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Somali president opens door to talks as Mogadishu holds first one-person, one-vote polls in decades Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says “all doors are open” for dialogue with opposition over Somalia’s electoral process Banadir Regional Council elections mark Mogadishu’s first direct vote in more than 50 years Citywide lockdown and flight suspensions imposed as security forces secure polling MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud pledged open dialogue with opposition leaders on Thursday and hailed Mogadishu’s…

KISMAYO, Somalia — A high-stakes conference of the Somali Future Council opened Thursday in Kismayo, drawing more than 700 delegates and senior political figures to chart a path toward a consensus-based election model as Somalia nears pivotal votes. The gathering, hosted in the interim capital of Jubaland under heightened security, convenes amid plans to hold one person, one vote local council elections in Mogadishu’s Benadir region on Dec. 25. Organizers and participants say their goal is to avoid political conflict by…

Somali influencer deported from U.S. returns to Mogadishu under threat, stoking migrant fears MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali social media influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers has been deported from the United States after months in immigration detention, returning to Mogadishu amid renewed fears for his safety and mounting anxiety across Somali migrant communities in the American Midwest. Mahad Mohamud, 36, widely known online as “Garyaqaan,” or “The Lawyer,” was removed from the U.S. last month after…

Somalia graduates 23rd Darwish police cohort in Djibouti as security build-up accelerates ahead of 2026 vote MOGADISHU — Somali Police Commissioner Brig. Gen. Asad Osman Abdullahi on Thursday attended a graduation ceremony in Djibouti marking the completion of training for the 23rd batch of the Somali Police Darwish forces, underscoring a push to professionalize Somalia’s security services as the country prepares for a landmark one-person, one-vote election in 2026. The Darwish cohort completed rigorous training in Djibouti…

A Turning Point in Sudan: The Battle for Al-Fashir In the heart of a conflict-ridden Sudan, the recent fall of Al-Fashir marks yet another tragic chapter in a war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions since its eruption in April 2023. As the city, formerly the army's last stronghold in Darfur, succumbs to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the international community scrambles to respond. The Global Response On Tuesday, the White House emphasized its commitment to ending the ongoing…