DJIBOUTI – Somalia’s latest political showdown drew a warning from the Horn of Africa’s regional bloc on Sunday, as IGAD urged "restraint" and "inclusive dialogue" amid escalating tensions between Mogadishu and the semi-autonomous SouthWest State. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the eight-member regional grouping based in Djibouti, said it was "closely monitoring developments" in the state as a widening dispute raises the risk of armed confrontation. "IGAD expresses concern over rising tensions and calls on…

BAIDOA, Somalia - SouthWest State on Sunday voiced alarm over reports that Somali federal troops and Turkish-supplied military hardware were being used in operations against civilians in the region. In a statement, the regional administration said forces trained by Turkey, together with armored vehicles originally provided for counterterrorism work, had been redirected toward actions against local communities. It also alleged that Turkish drones were tracking the movements of federal troops as they advanced toward the town…

Somalia: Southwest Presidency Rejects Claims of Dialogue Request with FGS After Laftagareen’s Re-election BAIDOA, Somalia — Southwest State’s presidency on Sunday moved quickly to quash reports that newly re-elected regional leader Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed, widely known as Laftagareen, had sought formal talks with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The denial from Baidoa came only hours after social media posts claimed Laftagareen had contacted…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Major General Mohamed Sheikh Hassan on Sunday officially took charge of the Somali Custodial Corps, stepping into leadership of the country’s prison service at a handover ceremony held in Mogadishu. The changeover unfolded without the outgoing commander, General Mahad Abdirahman, who remains under house arrest in the capital. Even so, the ceremony went ahead, with senior correctional officials and government representatives present for the transfer of command. General Mohamed Sheikh Hassan now inherits a…

Somalia’s President to Raise Ethiopia Complaint in Diplomatic Briefing MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is set to convene a high-level briefing today at the Presidential Palace with members of the international diplomatic corps stationed in Mogadishu’s heavily secured Halane compound. Officials in the capital told the media that the president plans to give the envoys a detailed update on Somalia’s security and political climate. At the center of the discussion is expected to be a formal complaint over…

Somalia is moving step by step toward one-person, one-vote elections, a shift from decades of clan-based and indirect voting. In 2026, the process is no longer only a political promise: local voting has started, electoral laws have advanced, and Somalia's election institutions are working to widen the model beyond pilot areas. Still, disputes over inclusion, security, and political consensus remain central to whether the 2026 timetable can hold. Somalia's election reform effort has followed a phased approach: building…

In southern Somalia’s Ladan camp, a child’s cry can be heard—but for the most malnourished youngsters, even sound can be out of reach. Mothers there are focused on a single question: whether their children will survive. At the Ladan camp, on the outskirts of the town of Dollow, families who have fled drought-stricken areas arrive with little more than their children. Their farms and livestock were wiped out after four failed rainy seasons, leaving displaced people to seek shelter in crowded conditions where hope is measured…

MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has launched a forceful defense of one-person, one-vote elections, rejecting calls for a return to indirect voting and arguing that the country has already moved past the old approach. Speaking to the nation, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said past understandings have already laid out the electoral roadmap, including how committees should be formed and what rules should govern the process. He added that some politicians have chosen to step away from commitments they signed. “If you…

The gentle cry of a child resonates with unexpected hope in the overcrowded Ladan displacement camp in southern Somalia, a place where malnourished children often lack the strength to express distress. For the mothers residing here, the primary focus is survival, overshadowing global events like the Middle East conflict or the complexities of UNICEF's relief logistics. These families have fled the unforgiving drought devastating the Horn of Africa. Four consecutive failed rainy seasons have left their farmlands barren…

Saturday March 28, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) - Three senior officers of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) will face a Ugandan military court after prosecutors alleged misconduct connected to the disappearance of a military aircraft during operations in Somalia, according to officials. The General Court Martial at Makindye, Kampala, on Tuesday formally charged Col. George Buga Andruca, Maj. Benjamin Kashumbusha, and Lt. Henry Gygenda with one count of wrongful acts tied to the loss of an aircraft. Each of the officers entered…