Mogadishu

North Western State of Somalia, Somalia and the politics of the skies: Why a digital visa is touching a raw nerve Airspace rarely makes front-page news until it does. In the Horn of Africa, where borders are contested and history weighs heavy, the latest salvo isn’t happening on the ground but in the air—and online. North Western State of Somalia’s Minister of the Presidency, Khadar Hussein Abdi, has accused Somalia’s federal government of waging a “war” over air travel and airspace, claiming the aim is to pressure North…

MOGADISHU — Somalia moves to fortify capital after high-profile al Shabaab attack MOGADISHU, Oct 23, 2025 — Somali authorities have dispatched newly trained security units to the main approaches into Mogadishu in a renewed effort to tighten control of the capital after a brazen assault on a national intelligence compound earlier this month. Residents and independent witnesses described convoys of troops in armoured personnel carriers and pickup trucks mounting checkpoints on highways leading into the city late Wednesday,…

Somalia Mourns a Stalwart of the Bench: Abdullahi Dahir Bare, 1940–2024 In a city that has seen far too many funerals, Mogadishu paused on Wednesday night to honor a man who spent a lifetime in service to the law. The Office of the Attorney General confirmed the passing of Abdullahi Dahir Bare, a former attorney general and one of the country’s earliest judges. He was 84. In a statement, current Attorney General Sulayman Mohamed extended condolences to Bare’s family and to a public that knew him as a steady presence…

Somalia’s Seat at East Africa’s Table: Why Mogadishu’s New EALA Delegation Matters A quiet milestone in Mogadishu In a bright room at the presidential palace in Mogadishu, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed Somalia’s first full slate of lawmakers to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). The ceremony, following a parliamentary vote that selected nine representatives, was deliberately understated — no brass bands, no triumphal headlines. Yet the significance should not be missed. Less than a year after its…

Mogadishu on edge: security, protests and the shrinking space for dissent in Somalia When Somalia’s defence minister publicly warned this week that the government will not permit opposition demonstrations in the capital, it was more than a rebuke to critics — it was a message about who will set the rules of political engagement as the country heads into an election season. Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, a close ally of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accused opposition figures of being backed by “saboteurs” and of mobilising the poor…

Mogadishu Forum Puts Somalia’s Energy Future on Center Stage MOGADISHU — As the Jazeera Hotel fills with ministers, investors and telecom executives on Oct. 15, Somalia’s conversation about power is being reframed. The Somali Success Forum, now in its fourth year and hosted by Hormuud Telecom, has turned a routine business gathering into a public reckoning over how a fragile, resource-rich country can light its way into stability and growth. From dark nights to data centers For decades, Somalia’s electricity story has…

Somali Opposition Condemns Arrests of Journalist and Activists Amid Sinai Market Dispute What happened A prominent Somali opposition coalition on Tuesday condemned a string of arrests tied to a long-running land dispute in Mogadishu, saying authorities had unlawfully detained a television journalist and members of a committee advocating for families displaced from the city’s Sinai Market area. The Somali Salvation Forum, a coalition of opposition groups, said in a statement that the arrests amounted to a “clear violation”…

Somalia’s Quiet Test of Federalism: A New State’s Speaker Knocks on Mogadishu’s Door In the thick summer heat of Mogadishu, a meeting that might have gone unnoticed told a larger story about where Somalia’s fragile federal experiment may be heading. On Tuesday, Abdullahi Ali Hirsi Timacadde, the Second Deputy Speaker of Somalia’s Upper House, hosted Dr. Adan Abdullahi Aw-Hassan, the Speaker of the North Eastern State Parliament, for talks that were part ceremony, part signal, and all politics. The official readout was…

Mogadishu arrests seven youths after knife stunts go viral, exposing a volatile mix of bravado and boredom On a recent evening in Mogadishu, a string of shaky smartphone videos began ricocheting across social media: young men flashing knives inside public stadiums, daring friends and onlookers to watch, filming each other in tight circles that felt equal parts bravado and boredom. By night’s end, Somali Police announced they had arrested seven youths in the capital’s Warta-Nabadda district, a neighborhood that includes the…

Jubbaland’s stark warning over alleged abuses in Mogadishu exposes Somalia’s deeper struggle over land, law and power In a sharply worded statement from Kismayo on Thursday, the Jubbaland administration accused security forces in Mogadishu of beating two parents and seizing their property by force—allegations that, if confirmed, would add to a long and painful ledger of evictions and abuses in Somalia’s crowded capital. Jubbaland said the attack occurred on Wednesday and described it as “a tragic incident in which innocent…