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…

Monday April 6, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — North Western State of Somalia President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro has carried out a wide-ranging cabinet shake-up, removing, appointing and moving a number of senior officials in one of the administration’s most significant personnel changes since taking office. Announced through a presidential decree, the changes reach across several major ministries and top advisory posts. The overhaul appears aimed at tightening the government’s reform drive and improving the efficiency of…

Sunday April 5, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia and Sudan have reached an agreement to waive visa requirements for diplomatic passport holders, a development both governments say will help deepen ties and make official travel easier. The accord was signed on April 2 at the second meeting of the Somalia-Sudan Political Consultation Committee. The session was jointly led by Hamza Adan Haadow, permanent secretary at Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Ambassador Muawiya Osman Khalid,…

Sunday April 5, 2026 FILE PHOTO: Somalia has been making gains against the al Shabab terrorist group. / AA Somali intelligence forces, working alongside international troops, killed at least nine Al Shabab terrorists in a शनिवार operation in the southern Lower Shabelle region, among them specialists linked to bomb-making, authorities said. The raid also destroyed six heavy engines used by the militant group to produce explosives, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said in a statement. NISA identified two of…

Somalia’s federal parliament has been at the center of major political decisions in 2026, as lawmakers debated constitutional rules, the timetable for elections, and the government’s spending priorities. The actions taken in parliamentary sessions—sometimes orderly, sometimes marked by unrest—shape how political power is set to change later in the year. With Somalia still working under a provisional constitutional framework and facing ongoing security and governance challenges, parliamentary votes in Mogadishu carry…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali intelligence officials said Saturday that a series of coordinated raids in the Lower Shabelle region, carried out with support from international partners, left nine Al-Shabaab militants dead and destroyed equipment allegedly used to manufacture explosives. In a statement, the National Intelligence and Security Agency, or NISA, said the first strike hit the Kuunyo Barrow area, where forces targeted what it called a major militant site. During the raid, six large generators believed to be used in…

Saturday April 4, 2026 A senior al-Shabaab commander has been captured in southern Somalia in a joint operation carried out by the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and the Somali National Armed Forces. In a statement, the AU mission said the suspect, identified as Salaad Cusmaan Macalin, also known as Sahm, was detained on Thursday on the northwestern outskirts of Mubarak. "Initial interrogation findings indicate that one of his associates, identified as Ismaaciil, a Kenyan national, had…