Somalia

Why Somalia’s quiet €35 million loan should worry citizens and partners When a government decides to borrow in the open, there is at least a ritual: debate in parliament, a publicised agenda, a paper trail that future historians and auditors can follow. What happened in Mogadishu this autumn looks nothing like that ritual. According to reporting by Axadle, the European Investment Bank — nearly absent from Somalia’s financing landscape since 1980 — has agreed a first tranche of €35 million to the Somalia Reconstruction and…

markdown El-Fasher Falls: A New Chapter of Turmoil in Sudan The historic city of El-Fasher, once a vibrant heart of cultural and economic life in Darfur, has succumbed to the forces of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after an 18-month siege that has left countless families devastated. This latest development casts a long shadow over Sudan's future, stirring memories of past atrocities and sparking fears of impending mass violence. A Siege’s Devastating End After months of enduring starvation and bombardment, El-Fasher has…

Analysis: Sudan's Crisis Deepens Amid International Condemnation As the conflict in Sudan escalates, marked by stark allegations of human rights abuses, global powers and regional players alike have turned their gaze toward the war-torn nation. Recent events in el-Fasher, a key city in the Sudanese landscape, have elicited widespread condemnation, especially targeting the actions of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group allegedly responsible for egregious violations. A Turbulent Legacy of Violence…

A Country at War with Itself: The Human Cost of Sudan’s Ongoing Conflict In recent days, the air over Sudan has been thick with urgency and despair as the world watches an escalating humanitarian crisis unfold. As the dust settles in the city of el-Fasher, the grim reality of a conflict years in the making comes to light—an echo of past horrors that many hoped had been left in history’s wake. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a poignant plea for peace amidst mounting reports of violence. The conflict,…

El-Fasher: The Unseen Tragedy in Sudan’s Shadow War In the remote reaches of Darfur, the fall of El-Fasher marks a grim turn in Sudan's ongoing conflict. Seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after an arduous 18-month siege, the city stands as a somber testament to the brutal forces shaping the nation's future. Emerging reports suggest horrific atrocities are unfolding, offering a stark reminder of history's tendency to repeat itself on weary, war-torn lands. Signs of Horror: A Bleak Search for Truth…

Why Somalia’s quiet €35 million loan should worry citizens and partners When a government decides to borrow in the open, there is at least a ritual: debate in parliament, a publicised agenda, a paper trail that future historians and auditors can follow. What happened in Mogadishu this autumn looks nothing like that ritual. According to reporting by Axadle, the European Investment Bank — nearly absent from Somalia’s financing landscape since 1980 — has agreed a first tranche of €35 million to the Somalia Reconstruction and…

A Refugee-Turned-Filmmaker Takes a $200 Shot at Leading a Minnesota Suburb HOPKINS, Minn. — On a recent weeknight in this compact Minneapolis suburb, a small group moved down a quiet block, knocking on doors and introducing a new name to voters. No yard signs, no slick mailers, no consultants. Just a filmmaker in a windbreaker, clutching a stack of home-printed flyers and a promise to listen. “Winning is not guaranteed,” said Abderazak Ali, a 40-year-old Somali-born filmmaker and first-time candidate running for mayor of…

Puntland State’s mountain push: can Somalia’s northeastern state finish what others have tried? For more than a year Puntland State’s security forces have been hunting a tiny but stubborn ISIS affiliate in the jagged Cal‑Miskaad range of northeastern Somalia. The regional president, Said Abdullahi Deni, speaks of “real progress” and a determination to drive the extremists from the cliffs and wadis where they have long taken refuge. But as the fighting inches forward, the campaign illuminates familiar dilemmas: brutal…

Clashes reported in Boocame as newly formed Northeastern administration accuses Puntland State of assault Fighting flared Friday in Boocame, a dusty district about 70 kilometers east of Garowe, after authorities from a newly formed Northeastern regional administration accused Puntland State forces of launching an assault, underscoring how quickly political fault lines in northern Somalia can turn into gunfire. In a statement released late in the day, the Northeastern administration said the skirmish left people injured and…

Egypt and Eritrea Tighten Ties as Sudan’s Conflict Reshapes the Horn CAIRO — In a meeting that underscored shifting alliances across the Horn of Africa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi this week publicly reaffirmed Cairo’s backing for Eritrea’s sovereignty and signaled a renewed push for deeper economic and strategic cooperation with Asmara. The talks, held in Cairo and attended by both countries’ foreign ministers, were framed by the Egyptian presidential office as an effort to bolster investment links and…