Somalias

Thursday February 12, 2026 MOGADISHU (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is set to travel to Addis Ababa for the 39th African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government, where he will spotlight Somalia’s recent security gains and restate the country’s position on sovereignty and foreign interference. The summit brings together leaders from 55 African nations for the continent’s top political forum. Officials said the president is scheduled to address Somalia’s progress on security sector reform, the effects of…

MOGADISHU — Somalia has won a seat on the African Union Peace and Security Council for the 2026–2028 term, a diplomatic milestone that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday cast as proof of the country’s renewed standing on the continent and beyond. In a national address, Hassan Sheikh said the election reflects Somalia’s growing credibility and the reemergence of its voice in regional affairs after years of rebuilding state institutions. “This victory demonstrates the significant progress of Somalia’s diplomacy and…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission on Wednesday set April 2026 for state-level local council elections, a timetable that places the vote about a month before President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s current term ends and intensifies pressure on leaders to settle the country’s electoral rules. Elections slated for April 2026, weeks before President Mohamud’s term expires Voter registration to resume in Baidoa, Jowhar and Dhusamareb; 12 new districts added, bringing total to 35 Talks…

North Western State of Somalia’s recognition push meets a hard constraint: sovereignty in the Horn of Africa is earned through internal consent and constitutional process, not external signals. Reports that Hargeisa has welcomed potential recognition from Israel sharpen that tension, highlighting how external ambition collides with Somalia’s federal order and the political diversity within the territories North Western State of Somalia claims. For three decades, North Western State of Somalia has projected an image of…

Monday, February 9, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somalia’s parliamentary leadership suspended six more lawmakers from the House of the People on Monday, accusing them of disrupting proceedings during a contentious joint sitting as a high-stakes fight over proposed constitutional amendments widens and deepens political rifts in Mogadishu. The decision, issued by Acting Speaker and Second Deputy Speaker Abdullahi Omar Abshirow, cites violations of the House’s Rules of Procedure under Articles 14, 16 and 28. The leadership said the…

Somali federal, Puntland State officials share stage in Galdogob as new clan chief is inaugurated Sunday, February 8, 2026 GALDOGOB, Somalia — Senior officials from Somalia’s federal government and the Puntland State administration appeared together in public for the first time in years on Sunday during the inauguration of a traditional clan leader in Galdogob district, signaling a tentative easing of tensions while underscoring the political weight of customary authority. Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni sat…

Somalia’s president vows to block any Israeli base in North Western State of Somalia, calls recognition ‘illegal’ MOGADISHU — Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud condemned Israel’s decision to recognize North Western State of Somalia and vowed to prevent any Israeli military footprint in the breakaway region, warning the move threatens regional stability and international norms. In an interview with Al Jazeera broadcast Saturday, Mohamud said Somalia “will never allow” an Israeli base in North Western State of Somalia…

WASHINGTON — Sen. Jim Risch warned this week that continued instability in Somalia poses a direct threat to U.S. national security, pressing for tighter oversight to ensure American counterterrorism and humanitarian assistance advances U.S. interests and is shielded from corruption. “The United States faces real security threats from the instability in Somalia,” said Risch, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “It is essential that our counterterrorism and humanitarian efforts primarily serve…

Kismayo, Somalia — The Jubbaland regional administration on Saturday accused Somalia’s federal government of unconstitutional interference in the affairs of federal member states, warning that the moves threaten the country’s federal system and national unity as Parliament debates sweeping constitutional changes. In a statement issued by the Jubbaland presidency, the regional authority said Mogadishu lacks the mandate to unilaterally amend the Provisional Constitution or restructure the system of governance. Somalia’s…

Jubaland Raises Alarm Over Federal Government’s Threat to Somali Federalism KISMAYO, Somalia — Somalia’s Jubaland regional administration on Saturday accused the federal government of overstepping its constitutional authority, warning that efforts to impose unilateral changes on the country’s federal system risk destabilizing political order and undermining national unity. In a statement issued by the office of the Jubaland presidency, the regional state said Mogadishu’s recent actions “would not change the status” of…