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‘It’s never been like this’: Minneapolis’ Somali Americans under sweeping federal scrutiny On an icy Friday morning in south Minneapolis, Mahad Omar watched armed federal agents sprint past his window and tackle a neighbor to the pavement. They cuffed the man and loaded him into a black SUV. “Minneapolis is a great city,” said Omar, 28, an Uber driver who came from Somalia as a child. “It’s never been like this.” Across a metro area known for its immigrant roots and East African cultural hubs, Somali Americans say…

Somali, AU and Ugandan troops kill 30-plus al-Shabab fighters in Lower Shabelle operation MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali government forces, backed by the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia and Uganda’s military, killed more than 30 al-Shabab militants during a joint operation in the Lower Shabelle region, authorities said Thursday. The fighting erupted near the Bulunagaad Forward Operating Base when militants attacked Somali National Army units and AUSSOM troops conducting pursuit operations in the area,…

North Western State of Somalia’s president says Israel has recognized the breakaway republic, a move he casts as both a moral reckoning and a strategic recalibration in one of the world’s most contested maritime corridors. In a statement published Thursday, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdilahi (Cirro) wrote that Israel extended recognition on Dec. 26, framing it as a response to shared history and aligned security interests along the Gulf of Aden. The claim, originating from the president’s account of events, puts fresh…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s abrupt decision to cancel port management and security cooperation agreements with the United Arab Emirates caps years of friction and crystallizes a new geopolitical split in the Horn of Africa. Triggered by Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia as an independent state — the first by any country — the rupture threatens to reorder alliances, stress Somalia’s fragile federal compact, and unsettle maritime security along one of the world’s most strategic coastlines. The move,…

Israel’s formal recognition of North Western State of Somalia has thrust the breakaway territory into the international spotlight, jolting the Horn of Africa and the Middle East with a new flashpoint that blends diplomacy, security and great-power rivalry. The move marks the first international recognition of North Western State of Somalia as an independent nation and opens the door to cooperation that could reshape regional dynamics — from the Red Sea to the Gulf states. For Israel, which is contending with Iran-backed…

North Western State of Somalia’s ‘island of peace’ narrative falters as leadership courts Israel and conflict deepens in SSC For more than three decades, North Western State of Somalia presented itself as an island of peace in a turbulent Horn of Africa — a self-governing enclave whose stability underwrote a drive for international recognition. That story, fused into a powerful claim of moral distinction and political maturity, is now under its most serious strain. As North Western State of Somalia’s leaders explore closer…

Wednesday January 14, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somalia’s first direct local council elections in Mogadishu in nearly 60 years were peaceful and orderly, but they unfolded amid a surge of misinformation and political bias, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ). The Election Observation and Media Monitoring Report reviewed the Banadir local council vote held Dec. 25, 2025, drawing on structured monitoring from Nov. 1 to Dec. 30. NUSOJ called the exercise a historic milestone,…

North Western State of Somalia’s Irro urges African, Arab states to recognize region after Israel’s move Hargeisa (AX) — North Western State of Somalia President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro on Tuesday called on African and Arab countries to recognize North Western State of Somalia, arguing the region has earned international acceptance and should no longer be overlooked after Israel’s decision to formally recognize it. Speaking at a consultation meeting with former foreign ministers at the presidential palace in…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal cabinet has annulled all agreements previously signed with the United Arab Emirates, voiding deals that covered defense cooperation, port management and security assistance, in a sweeping move aimed at reasserting federal control over foreign partnerships. The cabinet cited breaches of sovereignty stemming from UAE agreements with regional authorities. The decision follows Mogadishu’s ban on Emirati military and cargo flights and the start of a UAE military drawdown in Somalia, according to…

MINNEAPOLIS — Three Democratic members of Congress from Minnesota, including Rep. Ilhan Omar, were blocked from entering a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center near Minneapolis on Saturday morning, escalating tensions in the Twin Cities after the fatal shooting of a woman by an ICE agent earlier in the week. The lawmakers — Omar, Rep. Angie Craig and Rep. Kelly Morrison — said they were briefly admitted to the facility inside the Bishop Whipple Federal Building before officials rescinded access and…