Thursday June 4, 2026 Smoke billowed above Mogadishu’s Howl Wadaag neighbourhood on Thursday after reports of mortar fire, as the Somali capital endured some of its most intense fighting in years. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Government troops and opposition-aligned militias have clashed violently in Somalia’s capital, leaving property damaged and forcing some residents to abandon their homes. As the confrontation gathered pace from Wednesday afternoon, opposition figures who had joined with militias were reported to have…

by BRIAN ORUTAThursday June 4, 2026 Former Somalia president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo/HANDOUT Former Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has sharply criticized President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accusing him of fueling the latest wave of political turmoil and deadly violence in Mogadishu as the country slips deeper into a constitutional and electoral standoff. In a statement issued on Thursday, Farmaajo said the president had brushed aside repeated appeals for consensus, tampered with the electoral and constitutional…

Wednesday June 3, 2026 President William Ruto has ended his three-day tour of Northern Kenya with a renewed promise to direct more development funds to a region he says has been left behind for too long. He argued that Kenya can only unlock the area’s huge untapped potential if the North is fully woven into the national development blueprint. “Northern Kenya is not peripheral; it is central to the development of Kenya,” he said on Tuesday at Maalimin in Lagdera Constituency, Garissa County. He added: “I am on a mission to…

Sunday May 31, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Southwest State’s newly elected House of Representatives members were sworn in on Saturday in Baidoa, a ceremony that unfolded against the backdrop of intense fighting between federal government forces and troops loyal to former regional President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen. Southwest State’s interim leader, Jibril Abdirashid Haji, attended the event alongside federal government officials, traditional elders and other dignitaries. The new lawmakers formally took the oath of office,…

by FELIX KIPKEMOISunday May 24, 2026 FILE PHOTO Security officers in Garissa County thwarted what is believed to have been a terror plot after arresting a man and recovering an improvised explosive device (IED) along the Garissa–Dadaab Road. ‎A multi-agency patrol intercepted the suspect at the Haji Aden area during a routine sweep, just as he appeared poised to disappear into nearby bushes. ‎Police said the man drew attention when officers noticed him behaving suspiciously by the roadside. He then bolted into a thicket in…

Saturday May 23, 2026 Maths teacher Hassan Mohamed Ibrahim lost his job in one of eight IDP schools in Baidoa closed by funding cuts/Abdullahi Mohamed/Ergo More than 120 teachers in Baidoa’s displacement camps have been left without work after aid cuts shut down eight schools, pushing hundreds of families deeper into hardship in one of Somalia’s busiest hubs for the displaced. The schools, located in the Bookay area north of Baidoa, had been educating about 1,500 children from internally displaced families. With the…

Friday May 22, 2026 Pretoria (AX) — Somalia’s Embassy in South Africa has warned Somali citizens to stay alert after fresh xenophobic attacks in parts of the country targeted African and Asian foreign nationals. In its advisory, the embassy urged Somalis to remain vigilant, steer clear of areas where violence or security threats have been reported, and avoid any gatherings that could escalate into unrest. It also advised Somali business owners to consider closing their shops during periods of heightened tension in order to…

By Christina MoralesJill Cowan and Neil VigdorJill Cowan reported from San Diego.Thursday May 21, 2026 Each morning, Amin Abdullah made the same careful rounds before heading across town to his day job as a security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego. He would arrive at a small, aging mosque, walk its edges with a flashlight and check every dark corner, said his friend Khalid Alexander. Then he would step inside to pray. For Mr. Abdullah, a Muslim convert, the work was more than a paycheck. It was a duty he felt…

by STEPHEN ASTARIKOMonday May 18, 2026 Garissa governorship aspirant Abdulkadir Haji with Sultan Hamud Sheikh of the Awliyahan clan./STEPHEN ASTARIKO The contest for Garissa governor in 2027 is already gathering momentum, with Senator Abdul Haji making a direct appeal to the influential Awliyahan community in a development that could alter the county’s political arithmetic. At a symbolic ceremony held on Saturday at a Garissa hotel, the two-term senator, who comes from the Samawadhal community, officially presented his…

Sunday May 17, 2026 Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say the country is confronting a new Ebola outbreak in eastern Ituri province, where the death toll has climbed to at least 80 as authorities step up screening and contact tracing efforts to slow the spread. A fresh outbreak of Ebola has been reported in eastern DRC, where tens of people have died as a result. / Reuters Authorities announced the outbreak on Friday, saying 65 people had died and 246 suspected cases had been identified. By Saturday, they…