Will XavierTuesday April 7, 2026 An Iranian-flagged dhow that had been seized off Somalia’s coast has been freed after sustained pressure from EU naval forces, with the vessel now back under control and its crew accounted for, Operation Atalanta said. The Alwaseemi was hijacked on March 24, roughly 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, according to the mission. A warship and other Atalanta assets kept the fishing boat under close watch in the days that followed. "The pirates left the fishing vessel as a result of the…

QARDHO, Somalia — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni on Tuesday accused Somalia’s federal government of trying to erode the country’s federal system, warning that proposals linked to officials around President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud could splinter the nation along regional lines. Addressing army officials in Qardho, Deni said comments attributed to presidential adviser Sheikh Ali Wajiis pointed to a plan in which the federal government would take direct control of Somalia’s regions, a course he said would amount to…

Tuesday April 7, 2026 Djibouti (AX) — With Djibouti’s presidential vote just days away, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has sent an Election Observation Mission to the country to track the April 10, 2026 poll, the regional organization said Monday. The delegation was invited by the Djiboutian government and the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI), according to an IGAD statement released Tuesday. The observer team is headed by former Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome and includes 17…

WASHINGTON — Somalia’s ambassador to the United Nations is facing fresh scrutiny after a senior U.S. health official said he has ties to an Ohio health care company that was later convicted of Medicaid fraud, a claim emerging as fraud cases involving Somali Americans draw intensifying attention in the United States. Jim O'Neil, deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, made the allegation against Abukar Dahir Osman, Somalia’s permanent representative to the United Nations and a former president of…

BAIDOA, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has introduced a nighttime curfew in Baidoa and barred civilians from carrying weapons in the city after dark, allowing only security personnel to do so, officials said. The restrictions were announced amid heightened security concerns tied to recent political shifts in South West State, where tensions have escalated in the wake of changes in the regional administration. Somali Police Commissioner Asad Osman Abdullahi, who has met with police officers in Baidoa over the past…

By Nuri AdenTuesday April 7, 2026 A wave of anticipation is sweeping across Somalia as the country prepares to receive the Turkish drilling ship Cagri Bey, due in Mogadishu from April 9 in a development officials say could mark a turning point in Somalia’s oil and gas quest. In an exclusive interview with TRT Afrika, Somalia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Dahir Shire Mohamed, called the arrival a historic moment for the nation. “This is something that, as Somali people, we have been yearning for a very long…

Basillioh Rukanga and Richard KagoeTuesday April 7, 2026 Somalia is poised to launch its first offshore oil drilling campaign, with a Turkish government-owned drillship due to reach its waters on Friday. The step comes after a Turkish research vessel completed seismic surveys last year, helping map the area’s underground potential. In a post on X, Somalia's Petroleum Minister Dahir Shire called the approach to the country’s first offshore drilling effort a "historic milestone in our offshore energy journey... A new chapter…

Somalia is preparing to launch its first offshore oil drilling campaign, with a Turkish government-owned drillship due to reach waters off the Somali coast on Friday. The milestone comes after a Turkish research vessel completed seismic surveys last year, laying the groundwork for the next phase of exploration. In a post on X, Somalia's Petroleum Minister Dahir Shire called the advance toward offshore drilling a "historic milestone in our offshore energy journey... A new chapter begins." The foreign ministry said a…

Monday April 6, 2026 Türkiye's Çağrı Bey drillship is seen at a port, Mersin, southern Türkiye, Feb. 14, 2026. (AA Photo) Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia is on the cusp of a historic first in its offshore energy sector, with Türkiye’s drillship Çağrı Bey due to arrive on April 10 to begin the country’s first deep-sea drilling campaign, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said. Bayraktar, speaking at a gathering in Trabzon on April 4, said he plans to travel to Somalia before the vessel docks. “With the…

Monday April 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia is on the verge of its first offshore oil drilling campaign, a move that one senior government official said Sunday carries major economic and geopolitical implications as a Turkish drillship prepares to enter the country’s territorial waters. The vessel, Çağrı Bey, is due to arrive in Somalia on April 10, setting the stage for the country’s inaugural offshore drilling operation and a landmark moment for its energy industry. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar said the…