By: Eng. Jama Farah Noor Tuesday April 14, 2026 Somalia stands at a dangerous crossroads, and the stakes could hardly be higher. An election process shaped by the incumbent leadership, rather than by broad agreement, risks not only weakening democracy but also igniting serious violence and pushing the country back toward civil war. In place of the current orchestrated election model advanced by the President and his team — a model that appears driven by narrow political interests and lacks the participation of key…

By: Prof. Abdinasir Ali OsmanTuesday April 14, 2026 A Condensed Investigative and Forward-Looking Policy Analysis of Curad-1 and Somalia’s Offshore Future Somalia’s offshore oil frontier has quickly become one of the Horn of Africa’s most closely watched energy stories. In a region where maritime security, foreign investment, and state-building often collide, the Curad-1 drilling program has pushed Somalia from theory into action. This condensed investigative analysis draws on international reporting, institutional…

Somalia: Defense Minister Threatens Military Action Against Federal States MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi has warned that the federal government may resort to military force against federal states that resist national directives, saying the Somali army will assert its authority throughout the country. Speaking in a recent address, Fiqi took aim at leaders of some federal member states, accusing them of opposing the deployment of national forces and treating the presence of the military as a threat.…

Somalia: Ex-President Warns of Leadership Vacuum as Parliament Mandate Expires MOGADISHU, Somalia — Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo on Tuesday said the Federal Parliament’s constitutional mandate expired on April 14, 2026, warning that Somalia is sliding into a period of "rising political uncertainty." Farmaajo said parliamentary business "can only resume after new elections are held," pushing back against a one-year extension announced by the leadership of the House of the People. His intervention gives…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia was thrust into a constitutional deadlock on Tuesday after the Federal Parliament’s mandate formally lapsed, prompting a string of resignations from lawmakers even as President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud began his final 30 days in office. The four-year terms of both the House of the People and the Upper House expired on April 14. Yet Speaker of the House Adan Madobe had already announced that Parliament would remain in place for another year, a decision meant to support the federal government’s push…

By Dr. Ali Said FaqiTuesday April 14, 2026 Somalia is approaching a defining crossroads. The possibility of offshore oil and gas development by the Turkish firm could open a route to economic independence and lasting stability. For a nation long dependent on outside assistance, it is an unusually promising chance to shape its own economic destiny. Yet promise by itself will not deliver results. Around the world, resource-rich countries have learned that without sound governance, natural wealth can deepen instability instead…

Galmudug and Hirshabelle, two federal member states in central and south-central Somalia, shape politics through a mix of formal institutions, clan-based power sharing, and security priorities. How influence is exercised—and why it can differ from federal plans—helps explain many of the country’s repeated political and governance disputes. What Happened In recent years, Somalia’s federal member states have continued to play a major role in national stability, particularly as the federal government and regional…

Monday April 13, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Council of Ministers on Monday named Hussein Qasim Yusuf as the new Director General of the Somali Immigration and Citizenship Agency (ICA), ending Mustaf Sheikh Ali Dhuxulow’s tenure at the helm. The cabinet approved the appointment during its weekly meeting after a recommendation from the Ministry of Internal Security. The government said the leadership change is part of broader reforms designed to reinforce Somalia’s security institutions and improve immigration and…

Monday April 13, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — President Donald Trump has prolonged the U.S. national emergency over Somalia for another year, renewing a policy first put in place in 2010 to confront terrorism, piracy and the chronic instability that has long unsettled the Horn of Africa nation. In a notice dated April 8, 2026, the White House said the emergency, which was due to lapse on April 12, will now stay in force through April 12, 2027. The extension preserves U.S. sanctions and other legal tools intended to curb threats…

MOGADISHU, April 13, 2026 — Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre on Monday issued a stark warning that the country’s natural wealth, including its prospective oil reserves, could be vulnerable to outside pressure unless Somalia develops a military strong enough to protect it. Barre, speaking in the context of shifting global power and rising rivalry over strategic resources, said the erosion of confidence in international institutions and the weakening of the traditional rules-based order have made resource competition…