leaders

Somali Politics Spill Into Nairobi Again — And Mogadishu Pushes Back It is a familiar scene in East African diplomacy: Somali politicians gathering in a Nairobi hotel to hash out the country’s future far from Mogadishu’s checkpoints and political heat. This week, that well-worn script met a forceful rebuttal from Somalia’s defense minister, who said enough is enough. In a sharply worded post, Defense Minister Ahmed Macallin Fiqi condemned a Nairobi meeting of opposition figures and regional leaders — among them Puntland…

U.S. military chiefs visit North Western State of Somalia as Congress advances bill to deepen engagement HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia — Senior U.S. military officials overseeing East Africa operations met Monday with North Western State of Somalia’s new president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro, in a rare high-level visit to Hargeisa that dovetailed with fresh momentum in Washington to widen America’s ties with the self-governing territory. The talks — which both sides described as focused on security…

Trump says European leaders will visit US as Kyiv reels from what Ukraine calls the largest air strike of the war WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump told reporters he expects individual European leaders to travel to the United States “on Monday or Tuesday” to discuss resolving the Russia-Ukraine war — a claim that came as Ukrainian officials described a massive drone-and-missile barrage across large parts of the country and pleaded for a robust U.S. response. “Certain European leaders are coming over to our country on…

Silicon Valley's Dance with Power: Technology Titans Dine with Trump In a bold display of camaraderie between politics and technology, US President Donald Trump welcomed a powerhouse gathering of Silicon Valley's elite to the White House. At a lavish dinner that drew more than two dozen technology executives, the atmosphere buzzed with optimism as leaders from Google, Apple, Microsoft, OpenAI, and others heaped praise on Trump’s administration for fostering a pro-business climate. The Power Players at the Table "This is…

Somalia’s new Northeast State tests fragile federalism as favored candidates win amid interference claims In the sunbaked streets of Las Anod, the epicenter of a year of upheaval on Somalia’s northern rim, lawmakers this weekend chose a president and vice president for a new political entity they call the Northeast State. The result — a victory for Abdiqadir Ahmed Aw-Ali, known widely as Firdhiye, and his running mate Abdirashid Yusuf Jibril — was greeted in Mogadishu as a milestone for state-building. It was also met with…

Crackdown on Drug Abuse: Liberia's Leadership Responds to Rising Public Outcry In a significant move this week, President Joseph N. Boakai of Liberia dismissed three top officials of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), a decision underscoring the administration's increasing awareness of the rampant drug issue plaguing the nation. This action comes amidst mounting public pressure and a recent scandal involving an LDEA senior official caught attempting to intervene on behalf of his daughter, who faced drug-related…

Kenya Steps In: A Fresh Bid to Broker Peace in Somalia By Ali Musa Axadle Times international–Monitoring. The winds of political change in Somalia are stirring tensions once again. As clashes between federal and Jubbaland forces threaten to escalate, neighboring Kenya has quietly stepped into the fray, offering to mediate talks between Somalia's federal government and the semi-autonomous Jubbaland administration. The unfolding situation marks yet another pivotal moment in the Horn of Africa, where decades-long instability…

Baidoa (AX) — On Monday, Ambassador James Swan, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, sat down with South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed ‘Laftagareen’ and his team. Their chat revolved around some big-ticket items like security, election prep, and the pressing humanitarian concerns. Regional bigwigs filled in the UN envoy on safety measures being beefed up across South West State. They particularly pointed out the recent wins in Sabiid and Bariire in the Lower Shabelle region.…

Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) recently issued arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister, and a leader of Hamas, alleging they committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. This development follows ICC prosecutor Karim Khan’s declaration on May 20, asserting his pursuit of arrest warrants related to the October 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas and the ensuing military actions in Gaza. Let’s dive into the potential ramifications of this situation and…

In a significant development following the troubling events of October 7, 2023, involving both Hamas's attacks on Israel and the subsequent military actions in Gaza, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan revealed on May 20 his intention to pursue arrest warrants for alleged war crimes tied to the conflict. "The legal dynamics are shifting," remarked an expert on international law familiar with the situation. Despite the International Criminal Court's announcement that Israel's consent is not a prerequisite for acknowledging the…