standoff

Somalia’s latest political confrontation is more than a quarrel over election dates. It is a stress test of the country’s post-debt-relief political order—and, by extension, of the international state-building model that has underwritten Mogadishu’s progress for more than a decade. At the center is the National Consultation Conference, an opposition-aligned gathering that closed this week in Kismayo with a stark indictment of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government. Its communiqué accuses the presidency of…

Jubaland Leader Warns Somali President Against Power Grab Amid 2026 Election Dispute KISMAYO, Somalia — Jubaland state President Ahmed Madobe on Thursday warned Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud against consolidating power, accusing the federal leader of advancing policies he once opposed and underscoring growing rifts ahead of Somalia’s 2026 elections. Speaking at the Somali Future Council conference in Kismayo, Madobe cast the gathering as a forum to confront political tensions and said Somalia’s governance must rest…

MOYALE, Kenya — Ethiopian military personnel crossed into Kenyan territory near Moyale on Saturday, advancing roughly 1 kilometer from the Sesii area and prompting a two-hour exchange of fire with Kenyan security units, according to an official occurrence book entry filed at Moyale Police Station (OB No. 32/22/11/2025). Kenyan police, Administration Police Service and Border Patrol Unit engaged the intruding forces; Kenya Defence Forces later joined, pushing the Ethiopians back to the borderline; No injuries were…

HELSINKI, Finland (AX) — In a recent move, Finland has decided to hit pause on its development cooperation with Somalia. The primary reason? A lack of progress in settling agreements about sending back Somali folks who don’t have legal residency in Finland. Minister Ville Tavio, who handles Foreign Trade and Development, made the announcement on a Wednesday. “The suspension means no fresh funds will be approved,” Tavio stated plainly during a media briefing. He emphasized that this hold will last until Somalia makes…

Somalia writes to the UNSC after the standoff talks before the election flopped MOGADISHU, Somalia - In the midst of the ongoing stalemate before the Somali elections, the federal government has written to the United Nations Security Council , in response to a recent meeting of the Council on the security and stability of the country. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United States…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - As part of efforts to harmonize some of the proposals for the election model, Somalia's stakeholders are expected to meet on Tuesday for a meeting that is expected to even out most of the differences. Several sources tell Axadlethat there have been consultations on the status of outgoing presidential participation, whose term expired on February 8, and whether to include other interested parties who have not been invited. For Farmajo, the organizers are confused about whether to let him in as the…

The three-day national and multisectoral strike, at the request of the country's first union group, UNTM, paralyzed many sectors in Mali between Wednesday and Friday. Negotiations can be resumed quickly between UNTM and the government, but the deviation continues. For Yacouba Katilé, president of the National Union of Workers of Mali, the strike was a success.The call to stop working for three days was well attended, especially in the banking sector, the mines or the public services for customs, finance and health. The…

Libreville and the churches are now in conflict over the possible opening of places of worship. Faced with the coronavirus pandemic, the Catholic Church has decided to reopen its chapels on Sunday, October 25, while the state has imposed the date of October 30 with believers' obligation to present a negative test before entering places. The church cries out for repression after seven months of closure. At a press conference on Friday 23. October, the spokesman for the President of the Republic, Jessye Ella Ekogha, was…