Somalia: Southwest Presidency Denies Dialogue Requests with FGS After Laftagareen’s Re-election

Somalia: Southwest Presidency Rejects Claims of Dialogue Request with FGS After Laftagareen’s Re-election BAIDOA, Somalia — Southwest State’s presidency on Sunday moved quickly to quash reports that newly re-elected regional leader Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed, widely known as Laftagareen, had sought formal talks with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The denial from Baidoa came only hours after social media posts claimed Laftagareen had contacted…

Israel blocks Jerusalem Latin Patriarch from celebrating Mass at Holy Sepulchre

A standoff at one of Christianity’s holiest sites upended Palm Sunday in Jerusalem, with the Latin Patriarchate saying Israeli police barred the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre — an unprecedented interruption to ceremonies it said had not occurred in centuries. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said police stopped Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Friar Francesco Ielpo as they walked toward the church, which stands on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and…

AU, UN urge dialogue and restraint as federal-Southwest tensions escalate

Sunday March 29, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s mounting political strain drew an urgent appeal on Sunday from the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, who called on leaders to step back from confrontation and return to talks as tensions rose between the federal government and Southwest State. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said he was following developments in Southwest State closely and pressed Somali leaders to settle their disputes through peaceful, inclusive engagement. “The African Union underscores that differences…

Somalia: Custodial Corps Chief Takes Office as Predecessor Remains Under House Arrest

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Major General Mohamed Sheikh Hassan on Sunday officially took charge of the Somali Custodial Corps, stepping into leadership of the country’s prison service at a handover ceremony held in Mogadishu. The changeover unfolded without the outgoing commander, General Mahad Abdirahman, who remains under house arrest in the capital. Even so, the ceremony went ahead, with senior correctional officials and government representatives present for the transfer of command. General Mohamed Sheikh Hassan now inherits a…

Somalia President to Brief Diplomats on Formal Complaints Against Ethiopia

Somalia’s President to Raise Ethiopia Complaint in Diplomatic Briefing MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is set to convene a high-level briefing today at the Presidential Palace with members of the international diplomatic corps stationed in Mogadishu’s heavily secured Halane compound. Officials in the capital told the media that the president plans to give the envoys a detailed update on Somalia’s security and political climate. At the center of the discussion is expected to be a formal complaint over…

Kenya’s queen ants worth $220 each fuel global wildlife black market

Wycliffe Muia, NairobiSunday March 29, 2026 Giant African harvester ants - seen here in Kenya - have become highly sought after by hobby collectors across the world Right now, the ants are taking flight in Kenya. In the rainy season, clouds of them rise from thousands of anthills around Gilgil, a quiet farming town in Kenya's Rift Valley that has unexpectedly become the hub of a lucrative illegal trade. The mating ritual sends winged males out of the nest to fertilise queens, which also take to the air at this time. That…

Hassan Sheikh’s 2019 Jubaland Support Recalled Amid Current Southwest Vote Rejection

Somalia: Hassan Sheikh’s 2019 Support for Jubaland Recalled Amidst Current Rejection of Southwest Vote MOGADISHU, Somalia — A political letter from 2019 has reentered Somalia’s public debate, drawing attention to the strikingly different positions President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has taken before and after returning to power. The document, a formal message of congratulations, records Mohamud—then a prominent opposition leader—welcoming the re-election of Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe. At the time, the federal government…

Anti-Trump protests held across the United States on ‘No Kings’ Day

Anger at President Donald Trump erupted into massive demonstrations across the United States and overseas, with millions turning out to denounce what they describe as authoritarian rule and a pattern of harsh, law-defying governance. The mobilization marks the third nationwide surge in less than a year under the grassroots banner "No Kings," which has become the most visible and forceful outlet for resistance to Trump since the start of his second term in January 2025. Protesters now have a fresh target for their outrage:…