Garowe, Somalia, May 30, 2026 – Puntland State’s education minister has accused Somalia’s federal government of standing in the way of efforts to deepen cooperation in the education sector and win backing from international partners, underscoring fresh friction between the semi-autonomous region and Mogadishu. Addressing the launch of Puntland State’s 2025-2026 national certificate examinations, Education Minister Fuad Abshir Ahmed said the regional government had spent more than a year seeking dialogue with Somalia’s…

Monday May 25, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s intelligence service said at least five al-Shabab militants were killed in a carefully planned operation in Hiiraan region, where the group had reportedly gathered to prepare attacks. The National Intelligence and Security Agency said Sunday that the raid took place in the Tardo area, carried out alongside international partners after intelligence showed about 25 al-Shabab members, including fighters and officers, had convened there. NISA said the group was preparing activities…

Somalia’s Unity and the Politics of Selective Nationalism EDITORIAL | For more than 30 years, Somalia has been caught between two competing truths: the insistence on one country and the steady drift toward fragmentation. Since North Western State of Somalia declared its separation in 1991, Somali administrations have returned time and again to the negotiating table with Hargeisa, meeting in Djibouti, Turkey, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. The venue has changed, the mediation has shifted, but the outcome has not.…

Sunday May 24, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A plan by North Western State of Somalia to establish an embassy in Jerusalem has drawn sharp condemnation from 18 countries, whose foreign ministers denounced the move as illegal, unacceptable and contrary to international law. The joint statement came from the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Algeria, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritania, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. “The ministers condemn in the strongest…

Friday May 22, 2026 Photo courtesy of Egypt's ministry of foreign affairs. Egypt on Thursday sharply denounced the opening of what was described as an “embassy” for the self-declared “Republic of North Western State of Somalia” in occupied Jerusalem, saying the move violates international law and multiple resolutions tied to international legitimacy, the foreign ministry said. In a statement, the ministry described the step as “illegal and rejected,” adding that the mission’s inauguration in occupied Jerusalem amounted to “a…

AXADLE, Somalia — Puntland State State of Somalia of Somalia on Thursday said Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is staying in office illegally, arguing that his four-year presidency ended on May 15 after the mandates of Somalia’s federal institutions expired. The accusation came in a communique released after a cabinet meeting in Garowe, which Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni chaired. According to Puntland State, Mohamud’s term expired on May 15, 2026, while the Federal Parliament’s mandate ended on April 14, 2026. The…

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - The Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Wednesday sharply condemned reports that the self-declared “North Western State of Somalia” region intends to open an embassy in al-Quds, a move that would further signal growing ties between the Israeli regime and the breakaway territory in the Horn of Africa. In a press statement, the OIC General Secretariat said it was deeply alarmed by media reports about plans by “North Western State of Somalia” to establish a so-called “embassy” in occupied Jerusalem. It…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A reported plan by North Western State of Somalia to open a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem has drawn sharp condemnation from the Arab League, after Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit spoke by phone about the region’s increasingly tense geopolitical climate, officials said. The conversation focused on stability in the Horn of Africa and what both sides described as the need for a coordinated response to the move by the breakaway region. Both leaders…

Somalia: Protest Against North Western State of Somalia's May 18 Celebrations Erupts in Borama BORAMA, Somalia — What began as anger over events tied to North Western State of Somalia’s May 18 celebrations quickly turned violent in Borama on Sunday, as demonstrators confronted police after youths set tires ablaze in several parts of the town, according to witnesses and officials. Local reports said police responded by firing live ammunition to break up the crowd. No casualties were reported immediately. North Western State…

Monday May 18, 2026 Borama (AX) — Police in Borama opened fire Sunday to break up young demonstrators who burned tires in parts of the city during a protest against North Western State of Somalia’s May 18 independence celebrations, according to residents and officials. No casualties were immediately reported. The unrest unfolded in Borama, the capital of Awdal region, one of several places where tensions have been building ahead of North Western State of Somalia’s annual May 18 commemoration. The day marks North Western…