Somalias

Security warning from Puntland State authorities Puntland State has urged travelers using foreign passports to avoid Somalia’s federal E‑VISA platform, citing significant security weaknesses that could expose personal data. The warning, delivered from Garowe by Puntland State’s Minister of Information, Mahmoud Caydiid Dirir, alleges flaws that could allow sensitive traveler information to be accessed and misused. Dirir said the E‑VISA system contains vulnerabilities that put user data at risk. He framed the platform…

Somalia: Islamic State deploys suicide attackers in Puntland State as offensive intensifies BOSASO, Somalia — Islamic State militants in Somalia launched suicide attackers against a Puntland State security position in the Miiraale valley on Saturday, prompting a fierce clash that left at least seven people dead as regional forces push deeper into militant strongholds in the Cal-Miskaad mountains. Assault and casualties Puntland State authorities said their forces repelled the attack and killed four militants at the scene.…

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…