Saturday May 16, 2026 Photo: Somali regional state The Somali Regional State Disaster Risk Management Bureau has dismissed reports portraying Ethiopia’s Somali Region as gripped by drought, saying the picture presented is outdated and fails to reflect the improvement brought by the current Gu rains. In a statement sent to Addis Standard, the Bureau said it had reviewed recent coverage that pointed to malnutrition, drought and acute water shortages across the region. It acknowledged that climate-related vulnerabilities remain…

MOGADISHU, May 10, 2026 — Somalia’s long-running constitutional reform process has entered a new phase after the federal parliament approved a series of amendments to the Provisional Constitution and the president signed the revised text into law. The changes are aimed at locking in rules for governance and elections, but they also deepen political tensions ahead of the next electoral cycle. What Happened Somalia has been operating under a Provisional Constitution since 2012. Reform has been debated for more than a…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) was designed to help Somalia’s security forces take over responsibility for fighting al-Shabaab and holding territory. As ATMIS drew down and ultimately ended, its impact became visible not only on the ground in security operations, but also in how political authority is exercised across Somalia’s federal and state system. ATMIS replaced the long-running AMISOM mission and was closely tied to a wider international strategy: support Somali forces…

Europe moved on Thursday to blunt the immediate shock of an energy crisis set off by the US-Israel war on Iran, with the European Commission unveiling a package of emergency and medium-term steps aimed at shielding households, businesses and heavy industry from surging costs. At the heart of the response is a temporary easing of EU state aid rules, giving member states more room to deploy public money to soften the blow of higher energy prices for consumers and industry. That support could take the form of price controls,…

By Ali Mohamed AliWednesday April 1, 2026 Illustrative photo  Somalia’s push to open its offshore waters to Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) could come at a steep environmental cost unless the country insists on a rigorous Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) carried out by an independent, technically qualified firm. Context: Planned Drilling by TPAO Somalia has already awarded TPAO exclusive rights to multiple offshore and onshore oil and gas blocks after the company completed extensive 2D and 3D seismic…

Somalia’s repeated election delays have become a central test for the country’s fragile democratic development and political stability. Elections in Somalia are closely tied to security, federal-state relations, and international support, meaning postponements can ripple across governance, public trust, and efforts to fight insurgency. This explainer breaks down what election delays typically mean in Somalia, why they happen, and how they can affect democracy and stability. Much of that pressure is also tied to…

Iran’s foreign minister said the killing of Ali Larijani will not destabilize the country’s leadership or governing system. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that the assassination of Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, would not shake the leadership or the system that, he said, the United States and Israel aim to dismantle. He spoke in an interview with Al Jazeera that aired after Iranian authorities confirmed Larijani’s death. Araghchi said Washington and Jerusalem have…

Somalia’s khat bill: How a daily airlift of mira to Mogadishu drains a fragile economy Somalia’s dependence on khat—known locally as qaad and as mira in Kenya—has evolved from a social habit into a structural economic liability. Official statements tabled in Kenya’s National Assembly on December 3, 2025, show just how lopsided the trade has become: Somalia is Kenya’s largest export destination for mira, accounting for more than 95 percent of Kenya’s total mira export volume. The crop supports an estimated 110,000 Kenyan…

Embracing AI in Journalism: A New Dawn for African Media On a balmy August morning in Nairobi, under the expansive African sky, journalists from across the continent gathered to explore an evolving frontier—Artificial Intelligence in journalism. The half-day workshop, "The Rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Its Impact on Journalism," organized by Xinhua News Agency Africa Regional Bureau, became a confluence of tradition and innovation, merging human stories with machine precision. A Meeting of Minds in Nairobi As I…

Benjamin Netanyahu has often expressed his belief that Donald Trump is arguably the best ally Israel has ever had in the Oval Office. In a bold display of support this week, the Israeli Prime Minister was among the first global leaders to extend his congratulations to Trump on his election victory, calling it "the greatest comeback in history." Such enthusiasm from Mr. Netanyahu comes as no big surprise. During Trump's initial term, he established himself as a fervent supporter of Israel. Among his many actions, the…