President

Somalia’s cabinet meeting signals a push to turn battlefield gains into public services Mogadishu’s message: accountability, services, and a long game In Mogadishu on Thursday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sat at the head of the long table in the Council of Ministers and offered his cabinet a familiar charge with a sharper edge: make the machinery of government move faster, cleaner, and closer to the people. The weekly meeting, officials said, looked beyond the security front lines to the hard work of…

Namibia’s president reaches across the aisle — but will words turn into action? President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah is sitting down with leaders of the opposition this week in a gesture she said was promised during her State of the Nation address in March: an exchange of views intended to “move the country forward.” The meeting, part of a series of conversations with political rivals, is both plainly practical and highly symbolic in a country where the politics of cooperation have often been fragile. "We may belong to…

Why Hassan Sheikh’s Addis visit matters: a recalibration in the Horn At a glance When Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Addis Ababa this week for talks with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the official line was familiar: friendly neighbours discussing “bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.” Behind the diplomatic language, however, lay a fraught effort by Mogadishu to reshape the political map of southern Somalia — and to pull a wary Ethiopia into the middle of a struggle that has implications for…

Rediscovering a National Hero: The Legacy of Herbert Macaulay and the Power of Presidential Mercy in Nigeria In a remarkable gesture aimed at reconciliation and acknowledgement of historical injustices, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has recently granted presidential mercy to 175 individuals. Among those honored is a name that resonates deeply within the annals of Nigeria's fight for independence: Herbert Macaulay. The Weight of History Herbert Macaulay, often hailed as Nigeria's foremost nationalist, played a pivotal…

The Rise of a Trailblazer: Tomaino Hermine Patricia Ndam Njoya in Cameroon’s Presidential Race In a political landscape dominated by male figures, Tomaino Hermine Patricia Ndam Njoya stands out remarkably as the only female candidate in Cameroon’s upcoming presidential election on October 12. The mayor of Foumban and chairwoman of the Democratic Union for Cameroon (UDC) is not just making history; she is also challenging the established order represented by longtime president Paul Biya, who has held power for over four…

From Power to Peril: The Stunning Fall of Joseph Kabila In a shocking turn of events, the once-mighty Joseph Kabila, who ruled the Democratic Republic of the Congo for almost two decades, has been sentenced to death in absentia by a military court. This unprecedented ruling has ignited a firestorm of debates both within the country and around the globe, raising questions about accountability and justice in a nation long plagued by cycles of violence and corruption. A Legacy of Controversy Joseph Kabila’s presidency, which…

Has Puntland State turned the tide against Islamic State? A closer look at President Deni’s claims What the president said In a recent televised interview, Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni delivered a blunt assessment of a years‑long counter‑insurgency: he said his forces have “severely weakened” Islamic State in the northeastern Somali region of Bari, claiming more than 2,000 fighters — many foreign nationals — who once operated from the Cal Miskaad mountain range have been “largely neutralized.” Deni…

Somalia’s opposition takes the fight to the courts — and the country risks paying the price Somalia’s fragile political equilibrium rattled further this week when a coalition of opposition figures lodged a formal legal complaint accusing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and senior officials of corruption, human-rights violations and unconstitutional power grabs. What began as a paper filing in Mogadishu is best read not merely as another courtroom drama, but as a symptom of a deeper crisis in a state still stitching itself…

Nicolas Sarkozy Sentenced to Five Years in Landmark Libyan Funding Case PARIS — A French court on Thursday handed former president Nicolas Sarkozy a five-year prison sentence after finding him guilty of criminal conspiracy in a case tied to millions of euros of illicit funds allegedly originating from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Judge Nathalie Gavarino said prosecutors proved that Sarkozy allowed aides to approach Libyan officials for financial backing during his successful 2007 presidential bid. At the same…

Somalia as a Stage: Can Mogadishu Keep Egypt and Ethiopia from Turning It Into Another Front? When Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told the BBC Somali Service this week that his country “will not be a host to proxy wars” between Egypt and Ethiopia, he was addressing more than a regional spat over Nile water and peacekeepers. He was speaking to a fragile nation that has long been a canvas for others’ ambitions — and to a neighbourhood where resource rivalries are increasingly exported as power politics. Mohamud’s…