security

Monday, Feb. 2, 2026 Mogadishu — The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia urged the federal government and regional leaders to prioritize dialogue on elections and other national issues after a security dispute prevented advance teams from Puntland State and Jubaland from arriving in the capital for a planned consultative forum. In a brief statement posted on social media, UNTMIS said it regretted that preparatory delegations from the two semi-autonomous regions were unable to reach Mogadishu because…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Jubaland and Puntland State regional administrations on Sunday accused the federal government of blocking planes carrying their soldiers and presidential security guards from landing in the capital, an escalation that threatens a planned high-level consultative conference on elections. Both regional states said aircraft transporting advance delegations and security details were ordered to turn back shortly before landing at Aden Adde International Airport. The orders, they said, were unsafe, politically…

Egypt Assumes AU Peace and Security Council Leadership, Vows to Prioritize Sudan and Somalia CAIRO — Egypt on Sunday took over the rotating monthly leadership of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, pledging to prioritize efforts to address the conflicts in Sudan and Somalia. The one-month presidency, which began Feb. 1, comes as the continent confronts overlapping crises, including armed violence, fragile political transitions, food insecurity and climate-related pressures, according to Egypt’s Ministry of…

Egypt takes helm of AU Peace and Security Council, puts Sudan and Somalia atop agenda CAIRO — Egypt on Sunday assumed the rotating presidency of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council, pledging to focus its one-month term on the crises in Sudan and Somalia while advancing a broader agenda linking peace, security and governance across the continent. The presidency, which began Feb. 1, comes amid what Cairo described as escalating and overlapping challenges in Africa — from protracted armed conflicts and fragile…

Drone and Artillery Attack at Niamey Airport Raises Security Concerns Heavy security has been deployed around the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey following a suspected militia attack on Thursday. The incident, characterized by the use of drones and heavy artillery, has heightened tensions in a region already fraught with instability. Located approximately 10 kilometers from the presidential palace, the airport serves as a critical air force base and as the headquarters for the joint military force comprising…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s government on Monday praised Türkiye for what it called steadfast support in security cooperation and counterterrorism, following talks in Mogadishu between Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre and a high-level Turkish delegation. In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office described Türkiye as a strategic partner that has bolstered Somalia’s security, unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. It said Ankara’s engagement has been central to strengthening Somali state institutions,…

Saudi Arabia is knitting together an ambitious web of defense partnerships stretching from the eastern Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, a bid to harden regional security as faith in Washington’s umbrella frays and rival Gulf capitals jostle for influence. From talks with Egypt and a potential pact with Somalia to deepening ties with Pakistan and possible alignment with Turkey, the moves revisit a familiar idea with new urgency: an “Islamic NATO.” The latest stitch came in Davos, where Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal…

“Maybe climate change is not so bad in such a cold country as ours?” Vladimir Putin mused two decades ago, speculating that a few degrees of warming might cut fur-coat bills and boost harvests. The line, tossed off in 2003, reads today like an early draft of the world’s newest geopolitical script: As the Arctic thaws, the map of power is being redrawn — and it now runs straight through Greenland. That is the backdrop to a rupture between the United States and parts of NATO and the European Union that Canadian Prime Minister…

Somalia’s leaders pledge unity, faster local elections and intensified security after National Consultative Council meeting Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026 MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s top political leaders reaffirmed national unity, accelerated election timelines and stepped up security operations against extremist groups during a virtual session of the National Consultative Council chaired by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Saturday. In a statement after the meeting, the council endorsed the Federal Government’s…

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and Somalia agreed Friday to step up cooperation on internal security and counterterrorism in a meeting between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Somalia’s Interior Minister Ali Yusuf at the Ministry of Interior in Islamabad. Officials said the talks focused on building shared capacity across a range of security functions and formalizing channels for sustained collaboration between the two governments. The ministers also discussed ways to streamline people-to-people links, including easier…