political

NAIROBI, Kenya — Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed, widely known as Lafta-Gareen, has reappeared on the political stage in a conspicuous way, hosting a high-profile luncheon in Nairobi on Saturday nearly a month after stepping down as president of Somalia’s Southwest State. The gathering drew federal lawmakers, prominent politicians and longtime allies who stood by him through a bitter confrontation with the federal government at Villa Somalia. Among those present was Mohamed Mursal, the former Speaker of the House of the People, who…

Friday April 17, 2026 Garowe (AX) — Puntland State’s Cabinet has called on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to work toward a broad political settlement on Somalia’s elections, warning that a prolonged standoff could deepen the country’s instability. The appeal came after a Cabinet session chaired by Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni, during which ministers examined the national political climate following the official expiration of the federal parliament’s four-year mandate on April 14, 2026. “The Council calls on…

Somalia: Opposition Council Warns of Political Crisis as Election Deadlines Loom MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s Somali Future Council has raised the alarm over what it calls dangerous delays in the country’s electoral timetable, accusing the federal leadership of neglecting its constitutional responsibilities. In a sharply worded statement issued Wednesday, the council said the mandate of federal institutions is due to expire on April 14, 2026, under the provisional constitution. It warned that continued failure to put an…

Galmudug and Hirshabelle, two federal member states in central and south-central Somalia, shape politics through a mix of formal institutions, clan-based power sharing, and security priorities. How influence is exercised—and why it can differ from federal plans—helps explain many of the country’s repeated political and governance disputes. What Happened In recent years, Somalia’s federal member states have continued to play a major role in national stability, particularly as the federal government and regional…

Somalia’s federal authorities and the semi-autonomous Puntland state have clashed repeatedly over who has the final say on governance, elections, and the wider constitutional direction of the country. The dispute has continued even as Somalia faces security threats from Al-Shabab and economic pressure across the region. At the core of the tension is a political question: whether federal institutions should lead reforms and national decision-making in a way Puntland believes must be treated as constitutional and agreed by…

BAIDOA, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has introduced a nighttime curfew in Baidoa and barred civilians from carrying weapons in the city after dark, allowing only security personnel to do so, officials said. The restrictions were announced amid heightened security concerns tied to recent political shifts in South West State, where tensions have escalated in the wake of changes in the regional administration. Somali Police Commissioner Asad Osman Abdullahi, who has met with police officers in Baidoa over the past…

Thursday April 2, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — In a swift move aimed at steadying the Southwest regional state after weeks of political turbulence in Baidoa, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre has named Second Deputy Prime Minister Jibril Abdirashid as interim leader. A decree released Wednesday by the Office of the Prime Minister said the temporary administration will keep core government operations running, hasten consultations on Somalia’s planned one-person, one-vote electoral process and lay the constitutional groundwork…

BAIDOA, Somalia — Intense fighting flared Monday on the outskirts of Baidoa, where Southwest State security forces battled troops from the Federal Government of Somalia backed by armed militias, according to officials and witnesses, in the latest sign that the region’s political standoff is deepening. The confrontation unfolded in the peri-urban belt around the city and involved both light and heavy weaponry. Southwest State media said its regional forces pushed back what it described as an attempt by “armed groups” to force…

A Political Rift Marked by Controversy and Disappointment

Somali Cabinet Appoints New Custodial Corps Chief Amid Political Shifts MOGADISHU, Somalia — In a swift reshuffle aimed at tightening control over Somalia’s security apparatus, the Council of Ministers on Wednesday approved Maj. Gen. Mohamed Sheikh Hassan Hamud as the new chief of the Somali Custodial Corps during an extraordinary session led by Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre. Acting on a recommendation from the Ministry of Justice, the cabinet’s decision takes immediate effect and removes the former chief, Gen. Mahad…