Somali

Friday April 10, 2026 Ethiopian police say Yetbarek Dawit, who is yet to comment on the allegations, was wanted in various countries Mogadishu (AX) — Ethiopian authorities say they have arrested a man accused of running a trafficking ring that moved thousands of migrants, including Somalis, into Libya over a number of years, where many were allegedly tortured, abused and held for ransom. Federal police named the suspect as Yetbarek Dawit, saying he directed a cross-border operation that smuggled more than 3,000 people from…

Thursday April 9, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali international referee Omar Abdulqadir Artan has broken new ground for his country, earning a place on the officiating roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and becoming the first Somali referee ever named to the tournament. His selection for FIFA’s official list of match officials, ahead of the World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, is being hailed as a defining moment for Somali football and a rare global spotlight for the nation’s sporting ambitions. The…

Arturo Chang Wednesday April 8, 2026 Najib Warsame says Somali asylum claimants often spend months unable to work as they wait for their immigration claims to be processed. (Submitted by Najib Warsame) A hard-line immigration push in the United States is sending more Somalis to Manitoba in search of asylum, according to a Winnipeg refugee advocate who says anxiety in the community has risen sharply. Najib Warsame said many of the people he has recently assisted came to the province after feeling targeted by U.S. President…

Wednesday April 8, 2026 Garowe (AX) — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni on Tuesday sharply criticized Somalia’s federal government, accusing it of pursuing a course that would erode the country’s federal model and concentrate power in Mogadishu. Addressing residents in Qardho district, Deni pointed to comments attributed to Sheikh Ali Wajiis, an adviser to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, saying they amounted to a push for the federal government to take direct control of regional states — a move he described as…

Tuesday April 7, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday night convened a high-level security meeting in Baidoa, just days after mortar fire hit the city’s airport soon after his arrival. The session brought together senior military and security officials and centered on efforts to calm the Southwest region after a period of political turbulence and mounting security risks. According to officials, the president was briefed in detail on plans to step up operations against al-Shabab, improve…

Tuesday April 7, 2026 Patients receive medical care at the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Training and Research Hospital, Mogadishu, Somalia, Sept. 9, 2025. (AA Photo) In Mogadishu, Türkiye’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Training and Research Hospital has become far more than a place for treatment. Drawing patients from Somalia and beyond its borders, the facility now stands as a regional referral center, backed by modern equipment, specialist teams and training programs that are helping reshape health care in Somalia. Its growing role…

BAIDOA, Somalia - Somalia’s defense minister, Ahmed Moallin Fiqi, on Monday toured the Sector 3 headquarters of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia in Baidoa, where Ethiopian troops serving under the mission are stationed, officials said. Fiqi used the visit to meet Sector 3 commander Teklu Hurisa Janka and was briefed on current operations, advances in security efforts, and the level of coordination between the Somali National Army and Ethiopian forces deployed in South West state. He expressed…

Monday April 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali government forces, supported by international partners, killed 12 al-Shabab fighters in a planned operation near Baidoa and Daynuunay in the Bay region, the Ministry of Defense said Monday. According to the ministry, the strike targeted militant positions around the vital corridor that connects Mogadishu and Baidoa. Several other fighters were wounded in the assault, though officials did not release additional details. The ministry said the mission was part of a wider push to…

Sunday April 5, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Somali National Army commander on Friday rewarded soldiers who took part in the operation that reopened the key Mogadishu–Baidoa road, calling the campaign a serious setback for al-Shabab and a breakthrough for the movement of civilians. Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Mohamed Mahmoud praised the troops for helping secure the corridor, which militants affiliated with al-Qaida have intermittently blocked since 2009. “I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart,” the commander said. “As far as I am…

Saturday April 4, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali security forces struck at the heart of al-Shabab’s bomb-making machinery on Saturday, killing nine militants in coordinated operations in the Lower Shabelle region, according to the National Intelligence and Security Agency. NISA said in a statement that the raids were carried out with the support of international partners and were aimed at dismantling sites used to produce improvised explosive devices, the signature weapon of the al-Qaida-linked group. The first phase of the…