Somalia

In a country that has waited more than half a century for modern workplace protections, a union-led, United Nations-backed push is taking the new law from paper to factory floors, markets and offices across Somalia. The Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU) has launched a nationwide labour rights education drive to help workers understand, reclaim and defend their rights under Somalia’s newly adopted Labour Code — the first comprehensive reform in 52 years. The Labour Code emerged from sustained social dialogue among the…

Tuesday, March 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU), backed by the United Nations, has launched a nationwide labor rights education campaign to turn Somalia’s first comprehensive Labour Code reform in 52 years into real protections in workplaces across the country. The newly adopted Labour Code was crafted through sustained tripartite dialogue among the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MOLSA), the Somali Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and FESTU, with technical and financial…

TEHRAN — Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is alive and unharmed after reported U.S.-Israeli strikes targeted senior Iranian leadership and military infrastructure, a close aide told Anadolu on Sunday. “I am in touch with him. All is good,” said the adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The aide said a building associated with Ahmadinejad’s security detail was struck Saturday, killing three of his bodyguards — all members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Ahmadinejad’s residence, located…

Oil and gas prices jumped Monday as escalating Iranian strikes across the Middle East snarled shipping lanes, hit energy infrastructure and stoked fresh inflation fears in global markets. European natural gas futures spiked as much as 50% intraday before closing 39% higher after QatarEnergy halted liquefied natural gas production following drone attacks on facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City, according to the country’s defense ministry. Brent crude briefly touched $82 a barrel after at least three ships were attacked…

Jubbaland police arrest officer after journalist Abshir Khalif Shide Omar is shot dead in Kismayo MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Jubbaland state police officer has been arrested after fatally shooting broadcast journalist Abshir Khalif Shide Omar in Kismayo, authorities and media representatives said Tuesday. The killing occurred Monday evening in the interim administrative capital of Jubbaland after what police and colleagues described as a brief altercation between the journalist and the officer. The motive remains unclear, and…

KISMAYO, Somalia — A broadcast journalist was shot dead Monday night in the southern port city of Kismayo after an altercation with a police officer, according to the National Union of Somali Journalists. Authorities say the officer has been arrested and an investigation is underway. Abshir Khalif Shide Omar was killed at about 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 2, 2026, following a brief dispute with a police officer, NUSOJ said, citing initial inquiries. The union said the motive remains unclear and the full circumstances have yet to…

MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud held separate telephone calls with the King of Jordan and the Amir of Qatar as regional tensions spiked following Iranian missile strikes, the presidency said Monday. In statements issued by Villa Somalia, the president and his counterparts discussed the deteriorating security climate across the Middle East and stressed the need to reduce tensions and intensify diplomatic efforts to preserve stability. The Somali leader reaffirmed Mogadishu’s support for both Jordan and…

AXADLE, Somalia — Iran’s state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to maritime traffic, warning commercial and oil tankers against attempting to transit the waterway as regional tensions escalate. According to Reuters, a senior IRGC commander said vessels that try to pass through the strait would face direct attack, adding that ships violating the order would be set ablaze. The remarks, carried by Iranian state outlets, immediately raised fears of energy-market…

AXADLE, Somalia — Puntland State on Monday formally rejected unilateral attempts by Somalia’s federal government to amend the country’s provisional constitution, warning that the push risks fracturing national unity and destabilizing the federal system. After a high-level consultative meeting in Garowe, Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni and federal lawmakers from the region issued a joint statement condemning the reform process led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The regional leadership called the proposed…

BEIRUT — Israeli warplanes struck Beirut’s southern suburbs and multiple areas across Lebanon on Monday after Hezbollah said it launched rockets and drones at a military base near Haifa in northern Israel, calling the operation retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In a statement, the Iran-aligned Lebanese group said the attack was “in defence of Lebanon and its people” and “in response to the repeated Israeli aggressions.” “The resistance leadership has always affirmed that the…