Somali

In Minneapolis, confrontations between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and protesters have become a pressure point for something older and deeper than a dispute over deportations. For Somali Americans in Minnesota — home to more than 100,000 people of Somali descent — the scenes on the streets are the latest chapter in a generational experience of displacement, stigmatization and resilience. Across a tightly connected global diaspora, the anxiety is acute, but so is the resolve. Over much of his second term,…

Minneapolis — Federal authorities have arrested 16 people in Minnesota on charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers amid protests tied to U.S. immigration enforcement operations, including a Somali American woman who went viral for describing her identity as “bananas and rice,” officials said. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests Wednesday as federal agents stepped up enforcement efforts in Minneapolis following days of unrest. The Justice Department said the individuals were charged…

Analysis: Ilhan Omar attack spotlights a volatile clash over Trump’s anti-Somali rhetoric and Minnesota’s immigration crackdown Ilhan Omar was sprayed with a foul-smelling liquid during a Minneapolis town hall Tuesday, an attack that unfolded as the Minnesota congresswoman denounced federal immigration enforcement and called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The incident, carried out by a man who rushed the stage with a syringe, left Omar unharmed but underscored a combustible mix: the Trump…

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal authorities arrested 16 people in Minnesota, including a Somali American woman who went viral for describing her identity as “bananas and rice,” as part of a widening crackdown after protests tied to U.S. immigration enforcement operations, officials said Wednesday. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests, saying the defendants face federal charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding federal law enforcement officers. The enforcement push comes amid escalating clashes between demonstrators…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency said Tuesday it killed a senior al-Shabaab commander in an airstrike on the militant group’s network in Kuunyo Barrow, a town in the Lower Shabelle region. In a statement, the agency identified the target as Abdullahi Hassan Abdi Cosoble, known as “Abdullahi Wadaad,” describing him as al-Shabaab’s chief finance officer. NISA said the operation was conducted in coordination with Somalia’s international security partners. According to NISA, Wadaad oversaw…

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,…

Somalia’s parliament erupts in chaos over constitutional amendments, session suspended MOGADISHU — A joint session of Somalia’s bicameral parliament collapsed into disorder Wednesday as opposition legislators disrupted plans to debate sweeping constitutional amendments, triggering scuffles on the floor and forcing leaders to suspend proceedings. Opposition lawmakers protested proposed changes to five chapters of the Provisional Federal Constitution Clashes broke out between rival MPs; the session was suspended without…

MOGADISHU — Twenty-four Somali children returned home after receiving life-saving heart surgeries at Niguarda Hospital in Milan, a milestone in Somalia–Italy medical cooperation showcased at an appreciation ceremony in the capital on Saturday. The patients were treated under a program coordinated by the Hormuud Salaam Foundation, which convened Somali officials, Italian clinicians and diplomats, and partner organizations to recognize those who helped deliver specialized pediatric cardiac care not available in Somalia.…

Somalia resolves rare public spat between embassies in Kenya and Tanzania MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal government says it has resolved a rare and public dispute between its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, closing ranks after an internal review and new guidance meant to prevent a repeat. The rift surfaced in September after Somalia’s embassy in Tanzania criticized a visit by the Somali ambassador to Kenya to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In a statement at the time, the Tanzanian mission said the…

Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s federal government says it has resolved a rare public dispute between its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, closing a rift that raised concerns about internal coordination across the country’s diplomatic network. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar Balcad said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded an internal review and implemented recommendations to prevent a repeat of the episode, which centered on overlapping roles and communication lapses among missions in East Africa. The dispute…