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Somalia’s 2026 choice: avoid a legitimacy crisis by fixing the election model, not the scoreboard Somalia is entering another high-stakes transition with too little time, too much polarization, and a volatile security map. The federal government’s drive to centralize authority while invoking universal suffrage risks breaking the very political settlement that has held the country together — imperfectly but functionally — for a quarter century. A safer way through 2026 is available: an improved, time-bound indirect election…

Liverpool drill rappers filmed with armed troops in Somalia could face UK police questioning Two drill rappers from Liverpool who appeared carrying guns and posing with troops amid a clan conflict in Somalia could be questioned by police when they return to Britain, according to UK authorities and footage obtained by the BBC. British citizens Abdifatah Gulaid, 31, and Noah Ihiekwe, 30 — known musically as Still Brickin’ and Rayzer — traveled to Somalia’s northeast earlier this year and were seen in the Sanaag region’s town…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Saturday that Somalia’s federal government is open to dialogue and compromise with opposition leaders, as the opposition-led Somali Future Council conference in Kismayo entered its third day. Speaking in Mogadishu, Mohamud urged participants at the Kismayo gathering to produce constructive, negotiable proposals that the public and the government can engage with, signaling a willingness to defuse political tensions through talks. “I say to the brothers in…

U.S. forces struck more than 70 Islamic State group targets across central Syria in what President Donald Trump called “very serious retaliation” for a Dec. 13 attack in Palmyra that killed three Americans, U.S. Central Command said. The return strikes hit multiple sites with fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery, CENTCOM said, employing more than 100 precision munitions against known Islamic State infrastructure and weapons depots. U.S. officials said a lone gunman affiliated with the militant group carried out the…

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Friday in Addis Ababa for a one-day working visit, with both leaders discussing ways to deepen bilateral relations and regional cooperation centered on trade, security and regional stability in the Horn of Africa. Abiy described the talks on his official Facebook page as “productive discussions, continuing the bilateral engagements we have been working on over the past year,” signaling continuity in the two neighbors’…

Somalia’s relaunched e-visa website contains a fresh security flaw that could let malicious actors download large numbers of e-visas containing passport numbers, full names and dates of birth, Al Jazeera confirmed this week after receiving a tip from a web developer. The vulnerability, which Al Jazeera was able to replicate, allowed the downloading of e-visas for dozens of applicants in a short period, exposing sensitive data on people from Somalia, Portugal, Sweden, the United States and Switzerland. Al Jazeera alerted…

Ireland’s Taoiseach Michéal Martin will press Lebanon’s prime minister for accountability in the killing of Private Seán Rooney during talks in Beirut on Friday, while delivering a Christmas message of thanks to Irish peacekeepers serving with the U.N. in south Lebanon. Martin is expected to raise the case directly with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, underscoring Dublin’s concern that justice remains incomplete nearly two years after Rooney was shot dead while his UNIFIL convoy came under fire on Dec. 14, 2022, as it traveled…

U.S. Justice Department releases thousands of Jeffrey Epstein files, heavy redactions, Clinton photos, scant mention of Trump The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday released thousands of heavily redacted documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein, offering new images and records that featured former President Bill Clinton while making scant reference to President Donald Trump. The partial disclosure, mandated by a law Congress passed last month over White House objections, arrived after months of resistance from the administration…

MOGADISHU — U.S. Africa Command carried out airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab militants in Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region on Dec. 18, following clashes sparked by a militant assault on government and allied militia positions, the command said. The strikes occurred near Nur Dugle, approximately 215 kilometers northeast of Mogadishu. AFRICOM described the action as part of ongoing cooperation with Somali authorities to diminish the extremist group’s operational capacity. “AFRICOM, alongside the Federal Government of…

Jubaland Leader Warns Somali President Against Power Grab Amid 2026 Election Dispute KISMAYO, Somalia — Jubaland state President Ahmed Madobe on Thursday warned Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud against consolidating power, accusing the federal leader of advancing policies he once opposed and underscoring growing rifts ahead of Somalia’s 2026 elections. Speaking at the Somali Future Council conference in Kismayo, Madobe cast the gathering as a forum to confront political tensions and said Somalia’s governance must rest…