Somalias

Somalia’s plea in Addis Ababa: climate justice is not charity, it’s survival At a summit meant to elevate Africa’s voice on climate, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud delivered a blunt reminder: the continent is being asked to decarbonize while still paying the price for emissions it did not cause. His appeal — for scaled-up finance, clearer delivery mechanisms and a rapid transition from pledges to payouts — was not a diplomatic flourish. It was a survival plan for a country that has endured back-to-back climate…

New airstrip in Buur Hakaba offers hope — and a test of resilience — in Somalia’s restless south BUUR HAKABA, Somalia — In the sun-baked plains between Baidoa and the coast, a strip of compacted earth has suddenly become more than a patch of ground. On a warm Sunday morning this week, local leaders and residents cut a ribbon on Buur Hakaba’s first-phase airport — a modest airfield that community members and the Southwest state government say will be a lifeline for trade, education and elections in a part of Somalia long…

New AFRICOM chief in Mogadishu pledges deeper U.S. support against al-Shabaab and ISIS Mogadishu—On a humid Wednesday on the Indian Ocean, as traffic in the capital thinned for afternoon prayers, the new commander of U.S. Africa Command slipped into Villa Somalia for a first meeting with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. General Dagvin R. M. Anderson, newly in charge of America’s military footprint on the continent, promised that Washington will sustain—and sharpen—its support for Somali forces battling al-Shabaab and a…

New Strategies in Somalia: A Collaborative Fight Against Al-Shabaab MOGADISHU, Somalia — In the sunlit corridors of Mogadishu's presidential palace, a significant conversation unfolded this week. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, the new commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), to initiate a new chapter in the ongoing battle against the al-Qaida affiliate, al-Shabaab. Their discussions were more than just diplomatic niceties; they were rooted in the everyday struggles of the…

Out in the Open: Somalia’s Displaced Families Wait for Help That Isn’t Coming At first light on the outskirts of Afgoye, the land looks deceptively generous—open sky, a stretch of scrubland, a hint of green beyond the road. Then you notice the mats laid directly on the earth, the improvised shelters of sticks and cloth, and children cupping their hands for sips of water measured out like medicine. This is where hundreds of families displaced by fighting in southern Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region have gathered, waiting for…

Somalia’s Oil Gamble: Promise, Pitfalls and a Narrowing Window In a region where new oil and gas frontiers can redraw maps and fortunes, Somalia has long carried a paradox: abundant potential beneath the ground, and little to show above it. Today, with fresh licenses signed and seismic boats in the water, the country stands at another inflection point. The question is not whether hydrocarbons lie under Somali soil and sea—the geological hints are there—but whether the politics, contracts and institutions can finally bring…

Somalia’s Political Crossroads: A Call for Electoral Unity MOGADISHU — As Somalia grapples with an ever-complex political landscape, former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has sounded a clarion call for urgency and unity in electoral matters. In his latest press conference held in Mogadishu, the leader of the opposition Salvation Forum vehemently opposed any attempts to extend the current government’s constitutional mandate, stating, “There is still ample time to conduct a credible and inclusive election before May 15,…

Analysis: Northeastern State’s warning shot tests Somalia’s fragile federal bargain Somalia’s most politically assertive region, Northeastern State, has accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of trampling the country’s basic rules — and it’s not just a routine war of words. In a sharply worded statement from Garowe, Northeastern State’s leadership warned that what it calls constitutional overreach from the federal center risks tipping the country into crisis unless Somalis agree on a shared path to the next elections. They…

Somalia moves against online defamation. The bigger story is who decides what’s dangerous speech—and when In Mogadishu’s humming tea stalls and on the diaspora’s WhatsApp groups from Minneapolis to Mombasa, politics is now a permanent scroll. Somalia’s Office of the Attorney General stepped squarely into that stream this week, announcing a legal push against what it called online insults, defamation, social incitement, offensive images, immoral content, false information, and posts that “promote societal division.” Some…

Mandera’s uneasy morning: Allegations of Jubaland training on Kenyan soil test a fragile border On a normal school day, the dusty yard of Border Point 1 Primary in Mandera Town would fill with children in blue uniforms and plastic sandals, their chalkboards listing multiplication tables and Swahili proverbs. Instead, the gates are shut. And this week, the school became the unexpected center of a regional security storm when Mandera County officials alleged that Jubaland regional forces from Somalia are training there—inside…