Somalia

By Idrees Ali and Phil StewartFriday April 3, 2026 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday ousted U.S. Army Chief of Staff Randy George, three U.S. defense officials told Reuters, marking the latest shake-up in a Pentagon purge that has reached the military’s highest ranks. Hegseth, the former Fox News host moving rapidly to remake the department, has been cutting through senior leadership with unusual speed. Removing a four-star general in wartime, however, is almost unheard of. The Pentagon later confirmed that George,…

Thursday April 2, 2026 Oil markets jolted sharply higher on Thursday, with prices surging more than $5 after President Donald Trump said the United States would keep striking Iran, while stopping short of giving any clear deadline for how the war might end. The lack of a firm end point deepened investor concern that disruptions to energy supplies could stretch on. Brent crude futures LCOc1 climbed $6.33, or 6.3 percent, to $107.49 a barrel in early trading, while US West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 rose $5.28, or 5.3…

In a tragic assault underscoring the persistent instability in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri province, at least 43 civilians lost their lives in a heinous attack perpetrated by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militants, linked to Daesh. Authorities confirmed the grim toll on Thursday, as armed groups continue to plague the region. The onslaught occurred in Bafwakoa, a village near the Ugandan border. The ADF, a notorious Ugandan militant group with Daesh affiliations, has been operating across this permeable…

WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday removed sanctions on Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, according to an entry on the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control website. The move is a significant indication that Washington now treats Rodríguez as a legitimate authority in Venezuela. The U.S. has already formally recognized her as the country’s head of state in legal and diplomatic settings. Venezuela’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The sanctions relief…

Thursday April 2, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — In a swift move aimed at steadying the Southwest regional state after weeks of political turbulence in Baidoa, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has named Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid as interim leader. A decree released Wednesday by the Office of the Prime Minister said the temporary administration will keep core government operations running, hasten consultations on Somalia’s planned one-person, one-vote electoral process and lay the constitutional groundwork…

MOGADISHU - Member of the Federal Parliament Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame has sharply denounced the Federal Government's decision to install an administration for South West State, calling the move an unlawful breach of both the federal and state constitutions. He said the central government has no constitutional authority to appoint an administration for a federal member state that already has its own institutions in place. Abdishakur pointed to the South West State Constitution, which requires a presidential election…

Thursday April 2, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia has taken a symbolic and practical leap in rebuilding its maritime future, officially registering its first vessel to sail under the national flag since the collapse of the central government in 1991, a development officials say restores a measure of the country’s long-dormant maritime sovereignty. The vessel, Guney (IMO 8230417), was entered into the Somali register on Wednesday after completing the legal and regulatory steps needed for flag state recognition, the Ministry of…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has moved to steady the political situation in Southwest state, with Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre signing a decree that installs a caretaker leader as tensions continue to unfold, officials said.  According to the order, Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi will take charge for an unspecified period until a former president is elected. His responsibilities include pushing forward preparations for one-person, one-vote elections in the regional state. …

Thursday April 2, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali opposition figure and federal lawmaker Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame has sharply denounced the federal government’s move to install an interim leader in Southwest State, calling it unconstitutional and a direct danger to Somalia’s already fragile federal arrangement. In a statement released Thursday, Warsame, who leads the Wadajir Party, said the decision to name Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid as interim head of the Southwest administration runs counter to both…

Wednesday April 1, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia moved on Wednesday to tighten the reins on its agriculture efforts, unveiling a national coordination platform in Mogadishu designed to bring greater order to the sector and bolster food security nationwide. The new initiative is intended to align agricultural programs, improve cooperation among government bodies, international partners and development agencies, and help Somali farmers raise output as drought and climate pressures continue to bite. The launch ceremony drew…