opinion

Israel’s North Western State of Somalia recognition jolts Somalia’s diplomacy — and tests Africa’s bedrock rule on borders When Israel formally recognized North Western State of Somalia in late December 2025, the move sent a shock wave through Mogadishu and across African diplomatic circles. For Somalia, the decision was more than a breach of protocol: it was a direct challenge to the principle that has underpinned Africa’s post‑colonial stability — that borders cannot be redrawn without the consent of the sovereign state…

Red Sea flashpoint: Israel’s North Western State of Somalia recognition collides with Türkiye’s long game in Somalia In the strategic waters that link the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, two storylines are converging with destabilizing force. Israel’s December 2025 recognition of North Western State of Somalia, the breakaway region abutting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, has injected a new geopolitical shock into a corridor already strained by Houthi attacks on commercial shipping and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes in Yemen. The…

OP-ED: Gaza — It's Time for Global Responsibility A year has slipped by since the poignant day of October 7, 2023, when Anthony Bellanger, the General Secretary at the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), voiced discontent over the United Nations' inertia, boldly highlighting the worldwide community's inaction. From that fateful day onward, only shadows have cloaked Palestine in a never-ending night. Over those 12 tense months, the IFJ, an all-encompassing organization representing a colossal 600,000 media…

By Axadle Editorial Board Folks, it's been a heck of a week in Somalia’s political scene. The Southwest State is heating up, and tensions are bubbling right under the surface. Everyone's pointing at Ethiopia, but let’s be real; the actual drama is unfolding much closer to home. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sent a top-tier team to Baidoa—fronted by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre and featuring NISA boss Abdullahi Mohamed Ali . Unfortunately, they returned to Mogadishu dragging two hefty political losses that have…

In Fort Dauphin, within the far southeast, suspected incidents recorded since mid-February in rivers and lagoons across the mining firm QMM (a subsidiary of Rio Tinto) are worrying. Yesterday, throughout a joint press convention, the Minister of the…

The Constitutional Court has asked former South African President Jacob Zuma, who was charged with "contempt for justice", to decide his own sentence if he is found guilty. He must answer on Wednesday. For three years, Jacob Zuma has refused to respond to a call from the Commission accused of investigating widespread corruption…