Saturday May 2, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali pilgrims have begun their journey to the holy sites as the first Hajj flights from Mogadishu and Hargeisa touched down in Saudi Arabia, signaling the opening of this year’s pilgrimage season for nationals from the Horn of Africa. According to Somali officials, the initial flights arrived Friday at Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport with 432 pilgrims on board. Minister of Endowment and Religious Affairs Mukhtar Robow Ali oversaw the launch ceremony in Mogadishu,…

Writer Charles KingSaturday May 2, 2026 Charles King, the UK ambassador to the Federal Republic of Somalia, takes readers inside the routines and risks that define one of the world’s most challenging diplomatic assignments. In most capitals, the day begins with an alarm clock. In Mogadishu, my mornings lately have often started instead with the thunder of an F-16 fighter jet overhead. From there, it is a two-minute walk from my armoured pod to the chancery — a brief crossing under Somalia’s fierce sun that is a world away…

By Awes Hagi Yusuf AhmedSaturday May 2, 2026 Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks with journalists about security policy at Villa Somalia, the presidential palace and main office, on April 22, 2025, in central Mogadishu, Somalia. In world affairs, where a nation sits can matter almost as much as what it says. For years, Somalia was mostly a topic of debate in international security circles, not a power helping to steer them. That is beginning to change, and the implications are both practical and symbolic.…

Friday May 1, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — In a show of broad support, the Hawadle Community Unity and Development Council held a senior-level meeting in Mogadishu on Thursday, drawing leaders and representatives from across the community. The session brought together government ministers, members of parliament, politicians, traditional elders, scholars, business figures, as well as youth and women representatives. Among those in attendance was the Hawadle community’s traditional chief, Ugaas Yusuf Ugaas Hassan Ugaas Khaliif. The…

Friday May 1, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali National Army units have taken part in a multinational military exercise held in Turkey over the past several days, according to the Turkish Ministry of National Defense. The expansive drill drew troops from a wide roster of countries, including Somalia, the United States, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Cameroon, Libya, Pakistan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia. According to a statement from the Turkish Ministry of National Defense, the exercise highlighted a broad spectrum of…

Friday May 1, 2026 Essa Suleiman is due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Friday. Photograph: Newsquest/SWNS London (AX) — A knife attack in Golders Green, north London, has led to charges of attempted murder against a 45-year-old man after two Jewish men were stabbed, the Metropolitan Police Service said. Police said Essa Suleiman, a British national born in Somalia, faces two counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place in relation to the Golders Green incident.…

Friday May 1, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali National Army forces have killed at least 22 Al-Shabaab militants in a planned offensive in the Lower Shabelle region, the Ministry of Defense said Wednesday. In a statement, the ministry said the 72-hour operation struck militant positions in the Bulo Abdalla area, situated between Mubarak and Ugunji. The assault combined ground fighting with coordinated airstrikes, and officials said it left 22 militants dead, among them a senior figure identified as Abdirahman Jeeri. Authorities…

Mohamed Gabobe in Mogadishu and Rachel SavageThursday April 30, 2026 The motor vessel Sward was hijacked on Sunday. Photograph: EU naval force Operation ATALANTA A fresh wave of hijackings off Somalia has jolted one of the world’s most sensitive shipping corridors, with three vessels seized in a week and memories of the country’s pirate era suddenly back in focus. The merchant vessel Sward was captured on 26 April, just one day after a dhow was taken. Those incidents came after the 21 April hijacking of Honour 25, a motor…

Thursday April 30, 2026 Garacad (AX) — Fighting broke out in the Garacad area of Mudug region on Thursday morning after Puntland State security forces engaged suspected pirates, leaving several people feared dead and others wounded. Local residents said the confrontation began when Puntland State forces moved against armed men believed to be connected to recent piracy incidents along the coast. Among those injured is the commander of the Jariiban district police station, Abdullahi Abdi Elmi “Guray Dusaaye” (Booyaax),…

Thursday April 30, 2026 What began as a routine day in Golders Green quickly turned into a major counterterrorism response after social media images circulated showing a suspect apparently carrying a knife through the north London neighbourhood. London (AX) — Two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London, in an incident police are treating as a terrorist attack. The men, identified as 34-year-old Shilome Rand and 76-year-old Moshe Ben Baila, who was known locally as Moshe Shine, were targeted on Wednesday in…