MOGADISHU – Somalia said on Friday it had been unable to secure the reversal of a U.S. decision that blocked Somali international referee Omar Artan from entering the country to take part in the FIFA World Cup, despite a coordinated diplomatic push involving several government offices. In a statement, the Ministry of Youth and Sports said it regretted the circumstances that kept Artan out of the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The ministry said it moved quickly after Artan was…

Saturday May 16, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s federal government on Friday said it will press ahead with one-person, one-vote elections, insisting the country has entered a new democratic chapter after three days of talks with opposition leaders collapsed without a deal. The Ministry of Information said the government was carrying out its constitutional obligation to organize free and fair elections that give citizens the right to vote and stand for office. The announcement followed negotiations in Mogadishu between the…

By JEREMIAH WAKAYAThursday May 14, 2026 Ruto said Kenya had made significant progress toward reopening the frontier before clashes erupted between Somalia’s Federal Government and regional state forces near the Kenyan border/PCS/FILE President William Ruto has said the long-promised reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border collapsed because renewed violence and political turmoil in Somalia upended the plan. In an interview with France 24 on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Ruto said Kenya had been moving…

Alex RossThursday April 30, 2026 Screen grab from body worn camera of police officers confronting and arresting a 45-year-old man who remains in custody, they have said, following two people being stabbed in Golders Green (Metropolitan Police/PA)Metropolitan Police A victim of the suspected terror attack in Golders Green has condemned the government for “not doing its job” after recalling the moment he was stabbed in the chest. Shilome Rand, 34, was wounded alongside 76-year-old Moshe Ben Baila, known locally as Moshe Shine,…

A cascading series of human failures left nearly every life-saving safeguard ineffective when a ferocious blaze ripped through a Hong Kong housing complex last year, killing 168 people, a public inquiry heard. The fire erupted on 26 November at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong's Tai Po district, making it the world's deadliest residential building blaze since 1980. Flames swept through seven of the estate's eight residential blocks, all under renovation. Bamboo scaffolds, protective netting and foam boards wrapped the…

The Fragile Peace in Eastern DR Congo: Voices from the Ground In the lush, green hills of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the echo of gunfire and the palpable tension in the air create a stark contrast to the paper agreements made months prior. Residents in towns like Goma and Bukavu, once bustling with life, are now haunted by a pervasive uncertainty. The much-publicized peace agreements inked in Doha, Qatar, in June—which involved intricate negotiations among international powers—were meant to restore…

Kenya’s mediation frays as passports withdrawal exposes fragile balance in Somalia Nairobi’s attempt to broker a truce between Mogadishu and Jubaland has produced not a ceasefire but a fresh crisis — one that underlines how external actors, local strongmen and fragile federal institutions are reshaping Somalia’s political future. Hours after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud flew to Kismayo for high-stakes talks with Jubaland leader Ahmed “Madobe” Mohamed, Kenyan authorities reportedly revoked the travel documents of two…

Ethiopia was embroiled in the Tiger War for almost ten months and refused to negotiate a ceasefire. For their part, Western partners want to start talks between rebels in Tigrayan and Addis Ababa, while the conflict has now spread to two neighboring provinces. So far, one failure. And the visit of the US special envoy to the Ethiopian capital is unlikely to change the situation. A week after his arrival, Jeffrey Feltman almost left empty-handed. Twice Foreign Minister of Ethiopia. According to a diplomatic source, he…

In Goma, after the shock caused by the sudden eruption of Nyiragongo on the evening of Saturday, May 22, which killed about twenty people and injured several towns, and especially Buhene, it is time for questions. In particular, to know why the Goma Volcanological Observatory, which is responsible for monitoring and warning of the slightest problem, could not fulfill its role.…

At a press conference, Master Iréné Mezui Mba declared that the five gendarmes on national television were stormed by the Putschists responsible for the shortest coup attempt in history, and a civil prosecution was dismissed in this case. Yet they are still in prison. as reported from Libreville, Yves-Laurent GomaIn front of…