MOGADISHU, April 26 - Somalia’s upper chamber speaker has returned to the political spotlight with a blistering attack on state institutions, accusing them of widespread disregard for the law as the country edges toward a critical electoral moment. Senator Abdi Hashi Abdullahi, a seasoned and influential figure in Somali politics, said he had been away from public duties while recovering from health-related problems. His reappearance comes as tensions intensify between federal leaders and opposition figures over…

LUUQ, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has sent Turkish-trained elite Gorgor, or “Eagle,” commandos to the strategic district of Luuq in the Gedo region, a move that underscores a sharper military push in an area long marked by security concerns and political disputes. Security officials said the first plane carrying the specialized troops touched down in Luuq early Sunday, with more flights expected in the coming days to increase the number of forces on the ground. The deployment comes on the heels of the arrival of…

Sunday April 26, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali met with his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, in Muscat on Saturday for talks aimed at broadening bilateral ties and deepening cooperation in several priority areas. The discussions, held at the Omani Foreign Ministry headquarters, came during Abdisalam’s official visit to Oman and centered on shared interests spanning diplomacy, development and regional security. The two ministers also reviewed developments in the Horn…

Olamilekan OkebiorunSunday April 26, 2026 Turkey and Israel are racing to deepen their footprint in the Horn of Africa, with Somalia and North Western State of Somalia emerging as prized territory in a wider contest over energy, military leverage and the sea lanes that feed global trade through the Red Sea. For Ankara, the push has already taken shape in concrete terms: signed deals with Somalia’s federal government covering offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration, plus an expanding military presence anchored by its…

Saturday April 25, 2026 Severe drought has driven at least 62,000 people from their homes in five districts across Somalia since the beginning of 2026, as the country faces mounting climate pressures, the International Organization for Migration said on Friday. The United Nations migration agency said its data shows drought is now responsible for three out of every four new displacements, marking a 22 percent increase from a year earlier and underscoring the worsening toll of climate shocks. Manuel Marques Pereira, IOM’s…

An oil tanker has been hijacked off Somalia’s coast and forced into the country’s territorial waters, according to the British maritime security agency UKMTO, in a fresh sign of mounting danger for vessels moving through the region. The incident underscores the growing hazards facing ships in the Red Sea corridor, an increasingly vital supply route as Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz — the gateway to the Gulf on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula — tightens pressure on maritime traffic. UKMTO said the tanker was…

Somalia’s election plans for 2026 sit at the centre of a wider political transition, involving federal institutions, regional states, and a long list of external partners. Over the past year, international stakeholders have focused on one main goal: helping Somalia conduct elections that are credible, inclusive, and accepted by key domestic actors—while also supporting the security conditions needed for voting. Background: How Somalia’s election process is shaped Somalia’s political system is built on a federal model,…

Saturday April 25, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s push to shore up its digital defenses moved a step forward on Saturday when the National Communications Authority (NCA) brought together a wide range of stakeholders to discuss a proposed Cybersecurity Risk Management and Compliance Framework. The national consultation drew representatives from government institutions, the private sector, education, civil society, and the technical community, all tasked with helping shape a framework designed to strengthen the country’s…

Pirates have seized an oil tanker carrying 17 crew members off Somalia’s coast, multiple security officials told the BBC, in a brazen reminder of a menace once thought to be fading in the region. The vessel, Honour 25, was taken over late on Wednesday by six armed men when it was about 30 nautical miles offshore, the officials said. For years, this stretch of the Indian Ocean was synonymous with pirate attacks, but until three years ago such incidents had largely vanished. Since then, however, piracy has returned, with…

By Abdi Ismail SamatarSaturday April 25, 2026 Turkey has cast Somalia as a gateway to the Horn of Africa and, potentially, far beyond. But that ambition can only take root if Somalia first regains political stability. Trying to rebuild the Somali Defence Force without a clear national political framework is like setting out on a long trip with no map. In 2011, the West bluntly blamed al-Shabaab for Somalia’s famine. Yet the deeper cause was American policy under the Obama Administration, which blocked food deliveries to…