regional

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…

Somalia’s President to Visit Saudi Arabia Amid Shifting Alliances MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is expected to make an official visit to Saudi Arabia later this week, officials said, a trip aimed at consolidating ties with Riyadh as Mogadishu recalibrates its regional alliances across the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. Somali officials said the agenda will center on strengthening bilateral relations, regional cooperation and security coordination, with both governments looking to formalize a…

Somalia asks U.N. Security Council to rebuke Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia MOGADISHU — Somalia has asked the United Nations Security Council to condemn Israel’s formal recognition of North Western State of Somalia, calling the move a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and a direct threat to regional stability in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. In a letter sent to the council on Monday, Somalia said Israel’s decision last week to recognize the self-declared Republic of North Western State of…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s National Consultative Council on Monday condemned Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia, calling the move an illegal affront to Somalia’s sovereignty and a threat to security across the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the wider Middle East. In a communiqué issued after a series of meetings in Mogadishu, the council described Israel’s step as a violation of Somalia’s territorial integrity and international law, citing the Provisional Constitution as well as the charters of the United…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s National Consultative Council on Monday condemned Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of North Western State of Somalia, calling the decision an illegal act that threatens security across the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the wider Middle East. In a communiqué issued by the Office of the Prime Minister after meetings in Mogadishu, the council said the move violates Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and reaffirmed what it called a non-negotiable national stance on unity rooted in the…

Somalia condemns Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia, warns of regional security risks MOGADISHU — Somalia’s National Consultative Council on Monday rejected Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia, calling the move illegal and a direct challenge to Somalia’s sovereignty that could destabilize security across the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the wider Middle East. In a communiqué issued after meetings in Mogadishu, the council said Israel’s decision violates the Provisional Constitution of…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud convened leaders from several federal member states and the Banadir regional administration on Sunday in Mogadishu, following Israel’s steps toward recognizing North Western State of Somalia as an independent state, according to the president’s office. In a closed-door briefing, Hassan Sheikh told the assembled leaders that the Israeli move violated Somalia’s territorial integrity and statehood. He said the federal government was pursuing a coordinated response grounded in…

Somalia condemns Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as regional “threat” Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud denounced Israel’s decision to recognize Somaliland, calling it “a threat to the security and stability of the world and the region” in an emergency parliamentary session that underscored rising tensions in the Horn of Africa. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Friday that Israel would become the first country to recognize Somaliland, the self-proclaimed republic that has sought international…

MOGADISHU — Presidents of Galmudug, Hirshabelle, the Northeastern Somali Administration and South West State on Friday hailed the peaceful conduct of the Banadir Regional Council’s direct elections, calling the Mogadishu vote a historic milestone for Somalia’s democracy. In separate statements, the four federal member state leaders — all members of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP) — praised the exercise as a major national achievement and a victory for the Somali people, underscoring…

South West State executes police officer over $2 extortion killing in Baidoa BAIDOA, Somalia — The South West State administration on Saturday executed a member of its special police force who was convicted of fatally shooting a civilian during a $2 extortion dispute, according to officials and court records. The soldier, identified as Abdisamad Hassan Madnuur, was sentenced to death by the 60th Division Military Court for killing a traveler in late November in Berdale district of the Bay region. Court documents state the…