government

MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said Saturday that Somalia’s federal government is open to dialogue and compromise with opposition leaders, as the opposition-led Somali Future Council conference in Kismayo entered its third day. Speaking in Mogadishu, Mohamud urged participants at the Kismayo gathering to produce constructive, negotiable proposals that the public and the government can engage with, signaling a willingness to defuse political tensions through talks. “I say to the brothers in…

Opposition Accuses Nigerian Government of One-Party Drift Ahead of 2027 Elections Opposition politicians in Nigeria have sounded the alarm over what they describe as the government's drift toward a de facto one-party state. They contend this shift is being executed "through coercion," primarily by weaponizing state institutions, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). In a joint statement that has drawn significant attention, key opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar…

MOGADISHU — Former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said Friday that an opposition coalition conference planned in Kismayo will focus on forging a unified political vision and a credible path to national elections, rejecting claims the gathering is meant to form a parallel government. “The objective of the Kismayo conference is to agree on a common vision, particularly on elections, not to form a new government,” Sharif said in remarks to reporters, framing the meeting as a push for a viable, fair and inclusive electoral…

Somalia launches nationwide census of Quranic schools amid concern over conditions MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs has begun a nationwide census of Quranic schools, responding to rising complaints that many centers operate in places and conditions considered unsuitable for children’s learning. Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Ali said the assessment is designed to establish a clear picture of Quranic schools across the country so the government can plan,…

Nigeria’s government has secured the release of 100 schoolchildren abducted last month in Niger state, local media reported, marking a partial breakthrough in one of the country’s worst mass school kidnappings in recent years. The children were among those taken on Nov. 21 when gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Catholic boarding school in Papiri, a hamlet in Niger state. The Christian Association of Nigeria said at the time that 303 children and 12 school staff were seized in the raid. About 50 pupils managed to escape within hours,…

Jubbaland declares itself a “government,” deepening Somalia’s constitutional crisis Jubbaland on Sunday said it will operate as a government rather than a federal member state, a sharp escalation in its confrontation with Somalia’s federal authorities that widens the country’s unresolved constitutional crisis. Abdi Mohamed Abdirahman, speaker of the Jubbaland Parliament, said lawmakers approved amendments removing all references to “federal member state” from the regional charter and formally rebranding the entity as the…

DHUSAMAREB, Somalia — The United Nations has handed over a fortified compound in Dhusamareb, the regional capital of Galmudug, to the state government as the UN prepares to wind down its political footprint in Somalia. The facility — built by the UN for staff operations at the Hero Drogo site — has been transferred to the Galmudug administration led by Ahmed Abdi Kariye, widely known as Qoor Qoor. UN representative James Swan said the organization had “constructed and equipped the compound for operations” in Galmudug but…

Somalia: Allied forces report 56 al-Shabaab killed in Lower Juba operation Jubbaland State forces, the Somali National Army and U.S.-trained Danab commandos launched a coordinated sweep across Jamaame district on Sunday, striking multiple militant sites at once. Authorities described the multi-front push as a highly planned operation aimed at weakening al-Shabaab’s rural grip. Security officials said at least 56 al-Shabaab fighters were killed and 20 others captured alive. The allied units moved simultaneously to overwhelm…

South Africa tightens its inflation anchor — a test of credibility for monetary and fiscal policy South Africa’s National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank have agreed on a new inflation objective: a 3% target with a one percentage point tolerance band. That shifts the nominal anchor to 3% (effectively a 2–4% acceptable range), and — according to reporting — is part of a fragile compromise between the Government of National Unity and the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement after three failed attempts to pass the…

US government reopens after 43-day shutdown as Trump signs funding bill President Donald Trump signed legislation Wednesday to end the 43-day federal government shutdown, roughly two hours after the House of Representatives voted to restore disrupted food assistance, resume pay for hundreds of thousands of federal workers and revive parts of the air traffic control system. The House approved the measure 222 to 209. The bill had already cleared the Senate earlier in the week. Mr Trump signed it in the Oval Office, telling…