Stalled

Stalled talks in Kismayo expose a deeper crisis for Somalia’s unity and security KISMAYO — A week of chest‑thumping and handshakes in this southern port city has done little to resolve the core question that has shadowed Somalia since the collapse of central authority three decades ago: who truly speaks for the places that sit on the line between clan, commerce and the state? President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s visit to Kismayo and his face‑to‑face with Jubaland strongman Ahmed Islam Mohamed Madobe produced the ritual…

Somalia’s army in pieces: Cowsweyne defeat still reverberates, former president warns When Al-Shabaab overran Cowsweyne in 2023, it did more than seize a strategic town in central Somalia. The militants’ victory cracked open the fragile architecture of the Somali National Army (SNA), scattering frontline units, exposing command fractures and — according to former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed — setting back efforts to rebuild a professional force for years. A rout with consequences “Osweyne was where Somali forces were…

MOGADISHU- Folks expected a game-changing announcement from Somalia’s Prime Minister, Hamza Abdi Barre. However, his recent press talk barely shed light on why the National Consultative Council (NCC) powwow went kaput. Attendees from the federal government and four pivotal Federal Member States (FMS) gathered with the intention of hashing out Somalia’s electoral game plan, but the whole affair fizzled, leaving everyone in the dark. Now, there's a lot of head-scratching over possible ulterior motives behind the curtains.…

Somalia's Political Roadblock: Leadership Gridlocked Over Term Extension During Key Election Reform Deliberations MOGADISHU, Somalia - A hush-hush conclave involving Somalia's President and Prime Minister, alongside Ahmed Madobe from Jubaland, concluded in a standoff on Friday, as noted by Axadle's unimpeachable sources. This stalemate is a serious setback for the Federal Administration's electoral reform strategy, which faces considerable pushback. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud advocates for a sweeping change to the…