Somali

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met Tuesday with a high-level Swedish delegation led by Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa, signaling an effort by both governments to deepen ties on economic development, trade and institution-building amid heightened debate over migration policy. The closed-door talks at Villa Somalia focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation to support Somalia’s reconstruction and governance reforms, according to a statement…

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 KISMAYO, Somalia — Somalia’s opposition leaders began arriving in Kismayo on Tuesday ahead of a four-day Somali Opposition Conference set to open Wednesday, with organizers saying the gathering will finalize the structure of a new Somali Future Council and assess the country’s political transition. The first delegation was led by Mohamed Aden Koofi, secretary-general of the Somali Salvation Forum. The group landed at Sayid Mohamed Abdulle Hassan Airport and was received by Jubbaland’s Minister of…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A major opposition meeting opened Tuesday night in the capital as political tensions over Somalia’s electoral process intensified, with participants warning that the country is not ready to hold one-person, one-vote polls within the current government’s term. Leaders of the Madasha Samatabixinta Soomaaliyeed, an opposition coalition, convened the forum at the Jazeera Hotel in Mogadishu to air grievances about the federal government’s handling of the electoral framework and to gather public input ahead of…

Somali influencer deported from U.S. returns to Mogadishu under threat, stoking migrant fears MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali social media influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers has been deported from the United States after months in immigration detention, returning to Mogadishu amid renewed fears for his safety and mounting anxiety across Somali migrant communities in the American Midwest. Mahad Mohamud, 36, widely known online as “Garyaqaan,” or “The Lawyer,” was removed from the U.S. last month after…

Monday December 15, 2025 Federal agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including Homeland Security Investigations officers, stand outside a restaurant during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. CREDIT: Councilmember Jason Chavez As ICE raids intensify in Minnesota, Somali families in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside, along Lake Street and in Rochester are quietly drawing up “know your rights” plans—teaching children not to open doors to strangers, memorizing key phone numbers and gathering…

MOGADISHU (AX) — A deadly attack on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach killed 15 people, including a child, prompting nationwide condemnation, heightened security and fears of backlash among Somali and other Muslim communities. Police said a man and his son opened fire during the beachfront gathering late Sunday, targeting attendees in what authorities described as an antisemitic act of terrorism. The victims ranged in age from 10 to 87. Investigators said inquiries were ongoing and urged the public to…

‘A door opened’: Somali businessman helps displaced families secure land near Afgooye MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali businessman has stepped in to help more than 60 internally displaced families secure long-sought land near Afgooye, fast-tracking a community savings plan that would otherwise have taken years to complete. Abdinasir Ali Adoon said he was compelled to act after watching a BBC report about families in a displacement camp outside Mogadishu who had been pooling small monthly contributions through a traditional…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A man believed to be a Somali National Army soldier shot and killed a rickshaw operator in Mogadishu’s Dayniile district on Sunday night before fleeing the scene, according to local witnesses and family members. The victim was identified by relatives as Abdirisaq Abuukar Mohamud. He was shot in the Barwaqo area of Dayniile, witnesses said. The assailant, described as wearing a military uniform, escaped while firing sporadly as he fled. Family members accused the gunman of an unprovoked killing and said…

MOGADISHU — Several Somali political organizations said they are not part of the 20 groups the National Electoral Commission (NEC) has listed for the December 25 local council elections in Banadir region, alleging violations of electoral law and undue government influence over the process. Representatives of the organizations spoke at a Sunday press conference in Mogadishu, warning that the dispute threatens to derail the first-phase vote in the capital. “Five rounds of talks with the commission ended in vain because there…

MOGADISHU (AX) — Somalia’s House of the People on Saturday completed the first reading of a sweeping police reform bill that would overhaul the legal framework guiding the Somali Police Force, signaling a new phase in efforts to modernize the country’s security institutions and strengthen rule of law. The session — the 21st meeting of the chamber’s seventh sitting — brought lawmakers into a structured review of the draft’s core provisions, which aim to tighten police governance and clarify chains of command and operational…