challenging

Mustafa Omer and the Somali Region: A Debate That Mirrors Ethiopia’s Bigger Test On a breezy evening in Jigjiga, you still hear the word “isbeddel” — change — tossed around tea houses in the old quarter like a benediction and a warning. It’s the phrase that came to define Ethiopia’s Somali Region after 2018, when a feared security state gave way to an administration that promised to open space, lower voices, and put civilians at the center. Today, that promise — and the man who personified it, regional president Mustafa…

Historic Leap: Somalia's First Female Military Cadets Graduate MOGADISHU, Somalia — In a groundbreaking ceremony that reverberated through the hallways of history, Somalia welcomed its first-ever female military cadets. This significant event marks not just a military milestone but a powerful cultural shift within a nation long-encumbered by traditional patriarchal constraints. The graduation at a Turkish-run military academy epitomizes the slow yet inexorable march toward gender equality in Somalia—a journey many hope…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has brought General Odowaa Yusuf Rage back to the fore, a youthful officer molded in Turkey. Rage had previously made headlines by cracking down on opposition figures in Mogadishu during the tumultuous 2021-22 elections. This reappointment unfolds against the backdrop of a political storm swirling around Villa Somalia's attempts to tweak certain constitutional passages for timing extensions—moves that might derail the ongoing battle against Al-Shabaab. Rage steps into the…

The saga surrounding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is tangled with Ethiopia’s Red Sea ambitions, lighting up disputes along multiple fronts. Embarking on the intricate mission of fair Nile River usage, the freshly minted Nile River Basin Commission (NRBC) faces a rocky road. Conflicts simmering in the Horn of Africa add fuel to the fire. October 13 marked a turning point as the Cooperative Framework Agreement on the Nile sprang to life, transitioning us from the old Nile Basin Initiative to something fresh. The…

Mogadishu (AX) — The Egyptian leader, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, is gearing up for a visit to Asmara, Eritrea, come Thursday, where he's scheduled for a three-party pow-wow with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. This top-tier sit-down aims to bolster security partnerships and tackle mutual hurdles in the Horn of Africa and the bustling Red Sea zone. A big-ticket item on the agenda is the creation of a tri-nation coalition to navigate common challenges, with a spotlight on Ethiopia's…

Twelve international human rights NGOs, including HRW, FIDH and even EurAc, expressed in an "open letter" published on Monday 21 June, their fears of seeing the EU get ready to resume direct support to the Burundian government . The Union's ambassador to Burundi announced on Monday 21 June in Bujumbura that this had just been recorded on the expert groups in the European organization.…

For several weeks, the number of pollutants has continued to increase. The country has a total of 24,426 cases and 418 deaths. A second wave more deadly than the previous one and which has more serious cases. A press conference was held on Wednesday, civil society organizations in the health care sector. The measures and response strategy that the authorities are taking to limit the spread are…

During a news conference Monday night, March 22, in Niamey, opponent Mahamane Ousmane challenged the presidential candidate's ruling from the Constitutional Court, which validated Mohamed Bazoum's victory. Mahamane Ousmane calls for a peaceful march across the territory, for the mobilization of the people and for the support of the constituted bodies and the armed forces.…

Several protesters were killed by Nigerian security forces in Lagos on Tuesday, Amnesty International said after witnesses reported that gunmen opened fire on protesters defying a curfew. "People were killed at (Lekki) customs gate by security forces," Amnesty Nigeria spokeswoman Isa Sanusi told AFP, citing a major protest site…