security

Munich — European leaders used the Munich Security Conference to step up calls for greater defense autonomy while seeking to stabilize transatlantic ties as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepared to address the gathering, aiming to reassure allies after months of strain under President Donald Trump. Leaders pledged to shoulder more of NATO’s shared burden, casting the push as essential to counter a hostile Russia and to keep the alliance credible. NATO chief Mark Rutte said “a strong Europe in a strong NATO means that…

Somali opposition says ex-president, ex-PM blocked from Mogadishu airport meeting; government cites security breach Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somalia’s opposition-aligned Somali Future Council on Friday accused security forces of preventing former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Rooble from entering Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport to attend a scheduled political meeting, escalating tensions ahead of anticipated talks with the federal government. In a…

Somali opposition says security forces blocked former leaders at Mogadishu airport; government cites security breach MOGADISHU — Somalia’s opposition-aligned Somali Future Council on Friday accused federal security forces of preventing former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Rooble from entering Aden Adde International Airport to attend a scheduled political meeting, escalating tensions ahead of anticipated electoral talks with the government. In a statement, the Somali Future…

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio departed Thursday for the Munich Security Conference, vowing to press European allies on defense burden-sharing while striking a less confrontational tone than Washington deployed a year ago. Rubio will lead the U.S. delegation to the annual security and defense forum, which runs through Sunday in the Bavarian capital. The trip comes amid a delicate moment in transatlantic relations following a bruising year of rhetoric from Washington and a high-profile dispute over Greenland that rattled…

Thursday February 12, 2026 MOGADISHU (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is set to travel to Addis Ababa for the 39th African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government, where he will spotlight Somalia’s recent security gains and restate the country’s position on sovereignty and foreign interference. The summit brings together leaders from 55 African nations for the continent’s top political forum. Officials said the president is scheduled to address Somalia’s progress on security sector reform, the effects of…

MOGADISHU — Somalia has won a seat on the African Union Peace and Security Council for the 2026–2028 term, a diplomatic milestone that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday cast as proof of the country’s renewed standing on the continent and beyond. In a national address, Hassan Sheikh said the election reflects Somalia’s growing credibility and the reemergence of its voice in regional affairs after years of rebuilding state institutions. “This victory demonstrates the significant progress of Somalia’s diplomacy and…

DUBLIN — Ireland’s government has raised the case of Kilkenny native Seamus Culleton with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after the Boston-based construction worker was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and transferred nearly 4,000 kilometers to a facility in El Paso, Texas. Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said officials have been engaging U.S. counterparts and offering consular support to Culleton, who was arrested by ICE on Sept. 9, 2025. Culleton, originally from Glenmore, Co Kilkenny, told RTÉ’s…

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 MOGADISHU, Somalia — The presidents of Puntland State and Jubbaland are expected to arrive in Mogadishu within hours to join a national consultative conference on Somalia’s electoral process and constitutional reforms, signaling a tentative easing of tensions between the federal government and regional states. Officials said advance teams from the Puntland State and Jubbaland presidencies — largely composed of security personnel — landed Tuesday afternoon at Aden Adde International Airport and are…

MOGADISHU — Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre met Monday with a senior German delegation for talks on Somalia’s deepening humanitarian crisis, security cooperation and political reforms, as drought-driven displacement and hunger surge across the country. The delegation, led by Germany’s Minister of State for Economic Cooperation and Development, Niels Annen, and including Ambassador Sebastian Groth, discussed emergency assistance, stabilization and development priorities, according to Somali officials. The talks also…

CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Cairo on Sunday, pledging deeper security cooperation and renewed economic ties while underscoring Egypt’s support for Somalia’s sovereignty amid regional frictions in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. Mohamud, on a two-day official visit, received full honors at the Ittihadiya Presidential Palace before the leaders held a closed-door session followed by expanded talks with their delegations, the Egyptian presidency said. In a…