January

UNITED NATIONS — Somalia is set to assume the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council in January 2026, a move widely seen as a significant diplomatic milestone that underscores the country’s growing role in global decision-making. For the monthlong term, Somalia will steer the council’s work: setting agendas, presiding over high-stakes sessions, and guiding debates on international peace and security. The role places Mogadishu at the center of the world’s most powerful diplomatic forum, where the daily…

UNITED NATIONS — Somalia is set to assume the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council at the start of January 2026, a milestone seen by diplomats as a sign of the country’s growing voice in global security debates and multilateral diplomacy. The monthlong presidency will place Somalia at the center of the council’s work. The presiding member sets the program of work, chairs meetings, steers discussions and can convene high-level debates on urgent threats to international peace and security. While the role…

Somalia’s Kismaayo conference sets Jan. 20 deadline, rejects term extensions, warns of parallel political process KISMAAYO, Somalia — A three-day consultative conference in Kismaayo has issued a sweeping communiqué that sets Jan. 20, 2026, as a deadline for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to convene an inclusive national conference, rejects any extension of federal mandates and warns that Somalia risks slipping into parallel political processes if consensus is not restored. The meeting, held Dec. 18–20, brought together…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The Somali National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has extended the free period for obtaining the National Identity Card until Jan. 31, 2026, the agency’s deputy director general announced Thursday. Deputy Director General Abdirahman Said Ahmed said the decision is intended to widen public access to the ID program and ease pressure on registration sites as demand grows. “The National Identity Card issuance service has been extended for two months for the benefit of the Somali…

In mid-January, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is slated to undergo a confidence vote, a move that could potentially lead to new elections as early as March. This development follows the ousting of his Finance Minister, Christian Lindner, after protracted disagreements about the government's economic strategy. Scholz cited a breakdown of trust as the reason for Lindner's dismissal, emphasizing that collaboration had become untenable. "He has broken my trust too often... Serious government work is not possible under such…

In Gabon, on January 7, 2019, young soldiers led by Lieutenant Kelly Ondo Obiang, from the Republican Guard, occupied Gabon's national radio early in the morning and sent a message that the army had taken power. But the special forces' response had made it possible to counter the coup at noon. The arrested putschists appeared before a special military court on Monday, June 21.…

The next African Cup of Nations for men (CAN 2021), scheduled for Cameroon, will take place from January 9 to February 6, 2022, the African Football Confederation (CAF) said in a press release dated March 31, 2021 and was published on Thursday. . The draw for the final phase, which will reveal the composition of the six groups, will take place on June 25, 2021.…

In Côte d'Ivoire, a country of 25 million inhabitants, the numbering system has reached saturation point. The authorities have therefore provided for the automatic passage of telephone numbers. These drop from eight to ten digits on January 31st. Fifty million telephone numbers, mobile and landline, are affected by this technical operation. The plan was presented to the press by Bilé Diéméléou Gabriel, Director General of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Côte d'Ivoire (ARTCI). According to him, the process…