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Saturday April 25, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s push to tighten its digital defenses took a step forward as the National Communications Authority (NCA) brought together government agencies, private-sector representatives, educators, civil society actors, and technical specialists for a national consultation on a Cybersecurity Risk Management and Compliance Framework. The gathering was designed to collect feedback and deepen coordination around a framework intended to bolster the country’s cybersecurity posture, protect…

El Salvador has opened one of the largest mass prosecutions of President Nayib Bukele’s anti-gang campaign, putting 486 alleged gang members on collective trial as his government continues to wield contentious emergency powers in its fight against violence. According to prosecutors, the case against the alleged Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, members covers more than 47,000 crimes carried out between 2012 and 2022, including a weekend that became the country’s deadliest since the end of its civil war. Those allegations include…

Tuesday April 14, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — North Western State of Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday brought together senior government institutions for the latest quarterly meeting of the Maritime Security Coordination Mechanism, as officials moved to sharpen defenses against mounting risks along the country’s coastline. Held in Hargeisa, the meeting examined the changing security picture in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where developments in regional and international affairs continue to shape some of the…

Saturday April 11, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia and Türkiye took a major step Friday toward the country’s first offshore deep-water oil drilling project, as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar in Mogadishu. The talks centered on deepening the two countries’ strategic ties, with energy, natural resources and the blue economy high on the agenda. President Mohamud said the partnership had entered what he called a historic phase, underscoring the arrival of…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Djibouti went to the polls on Friday in a presidential election that is all but certain to hand longtime leader Ismaïl Omar Guelleh a sixth term, after lawmakers removed presidential age limits last year. Guelleh, 78, has governed the Horn of Africa nation of roughly 1 million people for more than 20 years. In the 2021 vote, he won nearly 99% of the ballots cast. This time, he faces just one opponent, Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former member of the ruling party, in a contest analysts describe as lacking…

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone call Tuesday with Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, to discuss bilateral relations and the latest security developments in Sudan, according to Ankara’s communications directorate. In a statement posted on X, Turkey’s Directorate of Communications said the two leaders exchanged views on the situation in Sudan as well as broader issues shaping ties between the countries. The readout did not specify the duration of the…

DJIBOUTI — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Djibouti on Wednesday for talks with President Ismail Omar Guelleh, a visit framed by rising tensions across the Horn of Africa and the wider Middle East and coming as the United States warns of heightened security risks in the region. Villa Somalia said the trip reflects the longstanding ties between the two neighbors and a shared vision for regional cooperation, solidarity and stability. The two leaders are expected to hold discussions aimed at reinforcing…

Opinion: From Mossadegh to Khamenei, America keeps relearning the true cost of regime change in Iran In Iranian politics, history is not past; it is precedent. The 1953 coup that toppled Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh under a covert U.S.-British operation did more than restore a monarch. It set the template for how Iranians interpret foreign power—and how easily short-term victories can harden into generational backlash. Seven decades on, Washington is again defining success by removal. The lesson from 1953 suggests the…

Funerals take place following attack on Iran school Funerals were held in Iran following an attack on a school, underscoring a day of grief and somber reflection for families and communities confronting the loss. The rites drew mourners to pay respects to the victims as the country absorbed the shock of violence striking an educational setting. Details about the incident, including the full scope of casualties and responsibility, were not immediately available. In the absence of confirmed information, the focus remained on…

MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud held separate telephone calls with the King of Jordan and the Amir of Qatar as regional tensions spiked following Iranian missile strikes, the presidency said Monday. In statements issued by Villa Somalia, the president and his counterparts discussed the deteriorating security climate across the Middle East and stressed the need to reduce tensions and intensify diplomatic efforts to preserve stability. The Somali leader reaffirmed Mogadishu’s support for both Jordan and…