Somalia

The Resilient Struggle Against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) once again finds itself in the throes of a battle against the dreaded Ebola virus. As the central Kasai province witnesses a resurgence, the realities of managing this crisis echo through the halls of health authorities, communities, and international organizations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 42 lives have already been claimed out of 64 confirmed cases, underscoring the urgency of the…

Moroccan Protests Highlight Global Youth Dissatisfaction In a dramatic turn of events, Morocco finds itself at the center of a youth-led protest wave that has captivated the nation. According to state media, security forces have been involved in a deadly confrontation that resulted in the deaths of two individuals in the southwestern city of Leqliaa. The protesters, part of a burgeoning movement known as GenZ 212, have taken to the streets demanding systemic changes, shaking the foundations of a government preparing to…

Somali and AU Forces Secure Awdheegle in Push to Root Out al‑Shabab MOGADISHU — Somali National Army troops, backed by Ugandan contingents operating under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), announced on Saturday that they have taken full control of Awdheegle, a strategic town in the Lower Shabelle region, as part of a wider offensive aimed at dislodging al‑Shabab militants. The operation, called “Silent Storm,” has been under way for days across swathes of the fertile Lower Shabelle, where farmers,…

Suicide Blast and Gunfire Rock Mogadishu’s Most Secure Prison, Hours After Government Claims Citywide Gains Mogadishu — A bold and deadly assault hit one of Somalia’s most fortified sites on Saturday afternoon, when suspected al-Shabaab militants stormed Godka Jilacow, the high-security prison run by the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA). The attack began with a suicide bombing at the facility’s perimeter, followed by sustained gunfire as security forces fought to secure the compound. Initial reports…

Rulings in London give seven Kenyans proof of paternity against British soldiers — and raise bigger questions In a London family court this week, seven Kenyans secured legal confirmation that British men fathered them — a finding that may seem narrowly personal but reverberates far beyond individual lives. The decisions, brought after years of searching and aided by DNA matches from publicly available genetic databases, create a pathway for the claimants to seek British citizenship and place renewed focus on the…

Somali, Ugandan forces take Awdheegle in fresh push against al‑Shabaab Somali troops backed by Ugandan peacekeepers say they have seized control of Awdheegle, a strategic farming town on the Shabelle River about 80 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu, in the latest phase of a stepped-up offensive against al‑Shabaab. The Ministry of Defense announced Saturday that the capture is a milestone in “Silent Storm,” a multi‑stage campaign to dismantle the militant group’s foothold across southern Somalia. In the hours after the…

Djibouti’s new troop deployment highlights a widening fault line in Somalia’s fragile stabilisation Djibouti’s announcement that it will send additional troops to Somalia is a small but telling development in a long-running struggle that has consumed the Horn of Africa for more than a decade. The move — formalised in a new bilateral agreement with Mogadishu and presented at the United Nations by Djibouti’s envoy Mohamed Siad Doualeh — is aimed at bolstering the African Union-led stabilisation effort against the Islamist…

Somali Activist Omar Jamal Freed From ICE Custody in Minnesota, Says He’s Confident He Won’t Be Deported MINNEAPOLIS — Somali community advocate Omar Jamal walked out of a southern Minnesota jail this week after a month in federal custody and used his first public appearance to do something unusual in a high-stakes immigration case: praise the jail that held him. “What I have seen is people doing their job with professionalism in a humane way,” Jamal told reporters in Albert Lea, standing beside Freeborn County Sheriff…

Somalia’s fragile human-rights transition meets a test on press freedom GENEVA — In a packed room at the United Nations Human Rights Council, Somali and British officials yesterday set out an upbeat case that Somalia is inching toward stronger national institutions. But the event’s most urgent testimony came from civil society: a warning that progress on paper is being undermined by a resurgent and more sophisticated campaign to silence journalists. The UK and Somalia jointly hosted the side event during the council’s 60th…

Somali Politics Spill Into Nairobi Again — And Mogadishu Pushes Back It is a familiar scene in East African diplomacy: Somali politicians gathering in a Nairobi hotel to hash out the country’s future far from Mogadishu’s checkpoints and political heat. This week, that well-worn script met a forceful rebuttal from Somalia’s defense minister, who said enough is enough. In a sharply worded post, Defense Minister Ahmed Macallin Fiqi condemned a Nairobi meeting of opposition figures and regional leaders — among them Puntland…