Somali

European naval forces shadow Somali pirates after string of attacks; no immediate threat to shipping, officials say NAIROBI — European Union naval forces and allied navies are keeping a close watch on a pirate group off Somalia’s coast after a spate of attacks in recent days, but they say commercial shipping faces no immediate danger thanks to an international security presence. In a brief posting on X on Wednesday, EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta said the suspected pirates “remain in the area under surveillance,” urging…

In Kigali, a quiet pledge between Somalia and Nigeria hints at a broader shift in Africa’s fight against extremism On a mild Saturday in Kigali, two senior soldiers from different ends of the continent sat down and agreed to swap hard-won lessons from the battlefield. Somalia’s Land Forces Commander, Major General Sahal Abdullahi Omar—widely known as General Khalid—met Nigeria’s Infantry Commander, Major General Usman Abdulmumin Yusuf, to map out deeper military cooperation. The plan: share combat experience, expand joint…

In Mogadishu, a small but determined push against a tide of falsehoods MOGADISHU — For three days in late October, a conference room in the Somali capital hummed with the sort of quiet urgency that has come to define journalism in fragile states: laptops open, phones muted, trainers and trainees leaning into the same problem — how to stop lies from becoming news. The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), with funding from the Australian government via its High Commission in Nairobi, brought 32 reporters, editors…

A Somali audio startup turns listening into a bridge for a scattered nation On a humid morning in Mogadishu’s Hamar Weyne market, the bustle runs on engine oil and conversation. A tea vendor pours spiced shaah with one hand and, with the other, taps play on his phone. In his ear, a familiar voice narrates the ideas of Marcus Aurelius—in Somali. Five thousand miles away, a nurse on a night shift in Jigjiga cues up a 20-minute deep dive on genetics. In Minneapolis, a rideshare driver squeezes in a lesson on economics between…

Somali forces say they killed seven al‑Shabaab fighters in coordinated raid in Hiiraan MOGADISHU — Somali security forces, aided by international partners, killed seven al‑Shabaab militants in a multi‑phase operation on Monday in Kuukaayle, a locality in the Mahas District of Hiiraan region, officials said, underscoring the continued, often murky partnership between Somali units and foreign military planners in the fight against the insurgency. Three‑stage operation Somali authorities said the mission was launched after…

Turkey’s Residency Freeze Meets Somali Realities: What a Quiet Diplomatic Meeting Reveals In Ankara this week, a low-key meeting between Somali Ambassador Fathudiin Ali Mohamed Ospite and Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya put a human face on a policy that has reshaped daily life for foreigners across Turkey: the suspension of most new residency permits. The conversation was practical—how to help Somali citizens renew and obtain legal stay when the rules have tightened—but the implications are wider. As countries from…

Somali businesses step in to turn displacement into livelihoods MOGADISHU — On a sun-baked morning in a sprawling camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, the signs of lives interrupted are unmistakable: corrugated iron shelters clustered along dusty tracks, makeshift stalls selling tea and charcoal, children weaving between tents. For many inside, the question is no longer just where to sleep tonight but how to rebuild a future when formal jobs are scarce and public services thin. Into that breach this week stepped an alliance…

When a diploma isn’t the barrier — a passport is Mustaf Moha­­med Takoy had done everything right. He won a full scholarship to study a master’s in Environment and International Development at the University of Copenhagen, bought health insurance, secured an acceptance letter and packed the hope of a better future. Then Denmark’s immigration service told him that his Somali passport was not a valid travel document — and that was that. Mustaf’s story, relayed in a short but stark exchange with Danish authorities, speaks to…

Somali forces arrest suspect said to be planting landmines in border town Beled Hawo, Somalia — Security forces in Somalia’s Gedo region say they have detained a man accused of attempting to lay two landmines along a busy route in the border district of Beled Hawo, averting what officials believe could have been a deadly attack on civilians and military convoys. The late-night arrest on Tuesday, confirmed by the Somali National Army’s media unit, came during a targeted operation as patrols swept through the district’s main…

Somalia’s cabinet meeting signals a push to turn battlefield gains into public services Mogadishu’s message: accountability, services, and a long game In Mogadishu on Thursday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sat at the head of the long table in the Council of Ministers and offered his cabinet a familiar charge with a sharper edge: make the machinery of government move faster, cleaner, and closer to the people. The weekly meeting, officials said, looked beyond the security front lines to the hard work of…