Saturday June 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali security forces have moved into Mogadishu’s Abdiaziz district in a targeted sweep to recover illegal weapons allegedly used by armed groups in the capital’s recent clashes, police said Saturday. The Banadir Regional Police Command said the firearms were believed to be concealed in multiple locations across the district, and officers were carrying out searches as part of a broader push to restore calm in Mogadishu. “It will not be acceptable to store or hide illegal weapons in…

Saturday June 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A fragile pause in Mogadishu’s latest political standoff emerged June 4, after Somali traditional elders and international representatives helped secure a preliminary accord between the federal government and former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed’s Himilo Qaran party, the party said Saturday. According to Himilo Qaran, the understanding calls for an unconditional ceasefire, the withdrawal of troops, a return to political talks, the recovery of vehicles and equipment damaged in the…

Friday June 5, 2026 This handout photograph taken on January 30, 2024 and released by the Indian Navy shows an Iranian fishing vessel after it has been freed by the Indian Navy from Somali pirates, off the Somali coast, some 850 nautical miles (1,574 kilometres) west of the Indian city of Kochi. (AFP/ file) ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday that efforts were still under way to win the release of ten Pakistani sailors held by Somali pirates since April, while warning that the vessel’s highly explosive cargo had narrowed…

Thursday June 4, 2026 Smoke billowed above Mogadishu’s Howl Wadaag neighbourhood on Thursday after reports of mortar fire, as the Somali capital endured some of its most intense fighting in years. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Government troops and opposition-aligned militias have clashed violently in Somalia’s capital, leaving property damaged and forcing some residents to abandon their homes. As the confrontation gathered pace from Wednesday afternoon, opposition figures who had joined with militias were reported to have…

Wednesday June 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Tensions in Somalia’s capital sharpened on Wednesday after a short but violent exchange of fire near Dabka junction, with police and former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire each accusing the other side as opposition demonstrations loomed just hours away. In a video posted to the Somali Police Force’s Facebook page, spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan said masked armed men targeted a police checkpoint where security personnel were deployed. He said the assailants were carrying heavy…

Wednesday June 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Tensions erupted into gunfire in central Mogadishu on Wednesday, as Somali police and former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire exchanged accusations over a brief clash near Dabka junction just hours before opposition rallies were due to begin in the capital. Police spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan said in a video posted on the Somali Police Force’s Facebook page that masked armed men stormed a police checkpoint where security personnel were deployed. He said the assailants were carrying…

Tuesday June 2, 2026 Seoul, South Korea (AX) — Somali Foreign Minister Abdisalam Ali was among African diplomats who met South Korean President Lee Jae-myung on Monday at Cheong Wa Dae, as Seoul pressed ahead with efforts to widen its reach across the African continent. The engagement took place alongside the Korea-Africa Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which drew delegates from 50 African countries and four regional bodies, among them the African Union and the African Development Bank. South Korea organized the forum under the…

Monday June 1, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s widening political standoff drew fresh international concern Monday, as key partners pressed the federal government and opposition leaders to return to talks and settle on an election roadmap without delay. In a joint statement released June 1, the United Kingdom, the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia, the European Union, Sweden, Switzerland and Norway said Somali leaders must place the national interest above partisan divisions at a sensitive moment for…

Monday June 1, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Military Court on Sunday opened proceedings in a case involving two Ethiopian nationals accused of ties to al-Shabab, prosecutors said. Military prosecutors named the defendants as Hamza Ibrahim Ali, also known as Abuu Irshad, and Nasri Abdirahman Ali, also known as Abuu Safiya. Both men are from Harar, Ethiopia, and are fluent in Somali, according to prosecutors. Security officials said the pair were detained in Baidoa, the capital of Bay region, during a planned operation…

Sunday May 31, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — An emergency security meeting was convened in Baidoa on Saturday by commanders of the Somali National Army’s 60th Division, hours after fierce clashes erupted between federal government forces and troops aligned with former Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen. The session was aimed at tightening security in the city, improving coordination among security agencies and forestalling any fresh attacks following the morning confrontation. Military officials said…