new

Saturday March 14, 2026 DJIBOUTI (AX) — Djibouti is deploying a new contingent of troops to Somalia under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), with the 13th “Hiil-Walaal” Brigade scheduled to arrive March 16 to reinforce security and stabilization efforts, officials said. The rotation will replace the 12th Brigade currently serving in Somalia and sustain Djibouti’s long-standing role in the Hirshabelle state, a central region where Djiboutian forces have helped hold key towns and secure…

Iran and Israel long fought in the shadows — through intelligence operations, cyberattacks, covert sabotage and proxy warfare — calibrating pressure without crossing into direct war. That balance is faltering. The shadow conflict is tilting toward open confrontation, reshaping the Middle East’s security architecture and rippling through energy markets, shipping lanes and fragile regional politics from the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. For decades, Tehran relied on partners such as Hezbollah in…

Monday, March 9, 2026 Mojtaba Khamenei, the 56-year-old son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been chosen as Iran’s new supreme leader following his father’s killing in U.S.-Israeli strikes, positioning a low-profile but long-rumored power broker at the apex of the Islamic Republic. The selection cements a potentially dynastic handover at the heart of a system founded in 1979 on religious authority and revolutionary legitimacy rather than hereditary succession. Mojtaba Khamenei has never held public office, rarely appeared in…

MOGADISHU — Somalia has extended the mandates of its federal institutions to five years under a newly adopted constitution, effectively adding one year to current terms, Speaker of the House of the People Aden Mohamed Nur Madoobe announced Thursday. The move, unveiled at an iftar gathering in the capital, immediately deepened political fault lines in a country already grappling with drought and humanitarian strain. Madoobe said parliament and other constitutional bodies would now operate under the revised charter, which…

New York — U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday appointed U.S. diplomat James Swan as his new Special Representative for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUSCO, placing an experienced Africa hand at the helm of one of the U.N.’s most challenging peace operations. Swan succeeds Bintou Keita of Guinea, whom Guterres thanked for her leadership and service during a difficult period for the mission. The appointment lands at a pivotal moment for MONUSCO,…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has named Zakariye Yusuf Hussein deputy director general of the Presidential Palace, a senior Villa Somalia post the government cast as part of a wider push to modernize public administration and elevate youth participation in decision-making. The appointment was announced Thursday in a presidential decree. The move follows a recent reshuffle at the presidency after Mohamed Amin Sheikh Osman, who previously held the deputy director general role, was appointed Somalia’s…

Uganda eyes Tanzania rail link to open new mineral export corridor via Dar es Salaam Uganda plans to connect a new standard gauge railway to Tanzania’s line now under construction, potentially opening a second ocean outlet for its exports through the port of Dar es Salaam and offering a fresh route for gold, copper and iron ore, according to a government document seen by Reuters. The move adds a southern corridor to Uganda’s long-standing plan to tie its Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Kenya’s network that runs from the…

Ruto nominates Frank Ole Kibelekenya as Kenya’s ambassador to Denmark, names deputies to Somalia, Russia and Tanzania President William Ruto has nominated Kosiom Frank Ole Kibelekenya to serve as Kenya’s ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark and named senior diplomats to postings in Somalia, Russia and Tanzania in a shake-up of the Foreign Service aimed at strengthening the country’s representation abroad. The changes, communicated through Presidential Notification of Action No. IV of 2026 and announced Friday, will go before…

MOGADISHU — Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamud formally assumed command of the Somali National Army on Wednesday in a handover ceremony at the Ministry of Defence, as Somalia’s government pledged to accelerate military reforms and intensify operations against al-Shabab. Maj. Gen. Odowaa Yusuf Raage, the outgoing chief of the army, transferred authority in the presence of Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, senior security chiefs and foreign diplomats, including Turkey’s ambassador. The…

MOGADISHU — Brig. Gen. Elio Manes assumed command Friday of the European Union Training Mission in Somalia, a handover EU officials said keeps momentum behind Somalia’s push to take greater responsibility for its own security. Manes took over from Brig. Gen. Sofia Westermark during a formal ceremony at EUTM-S headquarters in Mogadishu. The transfer followed standard operational procedures to ensure continuity in a mission EU officials describe as central to Somalia’s long-term security reform and institution-building. In his…