Thursday May 7, 2026 Somali pirates have left a hijacked Emirati dhow loaded with lemons adrift after failing in an effort to use it as a floating launch pad for attacks on other ships, security sources in Somalia’s Puntland State state told AFP. The fate of the crew of Fahad-4 remains unclear. No information was immediately available on what happened to the vessel’s sailors after the ship was seized in late April by an 11-man pirate gang as it left Mogadishu with its citrus cargo. Amid a recent surge in similar seizures,…

Thursday May 7, 2026 Missouri (AX) — A Somali national has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after being convicted in the kidnapping of a woman whose body was later found in a roadside ditch in Missouri, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Mahamud Tooxoow Mahamed, 44, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Megan B. Benton in a case that ended with the death of a woman identified in court records as J.M. According to prosecutors, J.M.’s body was discovered on July 29, 2019, near Missouri Highway 59 after a…

Wednesday May 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Wednesday named Abdifitah Qasim Mohamud as the country’s new Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, replacing Daud Aweis Jama in a cabinet change announced in Mogadishu. According to a government press release, the appointment was made in line with constitutional provisions and came after consultations with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The statement did not disclose the reasons for the removal of the former minister. Prime…

Wednesday May 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali opposition leaders are preparing a mass rally in Mogadishu on May 10, calling on residents to take to the streets in protest against what they say is the forced displacement of people from the capital and to demand that families be allowed to return to their homes. Former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, speaking in Mogadishu on Wednesday, said the suffering of residents — especially those uprooted from their neighborhoods — must not be dismissed. “The people of Mogadishu…

Wednesday May 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A three-day Somali Civil Society Conference on good governance and political stability wrapped up in Mogadishu on Wednesday, bringing together a wide spectrum of voices in a rare push for political calm and consensus. Held from May 3 to 5, the conference drew scholars, civil society umbrella organizations, women, youth, people with disabilities, media representatives, academics and traditional elders. Over the course of the sessions, participants examined Somalia’s political…

Tuesday May 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s opposition-aligned Somali Future Council has said it is prepared to take part in President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s proposed national dialogue, but only if the government accepts a set of conditions centered on the country’s disputed electoral process. In a formal letter released Tuesday, the Council said any meaningful talks with the Federal Government would require what it described as “genuine political integrity,” and it set out two main demands. First, the group urged the…

Tuesday May 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The Somali Future Council has cast doubt on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s proposed consultation meeting, saying it has not yet decided whether to take part. Speaking for the opposition bloc, former MP Abdirahman Dheere said the council is still weighing the invitation and has not settled on a final response. “Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sent an invitation, and we are still considering how to respond. We believe he is not sincere and may have other intentions, but we have not yet made a…

Tuesday May 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The Somali Future Council has cast doubt on a consultation meeting proposed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, saying it has not yet settled on whether to attend. Speaking for the opposition bloc, former MP Abdirahman Dheere said the group is still weighing the invitation and has yet to arrive at a final stance. “Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sent an invitation, and we are still considering how to respond. We believe he is not sincere and may have other intentions, but we have not yet made a…

By Khadar M LeyliMonday May 4, 2026 Symbiotic Antagonists  A familiar political pattern is unfolding around Somali Regional State President Mustafa Omer: longtime rivals are setting aside their own enmities for one purpose only — to attack him. What brings together this uneasy alliance is not a common blueprint for Ethiopia or for the Somali Region, but a shared determination to tarnish a leader they regard as an obstacle to their ambitions.  This coalition of symbiotic antagonists — TPLF loyalists still bitter over their…

Monday May 4, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali Police Force Commander General Asad Osman Abdullahi on Monday hosted a senior Turkish delegation in Mogadishu, in a meeting centered on expanding security cooperation between the two countries. Officials said the talks were aimed at deepening bilateral ties in the security field, with a particular focus on training initiatives and efforts to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Somali Police Force, including its elite Haramcad unit. The meeting comes amid continuing efforts…