leader

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Djibouti went to the polls on Friday in a presidential election that is all but certain to hand longtime leader Ismaïl Omar Guelleh a sixth term, after lawmakers removed presidential age limits last year. Guelleh, 78, has governed the Horn of Africa nation of roughly 1 million people for more than 20 years. In the 2021 vote, he won nearly 99% of the ballots cast. This time, he faces just one opponent, Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former member of the ruling party, in a contest analysts describe as lacking…

Change is never simple. It comes with pressure, risk, and uncertainty. But for any country seeking real progress, it is often the only way forward. In Somalia, President Dr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has chosen to face that reality head-on. Since returning to office, he has taken a series of bold and, at times, difficult decisions aimed at reshaping the country’s direction. Drawing on his previous experience, he quickly identified key areas that needed urgent attention to deliver visible results. Now, after years of effort,…

A 37-year-old Irish man identified by Spanish authorities as “one of the leaders” of the Hutch Organised Crime Group is set to fight efforts to send him back to Ireland, after appearing before a court in Lanzarote. Spanish police arrested the man yesterday under a European arrest warrant issued by the High Court in Dublin. Gardaí want him returned to Ireland, where he is sought to face criminal charges. He appeared by video link before a judge in Lanzarote this morning and was remanded in custody after refusing to consent to…

Easter Sunday will carry unusual weight at the Vatican this year, as Pope Leo XIV prepares to mark the holiest day in the Christian calendar for the first time as pontiff while war in the Middle East darkens the celebration. The US-born pope, who has become one of the conflict’s most prominent critics, is due to celebrate mass in St Peter's Square from 9.30am Irish time before thousands of worshippers. The head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics will then deliver the traditional blessing at 11am Irish time, a moment likely…

Friday April 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke has sharply condemned the federal government’s decision to name an interim leader for Southwest State, calling it unconstitutional and a direct affront to Somalia’s federal order. In a statement, Sharmarke challenged what he described as the effective reduction of a federal member state into an entity subordinate to the central government. He argued that no legal authority exists for replacing an elected state administration…

Friday April 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The Somali Future Council on Thursday came out forcefully against the federal government’s decision to name an interim leader for Southwest State, describing the move as unconstitutional and a direct challenge to Somalia’s federal arrangement. In a statement, the opposition-aligned council said the appointment runs counter to constitutional rules that govern transitions in federal member states, including the procedures that must be followed when a presidency becomes vacant and when…

Thursday April 2, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — In a swift move aimed at steadying the Southwest regional state after weeks of political turbulence in Baidoa, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has named Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid as interim leader. A decree released Wednesday by the Office of the Prime Minister said the temporary administration will keep core government operations running, hasten consultations on Somalia’s planned one-person, one-vote electoral process and lay the constitutional groundwork…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has moved to steady the political situation in Southwest state, with Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre signing a decree that installs a caretaker leader as tensions continue to unfold, officials said.  According to the order, Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid Haji Abdi will take charge for an unspecified period until a former president is elected. His responsibilities include pushing forward preparations for one-person, one-vote elections in the regional state. …

Thursday April 2, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali opposition figure and federal lawmaker Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame has sharply denounced the federal government’s move to install an interim leader in Southwest State, calling it unconstitutional and a direct danger to Somalia’s already fragile federal arrangement. In a statement released Thursday, Warsame, who leads the Wadajir Party, said the decision to name Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid as interim head of the Southwest administration runs counter to both…

Tuesday March 31, 2026 Somalia’s national army seized control of Baidoa, the largest city in South West state, on Monday, setting off a political rupture that ended with the regional president stepping down two weeks after he said his administration was cutting ties with the federal government. Baidoa, the administrative hub of South West state, is a key strategic center in a region shadowed by drought, conflict and displacement. The city also hosts international peacekeepers and humanitarian agencies, adding to its…