Nimi PrincewillSaturday May 16, 2026 An armed Somali pirate stands on the shoreline as a Greek cargo ship lies anchored off Hobyo in northeastern Somalia, in this January 2010 image after the vessel was seized by pirates. Mohamad Dahir/AFP/Getty Images Somali pirates are once again cashing in on turmoil far beyond their waters. As war in Iran forces commercial shipping to take longer routes around Africa, vessels are drifting straight into the pirates’ traditional hunting grounds. The escalating conflict in the Middle East…

Wednesday May 13, 2026 Egyptian diplomats moved quickly after pirates seized a commercial cargo vessel with an Egyptian crew off the Somali coast, as Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs and Egyptians Abroad Ambassador Haddad El-Gohary laid out the steps taken to safeguard the sailors and push for their release. Speaking by phone on Al-Hayat TV, El-Gohary rejected claims that the pirates had singled out the Egyptian crew. He said such attacks are typically indiscriminate, with pirates boarding vessels before…

Wednesday May 13, 2026 left Ayan Farah. Photo: Christofer Wallentin. right Asmaa Jama. Photo: Tom Whitson “From a country with the history that Somalia has, where a lot of film prints, visual and cultural material have been destroyed, it can feel hard to feel like you’ve got an artistic lineage” ArtReview sent a questionnaire to artists and curators exhibiting in and curating the various national pavilions of the 2026 Venice Biennale, the responses to which will be published daily in the leadup to and during the Venice…

Monday May 11, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire on Sunday said government forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators in Mogadishu’s Dayniile district, alleging that one person was killed and several others were injured. Speaking to reporters, Khaire said residents had assembled in Dayniile to voice anger over forced evictions and displacement when security personnel fired on the crowd. He expressed sympathy to the family of the person he said died and wished those wounded a swift…

By IRENE MWANGISaturday May 9, 2026 A passenger vehicle traveling in Mandera East Constituency came under a deadly ambush on Saturday morning, leaving at least six people dead and several others nursing injuries after suspected gunmen opened fire. The attack took place at Beer-Awayon village on the road connecting Mandera town and Arabia town, where the vehicle was headed before it was struck by heavy gunfire. According to preliminary reports, armed assailants intercepted the vehicle and opened fire, killing several…

By Khadar AfrahSaturday May 9, 2026 In Mogadishu’s Warlaliska neighbourhood on the evening of 6 May 2026, gunfire from federal government forces cut down civilians in a clash that had nothing to do with Al-Shabaab. The violence erupted during the government’s own land clearance drive — a wave of forced removals from public and private property that has swept across the capital in recent weeks. Among the dead was three-year-old Musamil Yusuf Osman. Casualties were reported on both sides. Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed…

Tarek ChouirefFriday May 8, 2026 Iran said early Friday that it had carried out a major missile and drone assault on US destroyers operating near the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions around one of the world’s most sensitive shipping lanes. In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said the operation was launched after what it called a US ceasefire violation, citing a strike on an Iranian oil tanker near Jask port and the advance of US destroyers toward the strategic waterway. The statement said Iranian…

Basillioh RukangaWednesday May 6, 2026 Officials say operations at the airport, pictured here in February, have been suspended following the drone strikes Sudan has levelled extraordinary accusations against neighbouring Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), saying the two countries were behind drone strikes on its main airport in what it called "direct aggression". The capital's international airport was struck on Monday, together with military sites across the Greater Khartoum area. The attacks have broken a spell…

Tuesday May 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The Somali Future Council has cast doubt on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s proposed consultation meeting, saying it has not yet decided whether to take part. Speaking for the opposition bloc, former MP Abdirahman Dheere said the council is still weighing the invitation and has not settled on a final response. “Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sent an invitation, and we are still considering how to respond. We believe he is not sincere and may have other intentions, but we have not yet made a…

Tuesday May 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The Somali Future Council has cast doubt on a consultation meeting proposed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, saying it has not yet settled on whether to attend. Speaking for the opposition bloc, former MP Abdirahman Dheere said the group is still weighing the invitation and has yet to arrive at a final stance. “Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sent an invitation, and we are still considering how to respond. We believe he is not sincere and may have other intentions, but we have not yet made a…