federal

MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is quietly preparing to push elections ahead in three allied regional states before opening broader talks on Somalia’s federal vote, according to sources close to his political circle. During a private meeting earlier this week with three of his main political allies, the president reportedly laid out a plan to first lock in leadership in Galmudug, Hirshabeelle, and Southwest State. Sources said it was the second time in recent weeks that Mohamud has advanced the same…

Saturday April 18, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Independent National Electoral Commission has set voting dates for House of Representatives and local council elections in Southwest, Galmudug and Hirshabelle. In a statement released Friday, the commission said Southwest will go to the polls on April 28, 2026, while Galmudug and Hirshabelle are scheduled to vote on May 13, 2026. The body said the elections in those two federal member states will be conducted on the same day, with ballots for both the House of…

Somalia: Defense Minister Threatens Military Action Against Federal States MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi has warned that the federal government may resort to military force against federal states that resist national directives, saying the Somali army will assert its authority throughout the country. Speaking in a recent address, Fiqi took aim at leaders of some federal member states, accusing them of opposing the deployment of national forces and treating the presence of the military as a threat.…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Turkey has moved F-16 fighter jets into Somalia, a development that sharply raises the level of military backing for the federal government as it presses to tighten control over the country and confront regional resistance. The deployment, first disclosed by defense intelligence outlet Janes, comes after months of upgrades at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu, where Turkish-built hangars and maintenance facilities have been added to support the aircraft. Turkish officials say the jets are…

Tuesday April 14, 2026 Garowe (AX) — Puntland State’s Minister of Interior, Abdi Hirsii Ali Qarjab, accused Somalia’s federal government on Monday of mounting a political and security offensive against the semi-autonomous state. In remarks to reporters, Qarjab said Puntland State is watching developments in the country closely and is ready to defend its territory if the need arises. “Puntland State has always stood for strengthening the unity and cooperation of the Somali people,” he said. “We expected development, security…

Wednesday April 8, 2026 Garowe (AX) — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni on Tuesday sharply criticized Somalia’s federal government, accusing it of pursuing a course that would erode the country’s federal model and concentrate power in Mogadishu. Addressing residents in Qardho district, Deni pointed to comments attributed to Sheikh Ali Wajiis, an adviser to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, saying they amounted to a push for the federal government to take direct control of regional states — a move he described as…

Somalia’s federal authorities and the semi-autonomous Puntland state have clashed repeatedly over who has the final say on governance, elections, and the wider constitutional direction of the country. The dispute has continued even as Somalia faces security threats from Al-Shabab and economic pressure across the region. At the core of the tension is a political question: whether federal institutions should lead reforms and national decision-making in a way Puntland believes must be treated as constitutional and agreed by…

QARDHO, Somalia — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni on Tuesday accused Somalia’s federal government of trying to erode the country’s federal system, warning that proposals linked to officials around President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud could splinter the nation along regional lines. Addressing army officials in Qardho, Deni said comments attributed to presidential adviser Sheikh Ali Wajiis pointed to a plan in which the federal government would take direct control of Somalia’s regions, a course he said would amount to…

Saturday April 4, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s federal takeover of Baidoa and the swift naming of an interim administration in Southwest State have ignited a bitter constitutional showdown, with supporters of the move pointing to newly amended provisions and critics insisting the action breaches both federal and regional law. Federal government forces, working alongside fighters aligned with Southwest opposition groups, seized Baidoa after intense clashes with regional troops. Southwest President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed…

Luigi Mangione’s federal trial in the killing of healthcare chief executive Brian Thompson has been pushed back again, with court filings showing proceedings are now set for January 2027. The December 2024 shooting outside a New York City hotel, caught on security cameras, stunned the country and cast a harsh spotlight on simmering public anger over the United States’ private healthcare system. Mr Mangione, 27, is fighting charges in both federal and New York state court. On Wednesday, both cases were delayed. The federal…