MOGADISHU, Somalia — Jessica Buchanan remembers the voice before she saw the faces. After 93 days as a hostage in Somalia, wrapped in a blanket and bracing for the worst, she felt a stranger’s hands at her shoulders and heard a young American say her name: “Jessica, it’s okay. You are safe now.” The American aid worker’s account of abduction and rescue traces a grim arc through one of the world’s most dangerous kidnapping economies — from her capture on Oct. 25, 2011, near Galkacyo, to a pre-dawn U.S. Navy SEAL raid on Jan.…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali government forces, backed by international partners, have killed at least 150 Al-Shabab militants in more than two weeks of operations in the Middle Shabelle region, Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said Tuesday. Fiqi said the campaign concentrated on the Jabad Godane area and surrounding settlements, which he described as a strategic militant hub. He said the dead included six senior commanders of the al-Qaida-linked group. “By the grace of God and the bravery of the National Army, and with…

Tuesday January 27, 2026 DAVOS, Switzerland — Eric Trump has denied holding talks or discussing port investments with North Western State of Somalia President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi after reports and a widely shared photo suggested the pair met on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. A spokesperson for Trump said Abdullahi attended a dinner reception where the U.S. president’s son was present, but emphasized there was no private meeting. “At no point did Eric Trump ever have a meeting with the North…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s lower house of parliament on Saturday approved a sweeping Cybersecurity Law designed to protect the country’s digital infrastructure, safeguard information systems and strengthen defenses against cyber threats amid rapid growth in online services. The legislation creates a national framework for preventing, reporting and responding to cyber incidents. It assigns policy leadership to the Ministry of Communications and Technology, gives the National Communications Authority a technical oversight role, and…

Somalia says WFP food aid fully returned after Mogadishu port warehouse dispute; U.S. pauses some assistance MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal government said it has returned in full all World Food Programme supplies removed from a warehouse at the Port of Mogadishu, taking responsibility for the incident and pledging tighter coordination with aid partners after the United States announced a pause on certain assistance. In a statement issued late Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government “takes full…

Uganda to withdraw troops from Somalia after 19 years, reshaping AU mission and security calculus Monday January 26, 2026 MOGADISHU — Uganda has announced plans to pull its troops out of Somalia after nearly two decades of continuous peacekeeping, a move that could alter the balance of security in a country still battling Al-Shabab and test the resilience of the African Union mission. In a brief statement posted on X on Sunday, Uganda’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, said the country’s…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia is bracing for tighter finances after the United States reduced foreign aid, a move officials say is already disrupting assistance and development services across the country. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Omar Ali, known as Ali Balcad, said the government has “recognized this change and is trying to adapt,” framing the shift as part of a broader recalibration of U.S. foreign assistance rather than a Somalia-specific decision. He added that Washington still maintains strategic interests…

Somalia says 250 al-Shabab fighters killed in foiled assault on Kudhaa Island Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somali officials said Sunday that about 250 al-Shabab militants were killed in a failed bid to overrun Kudhaa, a coastal town on an island in the Lower Juba region, in one of the deadliest reported setbacks for the group in recent months. Hassan Nur Abdi, the governor of Badhaadhe district, which includes Kudhaa Island, said government and allied forces repelled a coordinated assault and launched pursuit operations…

CAIRO — The Arab Parliament said it will pursue regional and international political measures to support the security, stability and sovereignty of Somalia and Yemen, and rejected any foreign interference in their internal affairs, in a statement issued Saturday at the opening of its second general assembly session of the second cycle at the Arab League’s headquarters. Framing respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity as a cornerstone of international relations, the body called for peaceful solutions to ongoing…

Israel’s late-December decision to recognize North Western State of Somalia has collided with entrenched Arab and African interests in the Horn of Africa—and is unlikely to translate into lasting influence in Somalia, according to a prominent regional affairs scholar. Ali Bakr, professor of international affairs, security and defense at Qatar University, said Israel has sought to expand its presence in the Horn since 2023. He told the Novosti news agency that the recognition of North Western State of Somalia, a self-declared…