government

Somalia’s president presses for unity and service delivery as security gains remain fragile MOGADISHU — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud used this week’s cabinet meeting to argue that Somalia’s fragile recovery from years of conflict must now be matched by faster, tangible improvements in everyday life — from clinics and schools to the courts that citizens rely on. In a country where authority is often contested and public trust thin, Mohamud sought to recast progress not as military achievement alone but as a test of…

Negotiations on the Brink: Nigeria's Academic Crisis Deepens In the heart of Nigeria, a looming confrontation between the government and its academic staff is stirring discontent. As tensions rise over the impending strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the government has escalated its rhetoric, asserting a stringent 'No Work, No Pay' policy. This warning, directed at faculty members set to initiate protests on October 13, highlights a complicated saga of negotiation, trust, and the future of…

Jubaland’s UN complaint lays bare a widening rift in Somalia’s fragile federal experiment KISMAYO — The latest escalation between Mogadishu and the semi-autonomous Jubaland state, culminating in a formal complaint lodged at the United Nations Office in Somalia, is not just another local spat. It is a symptom of a deeper, unresolved contest over power, identity and the shape of Somali federalism — and it raises uncomfortable questions about how fragile post-conflict states manage the tug between central authority and…

Kenya’s quiet diplomacy in Kismayo underscores fragile balance between Mogadishu and Jubaland KISMAYO — When a federal delegation led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud traveled to Kismayo this month for talks with Jubaland’s leaders, the public language that followed was notably measured. Jubaland’s presidency thanked Kenya for its “constructive efforts” in facilitating the discussions, and Jubaland president Ahmed Mohamed Islam — better known as Ahmed Madobe — spoke of dialogue, compromise and unity. But the absence of an…

South African activists held by Israel after Gaza aid attempt are “in good health and high spirits,” Pretoria says South Africa’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said a group of its citizens detained by Israeli authorities after attempting to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip are “in good health and high spirits,” and that efforts to secure their safe return are “advancing steadily.” The detained activists were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla — a civil society initiative that sought to reach Gaza by sea amid a protracted…

Mohamud’s Visit to Kismayo: A Fragile Gesture Toward Reconciliation KISMAYO, Somalia — When Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud travels to Kismayo this weekend for talks with Jubaland’s leader Ahmed “Madobe” Mohamed, he will be stepping into a political landscape that has been scarred by years of public acrimony, private deals and military showdowns. The trip — brokered quietly by Nairobi and welcomed, cautiously, by regional capitals — is less a triumph than a test of whether local rivals can move from brinkmanship to…

U.S. government grinds to a halt as partisan stalemate triggers shutdown WASHINGTON — Much of the United States federal government shut its doors early today after Congress failed to pass a short-term funding bill, setting off what officials warned could be a prolonged and costly stand‑off that will touch millions of Americans and ripple through global markets. The shutdown — the 15th since 1981 — began hours after the Senate rejected a stopgap measure that would have kept agencies operating through Nov. 21. Agencies…

U.S. Embassy in Somalia Scales Back Services as Washington Shutdown Ripples Overseas Mogadishu — The U.S. Embassy in Somalia said Wednesday it is curtailing some regular operations following a federal government shutdown in Washington, underscoring how a budget stalemate in Congress can reverberate far beyond the Beltway and into one of the world’s most complex diplomatic environments. “Due to the lapse in appropriations, this X account will not be updated regularly until full operations resume, with the exception of…

Somalia's Jubaland State Raises Alarm: A Call for Unity in Troubling Times KISMAYO, Somalia — In a bold and critical statement that echoes through the tumultuous landscape of Somalia's politics, the Jubaland state has voiced increasing concern regarding what it describes as the federal government's abandonment of pivotal national priorities, namely the fight against al-Shabaab militants and the promotion of national unity. As Somalia grapples with the weight of insecurity, economic struggles, and deepening political…

Analysis: Jubbaland’s Broadside Against Mogadishu Exposes Somalia’s Uneasy Balancing Act Somalia’s fragile political compact wobbled again this week as the Jubbaland regional administration publicly accused the federal government in Mogadishu of drifting from core national priorities, including the campaign against al-Shabaab and the country’s hard-won political unity. In a blunt statement issued Monday, Jubbaland warned that “short-term political interests” were eroding trust and urged a return to consensus politics. “The…