Thursday May 21, 2026 Garowe (AX) — In a meeting that underscored both security concerns and Somalia’s unsettled politics, a U.S. delegation headed by acting Ambassador to Somalia Justin Davis met Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni in Garowe on Wednesday to discuss cooperation against ISIS and the country’s broader political transition. According to a statement from the Puntland State presidency, the delegation included officials from U.S. Africa Command, among them Col. Shane Jones. Puntland State Vice President…

AXADLE, Somalia — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni on Wednesday hosted a senior United States delegation in Garowe for talks centered on Somalia’s political transition, security cooperation, and investment prospects in the northeastern federal state, officials said. The delegation was headed by Justin Davis and included U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) officers, among them Col. Shane Jones, who commands U.S. special operations activities in Africa, according to a statement from the Puntland State presidency. Deni,…

Wednesday May 20, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Interior Minister Ali Yusuf Ali Hosh has sharply rebuked a cultural delegation from Puntland State after its members appeared at North Western State of Somalia’s May 18 commemoration in Hargeisa. Hosh said it was inappropriate for representatives from Puntland State to take part in an event that celebrates North Western State of Somalia’s 1991 breakaway from Somalia, a move the federal government still views as a direct threat to the country’s unity and territorial…

Saturday May 9, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — North Western State of Somalia stepped up its push for foreign investment on Thursday, as a delegation led by Trade and Tourism Minister Abdirahman Hassan Nur met with Israeli business representatives in Addis Ababa to explore deeper commercial ties. In a statement, North Western State of Somalia’s Ministry of Trade and Tourism said the discussions centered on broadening economic cooperation across agriculture, energy, technology, infrastructure, financial services and healthcare. The…

Monday May 4, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali Police Force Commander General Asad Osman Abdullahi on Monday hosted a senior Turkish delegation in Mogadishu, in a meeting centered on expanding security cooperation between the two countries. Officials said the talks were aimed at deepening bilateral ties in the security field, with a particular focus on training initiatives and efforts to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Somali Police Force, including its elite Haramcad unit. The meeting comes amid continuing efforts…

A fragile ceasefire and a fresh burst of diplomacy brought the Middle East conflict to another pivotal moment as Iran's foreign minister arrived in Pakistan and US envoys traveled to Islamabad in hopes of reviving stalled peace negotiations. The White House said emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would hold an "in-person conversation" with Iranian representatives, though Iranian state media insisted direct talks were not on the agenda. Even after US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the ceasefire in…

With the clock ticking down on a fragile pause in fighting, Iran said it has yet to dispatch a delegation for fresh peace talks with the United States, even as the temporary ceasefire that halted the Middle East war edged toward expiry. Tehran and Washington have traded blame over alleged violations of the two-week truce, which is due to end by tomorrow, deepening doubts over whether diplomacy can prevent the conflict from flaring again. At the first round of talks in Pakistan earlier this month — the most senior contacts…

Tuesday April 7, 2026 Djibouti (AX) — With Djibouti’s presidential vote just days away, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has sent an Election Observation Mission to the country to track the April 10, 2026 poll, the regional organization said Monday. The delegation was invited by the Djiboutian government and the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI), according to an IGAD statement released Tuesday. The observer team is headed by former Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome and includes 17…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Federal officials landed in Baidoa on Tuesday afternoon as Mogadishu moved to take charge of a political handover in South West State, one day after regional president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen announced his resignation. The delegation, which included the ministers of interior, foreign affairs and religious affairs, along with Lower House speaker Sheikh Aden Madobe, arrived at Shaati Gaduud airport in Baidoa. For some of the officials, the trip marked a return to the city after years away,…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Jubaland and Puntland State regional administrations on Sunday accused the federal government of blocking planes carrying their soldiers and presidential security guards from landing in the capital, an escalation that threatens a planned high-level consultative conference on elections. Both regional states said aircraft transporting advance delegations and security details were ordered to turn back shortly before landing at Aden Adde International Airport. The orders, they said, were unsafe, politically…