Kismayo

U.S. SOCAFRICA chief meets Jubbaland leader in Kismayo to deepen fight against al-Shabab KISMAYO, Somalia — The commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Africa met Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe in Kismayo on Monday to discuss ongoing military operations against al-Shabab and expanded security cooperation in southern Somalia, officials said. Maj. Gen. Claude K. Tudor Jr.’s visit comes amid intensified counterterrorism efforts in the Jubbaland region, where Somali forces, backed by international partners,…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The International Press Institute on Sunday condemned the killing of Somali journalist Abshir Khalif Shidane in Kismayo and the separate detention of a television reporter in Mogadishu, calling the incidents the latest evidence of mounting pressure on the country’s media and urging swift accountability. Shidane, 25, was shot and killed the evening of March 2 in Kismayo, the capital of Jubaland State, after a police officer opened fire following a brief argument at a checkpoint, according to reports from…

Jubbaland police arrest officer after journalist Abshir Khalif Shide Omar is shot dead in Kismayo MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Jubbaland state police officer has been arrested after fatally shooting broadcast journalist Abshir Khalif Shide Omar in Kismayo, authorities and media representatives said Tuesday. The killing occurred Monday evening in the interim administrative capital of Jubbaland after what police and colleagues described as a brief altercation between the journalist and the officer. The motive remains unclear, and…

KISMAYO, Somalia — A broadcast journalist was shot dead Monday night in the southern port city of Kismayo after an altercation with a police officer, according to the National Union of Somali Journalists. Authorities say the officer has been arrested and an investigation is underway. Abshir Khalif Shide Omar was killed at about 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 2, 2026, following a brief dispute with a police officer, NUSOJ said, citing initial inquiries. The union said the motive remains unclear and the full circumstances have yet to…

KISMAYO, Somalia — Jubaland State President Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe has invited federal lawmakers from his state to a consultative meeting in Kismayo as political tensions mount over Somalia’s electoral process ahead of the 2026 vote. In a letter dated March 1, 2026, Madobe’s office called on members of both houses of the federal Parliament who represent Jubaland constituencies to convene for discussions on the national political situation and preparations for the coming elections. The outreach comes amid intensifying…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The United States has offered a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the identification or capture of those responsible for an attack targeting U.S. military personnel and property at Kismayo International Airport in southern Somalia, officials said Wednesday. The offer was announced under the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program and follows an assault claimed by the al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab. The attack involved rockets and mortar shells fired at U.S. and…

‘We sell what we collect’: In Kismayo, displaced women turn acacia seeds into a lifeline KISMAYO, Somalia — Before sunrise on the outskirts of this southern port city, groups of women shoulder sacks and long sticks and set out from the internal displacement camps. They walk together into the scrub outside Kismayo, toward stands of acacia trees where, with a shake and a thud, their day’s earnings fall to the ground. Their harvest — tiny, brown acacia seeds, locally known as abqo — has become a fragile but vital income stream.…

Somali Political Leaders Hold Closed-Door Talks in Kismayo KISMAYO, Somalia — Senior Somali political figures held closed-door meetings Friday at the Jubaland presidential palace in the southern city of Kismayo, in what participants described as a pivotal bid to shape the country’s political path and the 2026 elections. Officials briefed on the discussions said the talks centered on finalizing the structure and mandate of a proposed body called the Future Council of Somalia, which backers say is intended to guide the…

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…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo will not attend a political summit set to open Thursday in Kismayo, opposition figures and lawmakers said, underscoring a fluid opposition landscape ahead of Somalia’s 2026 elections. Abdirashid Xidig, a member of the House of the People and an official with the Somali Salvation Forum, said Farmaajo supports the summit’s objectives but is not part of its organizing structure. “Farmaajo is welcome to participate, but he is not part of the organizing…