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North Western State of Somalia says 19 killed, 214 injured as Borama protests over Xeer Ciise turn deadly BORAMA, North Western State of Somalia — Nineteen people were killed and 214 others injured in clashes between security forces and demonstrators earlier this month in Borama, the capital of North Western State of Somalia’s Awdal region, authorities said. The newly appointed governor of Awdal, Abdirashid Hassan Mataan, said the fatalities included one woman. Of the injured, 194 sustained minor wounds. He said 20 people…

KIUNGA, Kenya — On a sliver of Kenya’s northern coast, just 15 kilometers from the Somalia border and within sight of the turquoise shallows of the Kiunga Marine National Reserve, a different kind of refugee story has been unfolding for more than three decades. It’s a story without tents or barbed wire, without aid convoys or registration queues. In Kiunga, families opened their doors to Somali neighbors fleeing conflict and drought — and kept them open. A new media release by the Office of the Director Public Service…

BORAMA, North Western State of Somalia — Nineteen people were killed and 214 injured in clashes between security forces and demonstrators during protests earlier this month in Borama, the capital of the Awdal region, North Western State of Somalia authorities said Friday. Abdirashid Hassan Mataan, the newly appointed governor of Awdal, said the dead included one woman. He detailed the toll after formally assuming office Thursday, adding that most of the wounded have been treated and released while those still hospitalized…

KISMAYO, Somalia — A high-stakes conference of the Somali Future Council opened Thursday in Kismayo, drawing more than 700 delegates and senior political figures to chart a path toward a consensus-based election model as Somalia nears pivotal votes. The gathering, hosted in the interim capital of Jubaland under heightened security, convenes amid plans to hold one person, one vote local council elections in Mogadishu’s Benadir region on Dec. 25. Organizers and participants say their goal is to avoid political conflict by…

South Africa arrests, orders deportation of 7 Kenyans linked to U.S. Afrikaner refugee program JOHANNESBURG — South African authorities have arrested and ordered the deportation of seven Kenyan nationals accused of working illegally at a Johannesburg center that processes refugee applications for a controversial U.S. resettlement program prioritizing white Afrikaners. The arrests on Tuesday followed intelligence reports that the Kenyans entered the country on tourist visas and took up employment after South Africa’s Home…

Somalia to roll out new passport in 2026 as immigration agency touts security, digital reforms Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Authority will issue a new national passport in 2026, replacing the current document as part of a wider modernization drive aimed at securing borders, improving service delivery and restoring global confidence in Somali travel documents, officials said Wednesday. Announcing the plan at an event in Mogadishu, ICA Director Mustafa Dhuhulow presented the…

Somalia and Djibouti deepen defense ties as EASF ministers convene in Mogadishu MOGADISHU — Somalia and Djibouti on Wednesday reinforced their security partnership as Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi met his Djiboutian counterpart, Hassan Omar Mohamed, in the capital ahead of a key regional defense summit. The Djiboutian minister is in Mogadishu for the 35th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of Defense and Security of the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), a regional forum that brings together defense…

BELEDWEYNE, Somalia — Somali intelligence forces, backed by international partners, carried out a planned operation in the Tardo area of central Hiiraan region on Tuesday afternoon, killing up to nine Al-Shabaab fighters and destroying an illegal checkpoint, authorities said. In a statement released Wednesday, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said the strike targeted a roadblock allegedly operated by the militant group to extort money from public transport vehicles using the route. “The operation…

Somalia confirms delay in $30 million Turkish budget support as budget vote looms MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s government has confirmed a delay in receiving $30 million in annual budget support from Turkey, a setback arriving as lawmakers are yet to approve a federal spending plan valued at more than $1 billion. Finance Minister Bihi Iman Egeh told local media on Wednesday that Ankara’s transfer — a recurring injection into Somalia’s treasury in recent years — has not arrived on its usual schedule. “Turkey has been…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A young rickshaw driver who had recently won the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery was shot and killed late Sunday in Mogadishu’s Dayniile district, police and relatives said, shattering plans to migrate with his pregnant wife and intensifying concern over attacks on transport workers. Police identified the victim as Abdirisaq Abukar Mohamed. Family members said he was driving his three-wheeled motorized rickshaw when gunmen opened fire, striking him in the chest and throat. He died at the scene. Somali police…