regional

ABU DHABI — Kenyan President William Ruto and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, using the high-level talks to reinforce bilateral ties and confront shared concerns over regional security, including a forceful condemnation of recent attacks on Emirati infrastructure. The two leaders centered their discussions on widening cooperation through the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with attention on investment, renewable energy, technology, and infrastructure. Both…

Monday April 20, 2026 Jowhar (AX) — Hirshabelle State President Ali Abdullahi Hussein Guudlaawe has directed his cabinet to accelerate preparations for Somalia’s planned one-person-one-vote elections, pressing for wider public engagement even as political fault lines and security worries grow around the process. Guudlaawe urged officials to step up voter education campaigns and bolster administrative readiness ahead of the expected polls. He also called on residents of Hirshabelle to take part actively in the electoral…

Efe Ozkan and Seyit KurtSaturday April 18, 2026 State Minister Ali Mohammad Omar says Mogadishu rejects recognition of breakaway region, warns of security risks in Red Sea corridorANTALYA / ISTANBUL Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs has accused Israel of undermining Somali sovereignty after recognizing a region within North Western State of Somalia, saying the move could deepen instability in a strategically sensitive part of the Horn of Africa. Speaking to Anadolu on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum,…

Saturday April 4, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s federal takeover of Baidoa and the swift naming of an interim administration in Southwest State have ignited a bitter constitutional showdown, with supporters of the move pointing to newly amended provisions and critics insisting the action breaches both federal and regional law. Federal government forces, working alongside fighters aligned with Southwest opposition groups, seized Baidoa after intense clashes with regional troops. Southwest President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed…

Tuesday March 31, 2026 Somalia’s national army seized control of Baidoa, the largest city in South West state, on Monday, setting off a political rupture that ended with the regional president stepping down two weeks after he said his administration was cutting ties with the federal government. Baidoa, the administrative hub of South West state, is a key strategic center in a region shadowed by drought, conflict and displacement. The city also hosts international peacekeepers and humanitarian agencies, adding to its…

Thursday March 26, 2026 A view of Iran's Kharg Island, which hosts the country’s main crude export terminal, and which some believe could be a target for occupation by US forces, on March 2, 2026 Iran’s parliamentary speaker has issued a stark warning from Tehran, saying intelligence indicates that “Iran’s enemies” are preparing to seize an Iranian island with backing from an unidentified country elsewhere in the region. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that any move to occupy Iranian territory would trigger a…

Tuesday March 24, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — After days of rising political and military strain between Mogadishu and Baidoa, traditional elders in Southwest State say they have brokered a key understanding aimed at stopping further escalation and preventing bloodshed, following three days of intensive consultations. Speaking at a press conference in Baidoa on Monday, Ugaas Shire Ugaas Warsame said the elders held separate meetings with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Speaker of the House of the People Aden Mohamed Nur (Madoobe),…

Monday March 23, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — In a fresh escalation of its standoff with Mogadishu, Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen has moved to set up his own Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, a decision announced just one week after he cut ties with Somalia’s federal government. Under a presidential decree dated March 23, 2026, Laftagareen appointed a chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary and additional members to the commission, which is expected to steer both the groundwork and…

Saturday March 21, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — A looming election dispute in Somalia’s Southwest State has sparked a stark warning from the region’s parliamentary leadership, with Speaker Dr. Ali Said Fiqi cautioning that a federal push to stage polls in Barawe could destabilize the area and even ignite conflict. Writing Friday on his X account, Fiqi argued that Barawe has never operated as Southwest State’s effective seat of government. He said the regional parliament has not convened there, nor has the cabinet held meetings in the…

Friday March 20, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Southwest State security forces said they detained several armed men on the outskirts of Baidoa on Thursday after intense clashes with fighters aligned with the regional opposition. Officials said in a statement that the detainees belong to opposition groups they allege are linked to the Federal Government of Somalia. Mogadishu has not commented on the accusation. One of the captured men told local media he is from Buurhakaba district and dropped his weapon when the shooting began. He…