National

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia has renewed its push for sea access, calling it a national necessity tied to regional cooperation, economic growth and stability in the Horn of Africa, according to a new government-backed report presented in the capital. The document, unveiled by senior officials and allied experts, argues that Ethiopia’s campaign to secure a seaport rests on international law, historical justice and principles of cooperative engagement with neighbors. Framing the issue as an urgent matter of state policy,…

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…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s push toward a unified, secure and inclusive digital identity gathered fresh momentum as government leaders, development partners and technology stakeholders mapped the next phase of the national ID rollout at the 2nd Somali National ID Conference, held Nov. 24-25 in the capital. Convened by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) in partnership with the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation, the conference underscored how the country’s digital ID program has…

An Afghan national who worked alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan is the man suspected of shooting two National Guard soldiers near the White House, U.S. officials said, in an attack Washington has labeled an "act of terror." The two soldiers were critically injured and transported to surgery; authorities said the suspect will face assault charges and could be charged with murder if either dies. Officials identified the suspect as Mr. Lakanwal and said he arrived in the United States under the large-scale resettlement…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is facing backlash after saying members of the al-Shabab extremist group can apply for Somalia’s new national ID cards — a move he argues will bolster national security and the economy but that critics warn could be counterproductive. Speaking at the 2nd Somali National ID Conference in Mogadishu, Mohamud said militants had told security agencies they were ready to register for the biometric program. “Let them take it — their fingerprints and their faces will be…

Somalia’s push to operationalize a National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has ignited a debate that reaches far beyond technical administration. At stake are core questions about the Provisional Constitution, the balance of power between the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the Federal Member States (FMS), and the real-world consequences of layering a new federal ID on top of existing systems, including the country’s internationally recognized biometric passport. The outcome will shape citizen…

Somalia’s Upper House approves national human rights commissioners Somalia’s Upper House has approved the appointment of nine commissioners to the National Independent Human Rights Commission, a key step in formalizing the country’s human rights oversight architecture. The commissioners were sworn in immediately after the vote, completing the parliamentary endorsement process. Twenty-eight senators voted in favor during Wednesday’s session; one abstained. The House of the People approved the creation of the Commission on…

Editorial Verdict: Somalia at a Crossroads — Demagoguery, Patronage and the Fraying of Federalism Three and a half years into a four‑year term, critics of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud argue that the promise of a renewed Somalia — one that could finally suppress Al‑Shabaab, rebuild institutions and knit together fractious clans — has been replaced by a politics of personalization. What began as hopeful restoration has, they say, slid toward centralisation, clientelism and the politicisation of security and aid. The…

Egypt’s warning over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam rekindles a 21st-century struggle over an ancient river CAIRO — When Egypt’s Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly declared that the Nile is “a matter of existence, not subject to compromise,” he was not indulging in rhetoric. He was speaking for a country whose modern life, agriculture and industry grew up along the river’s narrow ribbon through desert. Yet that river feeds more than one national story. The spokesman’s rebuke this month, aimed squarely at Ethiopia’s…

Somalia’s ID Deadline Tests the Promise of Digital Inclusion In a quiet Saturday statement that ignited a very noisy week on the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) said it will stop issuing national ID cards for free after October 31, 2025. The line that got people moving was simple: “The National ID Card Registration Fee Exemption Period ends on October 31. Please take advantage of the opportunity and apply at your nearest NIRA Center!” Within hours, long queues…