Somalias

Cyberattack on Somalia’s E-Visa System May Have Exposed Data of at Least 35,000, U.S. Embassy Says MOGADISHU, Somalia — The U.S. Embassy in Somalia warned Wednesday that cybercriminals may have penetrated the Somali government’s electronic visa (E‑Visa) system, potentially exposing personal information belonging to thousands of applicants. What the embassy reported The embassy said multiple reliable sources confirmed on Nov. 11, 2025, that the system may have been compromised and that records for at least 35,000 visa…

Somali president holds consultation with leading Quran scholar in Mogadishu Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met prominent Quran reciter and scholar Sheikh Abdirashid Sheikh Ali Sufi in Mogadishu on Friday, in what Villa Somalia called an important consultation and information-sharing session. The discussions focused on mobilizing public awareness around national priorities and strengthening the role of religious leaders in peace-building. The meeting underscored the government’s outreach to clerics as it pursues…

After the Ruins, a Campus Rises: Hormuud University at 15 When the central government in Somalia collapsed in 1991, so too did the institutions that had supported generations of Somalis — hospitals, civil services, and classrooms. For more than two decades, many of the country’s best-educated professionals left. “It felt like the nation’s memory was walking away,” said Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Abdi Omar Shuriye, who today oversees Hormuud University as it marks its 15th year. Founded in 2010 by senior figures at…

Somalia’s new e‑visa system ignites a storm over money, power and trust The row over Somalia’s newly launched electronic visa system has moved beyond bureaucratic bickering into a full‑blown political and financial controversy, exposing fault lines in a country long divided over sovereignty, economic control and how the diaspora — Somalia’s lifeline — is treated. Accusations, denials and a Facebook post that set it off The controversy began in a blunt Facebook post by Axmed Ismaaciil, the general manager of WorldRemit’s…

Farmaajo Returns to a Changed Mogadishu — And a High-Stakes 2026 Race Begins MOGADISHU — The political weather in Somalia shifted on Thursday with the return of former president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, widely known as Farmaajo, after more than two years abroad. He arrived to a rousing welcome at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport — lawmakers, veteran politicians, and clusters of supporters waving flags and phone cameras — and immediately became the most consequential opposition figure in the capital. His timing…

Somalia’s planned leap to one-person, one-vote exposes fragile balance between hope and division MOGADISHU — Somalia’s long-simmering experiment with electoral reform has entered a decisive — and potentially divisive — phase. The National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) has announced that Banadir, the region that contains the capital Mogadishu, will pilot what would be the country’s first direct, universal-suffrage poll on November 30. The move comes despite vocal resistance from several federal…

Somalia Mourns a Stalwart of the Bench: Abdullahi Dahir Bare, 1940–2024 In a city that has seen far too many funerals, Mogadishu paused on Wednesday night to honor a man who spent a lifetime in service to the law. The Office of the Attorney General confirmed the passing of Abdullahi Dahir Bare, a former attorney general and one of the country’s earliest judges. He was 84. In a statement, current Attorney General Sulayman Mohamed extended condolences to Bare’s family and to a public that knew him as a steady presence…

Somalia’s fragile federal compact faces a test as Mogadishu convenes regional leaders on 2026 elections MOGADISHU — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will host a carefully staged meeting in Mogadishu this week with leaders from three federal member states, a gathering that officials say is aimed at salvaging a badly strained process for the 2026 national elections. Expected to attend are Abdiasis Hassan Mohamed (Laftagareen) of South West, Ahmed Abdi Kariye (Qoorqoor) of Galmudug, and Ali Gudlawe Hussein of HirShabelle. But…

Drone strike in Lower Shabelle underscores the moral and strategic dilemmas of remote warfare A reported drone strike this week in Akunji village, in Somalia’s volatile Janaale district of Lower Shabelle, has reopened painful questions about who bears the cost of a campaign fought mostly from the air. Local accounts and media reports say civilians may have been killed; authorities have not confirmed responsibility. The fog that surrounds the incident is familiar in Somalia — and emblematic of a broader global debate over…

Somalia: Three brothers killed on family farm in suspected clan-reprisal attack in Lower Shabelle At least three brothers were shot dead while working their fields in Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region on Wednesday, in what local residents described as a clan-reprisal attack. The killings took place in Dudumaaye, an area under the Wanlaweyn district, about two hours by road from Mogadishu. Residents reached by phone said the men were tending their farm when gunmen believed to be from a rival militia opened fire. The victims…