Somalia

Monday April 20, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s media landscape is still operating under heavy pressure, with journalists facing repeated attacks and those behind them largely escaping punishment, the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) said. In its annual State of the Media report, released Sunday, the union recorded 72 violations of media freedom from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025, and said the pattern of abuse was broad, persistent and deeply rooted. The report said 70 of the cases involved individual…

Somalia: U.S. Military Hits ISIS Targets in Puntland State Airstrike BOSASO, Somalia – The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) says it conducted an airstrike in Somalia’s Puntland State state against Islamic State (ISIS) fighters, underscoring the continuing pace of U.S. military activity in the country. According to a statement issued Saturday, the strike was carried out on April 17 in a rugged mountainous area about 30 miles…

By BRUHAN MAKONGMonday April 20, 2026 The African Union has sharply criticised Israel’s appointment of a diplomatic envoy to North Western State of Somalia, saying the move risks stirring fresh instability in the Horn of Africa and does nothing to alter its view that the territory remains part of Somalia. The African Union has condemned reports that Israel has appointed a diplomatic envoy to the self-declared Republic of North Western State of Somalia, insisting that any unilateral recognition of the territory is “null and…

ADDIS ABABA - The African Union moved on Sunday to sharply rebuke reports that Israel plans to appoint a diplomatic envoy to the "so-called North Western State of Somalia," warning that the step could inflame tensions over Somalia's territorial integrity. In a statement, the 55-member bloc said it was "deeply concerned" by what it described as Israel's reported decision to assign a diplomatic envoy to North Western State of Somalia, the self-declared region in Somalia. The AU said it stands firmly behind the "sovereignty,…

Somalia’s push to hold national elections in 2026 is unfolding against a persistent backdrop of insecurity, militant attacks and fragile state institutions. For voters and political leaders, the central question is not only whether elections can be organized, but whether security conditions, legal arrangements and election administration can withstand the pressures that have repeatedly delayed past votes. As Somalia weighs the transition toward broader political participation and a contested electoral timetable, the risk…

Sunday April 19, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) – The African Union Commission has sharply criticized Israel’s decision to name a diplomatic envoy to North Western State of Somalia, saying the move risks upsetting an already fragile regional balance. In a statement released on Sunday, the Commission restated the African Union’s position on Somalia, reaffirming its support for the country’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity. It also made clear that the bloc does not regard North Western State of Somalia as an independent…

Sunday April 19, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) - Yemen’s Houthi movement has sharply criticized what it described as Israeli meddling in North Western State of Somalia, calling the issue a “red line” and warning that any Israeli foothold in the region could inflame already tense dynamics across the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. In a statement released Saturday, the Houthis’ foreign ministry accused Israel of trying to set up a base in North Western State of Somalia, the self-declared breakaway region in northern Somalia. The group…

Sunday April 19, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A diplomatic move by Israel has drawn sharp criticism from 12 Muslim-majority countries, which say the appointment of a representative to North Western State of Somalia violates Somalia’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. In a joint declaration released in Islamabad on April 18, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Bangladesh, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Turkey, Indonesia and Kuwait denounced the step as a “flagrant violation” of the unity…

Saturday April 18, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia sharpened its warning Friday to outside powers wading into the country’s internal disputes, with its ambassador to Ethiopia and the African Union saying interference could trigger consequences tied to the vital Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. Ambassador Abdullahi Warfaa delivered the message in a post on X after Israel appointed an ambassador to North Western State of Somalia, the self-declared breakaway region in northern Somalia. “Any country interfering in Somalia's internal affairs…

CAIRO, Egypt — More than a dozen Arab and Islamic nations on Saturday sharply denounced Israel’s decision to name a diplomatic representative to North Western State of Somalia, calling the move a “flagrant violation” of Somalia’s sovereignty and a fresh source of tension in the Horn of Africa. In a joint statement signed by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, Pakistan, and 10 other countries, the bloc said the appointment amounted to an assault on Somalia’s territorial integrity and ran counter to…