April. In an interview with France 24 on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Ruto said the plan was thrown off course by a fresh wave of instability inside Somalia. He said Kenya had initially made headway with the Somali federal government, but the process unraveled as tensions…

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Confirms New Ebola Outbreak in the DRC In a troubling development, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has announced a fresh Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, primarily affecting Ituri Province. With 246 suspected cases and 65 fatalities reported, the region's fragile infrastructure and security issues have posed significant challenges to early containment efforts. In their Friday statement, the agency indicated that the…

By Aaron RossFriday May 15, 2026 A security officer keeps watch as United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher, not pictured, visits a camp for internally displaced Somali people in Baidoa, Somalia, on April 29, 2026. In drought-stricken parts of the country, clinics treating severely malnourished children have been forced to turn away patients and ration supplies after shipping disruptions linked to the Iran war cut off vital therapeutic foods. REUTERS/Feisal…

Friday May 15, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s National Independent Human Rights Commission has raised alarm over the prolonged detention of Sadio Moallim Ali, saying she has spent more than a month in Mogadishu Central Prison without being tried. In a May 13 statement, the commission said it had visited the facility on April 29 to examine Ali’s detention conditions and review her legal and humanitarian circumstances. The commission said its delegation met with Correctional Service officials, prison administrators, Ali and…

Friday May 15, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency has announced a major shift in passport rules, saying applicants will soon need a national identity card or proof of registration before they can apply. Starting July 1, 2026, Somali citizens who do not hold a National Identification and Registration Authority card, known as a NIRA ID, or a certificate confirming registration will no longer be eligible to submit a passport application, the agency said Thursday. “Anyone who does not have a…

Tabaarak ICT Marks Annual Staff Gathering With Reflection, Awards and a Bold Technology Roadmap The 2026 Staff Gathering of Tabaarak ICT brought together management and employees in a polished, energetic setting, as the company used its annual event to look back on its progress and set out its direction for the years ahead. From the outset, the gathering carried a collaborative tone, giving staff from across departments a chance to connect, share experiences, trade ideas and deepen working relationships within the…

By Ariba ShahidThursday May 14, 2026 Families of the Pakistani hostage crew members of the Oil Products Tanker the HONOUR 25 that was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, hold placards during a protest, calling the government to take immediate action for the safe return of their loved ones, in Karachi, Pakistan May 13, 2026. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro Purchase Licensing Rights In Karachi on Wednesday, Ambreen Fatima stood with her children and pleaded for the release of her husband, one of 10 Pakistani crew members…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Abdullahi Shimbir, the governor of Somalia’s Gedo region, has cautioned against any election process carried out without legal grounding and wider consultation, saying local authorities have been left out of current voting plans. After talks in Mogadishu with federal government officials, Shimbir said the discussions centered on introducing a "one-person, one-vote" system. He said, however, that the political dispute between the Federal Government of Somalia and Jubbaland President Ahmed Madobe continues…

Thursday May 14, 2026 In the town of Afdub, in Ethiopia’s Somali region, residents have gone through multiple missed rainy seasons and now rely on a private water supplier.Ethiopia 2026. ©Roza Bekele/MSF Humanitarian conditions are worsening fast across Ethiopia’s Somali region and nearby border areas, where drought and displacement are combining to drive up malnutrition and deepen water shortages, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned, saying shrinking aid budgets are making a bad situation even harder to manage. MSF said…

Somalia: Senior Military Commanders Killed Outside Baidoa as Election Row Deepens BAIDOA, Somalia — Two senior officers in the Somali National Army were killed in a deadly roadside ambush outside Baidoa, heightening fears of a wider breakdown in South West State as a fierce dispute over recent regional elections continues to escalate. Col. Yonis Adam, who commanded the 8th Brigade, and Col. Ali Yonis, commander of the 9th Brigade of the 60th Division, were killed when their convoy came under attack outside the city.…