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By: Eng. Jama Farah Noor Tuesday April 14, 2026 Somalia stands at a dangerous crossroads, and the stakes could hardly be higher. An election process shaped by the incumbent leadership, rather than by broad agreement, risks not only weakening democracy but also igniting serious violence and pushing the country back toward civil war. In place of the current orchestrated election model advanced by the President and his team — a model that appears driven by narrow political interests and lacks the participation of key…

Thursday April 9, 2026 Rescuers stand amid rubble at the site of an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon, on April 8 President Donald Trump said Lebanon was left out of the ceasefire between the United States and Iran, a position that directly undercut Pakistan’s claim that it had helped secure a truce covering the wider region. The comment came after Israel unleashed a sweeping assault on Lebanon on Wednesday that killed and wounded more than 1,400 people in crowded areas. Trump brushed off the fighting between Israel and…

Tuesday March 31, 2026 MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's prime minister has rejected calls for indirect voting in South West State after federal forces secured Baidoa, arguing that the transition should move toward national reform rather than return to the older indirect election model. The dispute over Baidoa is also being read as a test of Somalia's federal arrangement, with critics warning that unilateral intervention could reshape the balance between Mogadishu and the regions. “Baidoa is under the control of the…

By Abubakr Al-ShamahiWednesday March 25, 2026 As fighting grinds toward its first month, United States President Donald Trump is pressing a claim that “productive” talks with Iran are already paving the way to end the war he launched alongside Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — even as Iran’s senior leadership continues to flatly reject that account. With wartime messaging and competing propaganda clouding the picture, it remains difficult to determine what is happening behind the scenes. One way to cut through…

Friday March 13, 2026 Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates on March 11, 2026 The U.S. military is “not ready” to escort oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Thursday, as Iran keeps the strategic waterway largely shut and global oil prices whipsaw. Wright told CNBC that the market shock is a “short-term disruption,” predicting the war would last “weeks, not months.” He cast the current squeeze as “short-term…

NAIROBI, Kenya — Iran’s ambassador to Kenya sought to calm fears on Tuesday, saying Nairobi is not at risk of retaliation as Tehran and its adversaries exchange fire across the Middle East and regional airspace closures ripple through airline schedules. At a press briefing in Nairobi, Iranian Ambassador Dr. Ali Gholampour said Kenya does not host a U.S. military installation of sufficient strategic value to draw Iranian fire. “This country does not provide a US military facility with a magnitude to attack Iran,” he said,…

Iran signals no talks with U.S. under threat as Trump touts new ‘armada’ toward Gulf Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran has not sought or held contact with Washington’s special envoy in recent days, rejecting fresh talk of backchannel diplomacy as the United States moves additional forces toward the region and President Donald Trump presses for a deal. Abbas Araqchi, speaking to state media on Wednesday, said there had been “no contact” with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and “no request for negotiations” from Tehran. He…

Egypt warns Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia threatens regional peace, urges AU condemnation Egypt warned Tuesday that Israel’s decision to recognize the breakaway North Western State of Somalia region poses “a serious threat” to regional and international peace and security, pressing the African Union to take a unified stand against the move. Egypt called Israel’s recognition a “flagrant violation” of Somalia’s sovereignty and a “dangerous precedent.” Cairo rejected any attempt to link the move to…

Jubbaland’s Ahmed Madobe warns Somalia’s president against centralizing power at Kismayo forum KISMAYO, Somalia — Jubbaland State President Ahmed Mohamed Islam, widely known as Ahmed Madobe, used the opening days of the Somali Future Council conference in Kismayo to warn President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud against consolidating power in ways he once opposed, sharpening a national debate over governance and inclusion. Speaking Thursday at the gathering, which he said was convened to address Somalia’s broader political challenges,…

MOGADISHU — Former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said Friday that an opposition coalition conference planned in Kismayo will focus on forging a unified political vision and a credible path to national elections, rejecting claims the gathering is meant to form a parallel government. “The objective of the Kismayo conference is to agree on a common vision, particularly on elections, not to form a new government,” Sharif said in remarks to reporters, framing the meeting as a push for a viable, fair and inclusive electoral…