The gunfire that rattled Mogadishu was more than another burst of Somalia’s long-running insecurity. It marked the first armed eruption of a constitutional fight that has been simmering for more than two years. On the surface, the confrontation centers on elections, a subject that has repeatedly upended Somali politics. The federal government says constitutional reforms and electoral changes are needed to move the country toward universal suffrage. The opposition, by contrast, accuses President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of using…

Sunday June 7, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on Sunday accused the federal government of tightening pressure on the opposition by restricting his movement, cutting off essential services to his compound and suppressing political activity in the wake of deadly violence in the capital. At a news conference in Mogadishu, Sharif said electricity, water and food deliveries to his residence had been halted, while visitors were being turned away at the gate. “We have had our electricity cut off,…

By: Abdiaziz Khalif and Sonia PlazaSunday June 7, 2026 Outside Baidoa, in a camp for displaced families in Somalia, Fadumo Maxamed Ahmed begins her day by feeding the last surviving camel in her household with the dregs of her morning tea leaves. In Mogadishu, a woman selling milk may think of food safety in simpler terms: a spotless container, the right storage and the assurance that her product will arrive in good condition. For a livestock exporter, the stakes look different — reliable certification, healthy animals and…

By Khadar AfrahSunday June 7, 2026 Somalia has long told itself a consoling tale about its own failure: that its troubles are always authored elsewhere. Colonial mapmakers, Cold War blocs, hostile neighbours, opportunistic donors and a parade of foreign conferences are cast as the chief culprits. Abdirahman Roble Ulayare’s recent Hiiraan Online essay, “Foreign interference and the struggle for Somali sovereignty,” sits squarely in that tradition. It is earnest. It is also evasive. Ulayare is not wrong about everything.…

By:  Yusuf Said HersiSunday June 7, 2026 For years, Puntland State has been cast as the “mother of federalism” in Somalia, a label earned through its early and forceful defense of a federal political order after the collapse of the central government. Like a parent preparing children for life in society, Puntland State positioned itself as a place where shared power, coexistence, and political balance could take root. From the outset, Puntland State emerged as one of the clearest champions of a federal Somalia built on…

Somalia’s planned elections after 2026 sit at the center of a wider political argument over constitutional rules, the timing of votes, and who has the legitimate right to lead the federal state. With the country’s political institutions already operating under contested changes and revised electoral plans, the post-2026 period is likely to be shaped as much by disputes over procedure as by the results themselves. Background: Elections, constitutional change, and power in Mogadishu Somalia has been moving through repeated…

By Adam Ahmed and A.A. JamahSunday June 7, 2026 After years of war and disruption, Somalia is moving to rebuild at pace, and that recovery is beginning to draw the attention of investors. Across multiple sectors, new openings are emerging as the country looks to reassert its place in the Horn of Africa and in global trade. One of the most significant prospects now on the table is the New Mogadishu Maritime Port (NMMP). Located about 35 kilometers north of Mogadishu, the planned port is being developed through the New…

By Faisal AliSaturday June 6, 2026 Disruption across parts of Mogadishu began easing on Friday as the fighting drew to a close. Mogadishu, Somalia – After more than two days of gunfire, explosions and mounting fear in Somalia’s capital, the fighting between government forces and opposition fighters has begun to subside, and the federal government says it has re-established control. The violence broke out on Wednesday and, by Friday, the government said the districts of Abdiaziz and Hawlwadag were calm again. “Opposition…

Saturday June 6, 2026 Somalia’s foreign minister, Abdisalam Abdi Ali, welcomed Egypt’s continued political, development and security backing for his country during a phone call on Friday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. In a statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said Abdelatty reiterated Cairo’s full support for the Federal Republic of Somalia and its national institutions, and said Egypt was closely following developments on the ground, particularly in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. He stressed the need to…

Saturday June 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A fragile breakthrough emerged in Mogadishu on June 4 after Somali traditional elders and international representatives helped mediate a preliminary deal between the federal government and former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed’s Himilo Qaran party, following days of violence in the capital, the party said Saturday. According to a statement from Himilo Qaran, the agreement calls for an unconditional ceasefire, the withdrawal of troops, the restart of political talks, the return of…