state

OP-ED: Somalia’s 2026 Transition: Steering Through a Proxy Election Before National Collapse Somalia’s 2026 presidential transition is no longer a contained domestic debate about electoral mechanics. It is an inflection point where a stubborn internal deadlock meets a widening geopolitical contest, raising the risk that the vote becomes a proxy battleground — and that fragile state-building gains unravel. Months from the national vote, there is still no agreed framework for how to elect a president. The long-sought…

North Western State of Somalia clans agree to cease-fire after deadly clashes in Awdal and Salal, minister says HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia (AX) — Two clans that recently fought deadly battles in western North Western State of Somalia have agreed to end hostilities after a government-backed reconciliation push, officials said Saturday, as authorities announced arrests and fresh deployments to stabilize the border region. The fighting, which flared in parts of the Awdal and Salal regions, left several people dead…

Mogadishu, Somalia — Former President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed “Farmaajo” met Saturday with Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni and Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam “Madoobe” in Mogadishu, urging urgent dialogue to resolve escalating disputes over elections and constitutional reform that he warned could tip the country into a constitutional vacuum. The talks centered on Somalia’s political trajectory and the need for an inclusive settlement amid mounting friction over proposed constitutional amendments and…

ADDIS ABABA — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Saturday praised African leaders for a unified rejection of Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia, calling the continent’s stance a clear affirmation that Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are nonnegotiable. Addressing heads of state at the African Union (AU) summit, Mohamud thanked member states for what he described as a firm, collective defense of Somalia’s borders and a recommitment to the principles of sovereignty and noninterference…

Saturday, February 14, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accused unnamed neighboring states of trying to leverage Israel’s December recognition of North Western State of Somalia for “short-term interests,” warning that Somalia’s territorial integrity is a nonnegotiable red line. In an interview with the London-based Arabic daily Asharq al-Awsat, Hassan Sheikh said the fallout from Israel’s move had tempted some regional actors to test Somalia’s unity and the wider region’s stability. “Some countries in…

Somalia’s president condemns Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia, urges AU to reject external interference ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Friday urged African Union member states to “firmly reject” external meddling in the continent’s affairs, denouncing Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia as a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and international law during the second Italy-Africa Summit in Addis Ababa. Hassan Sheikh said Africa’s progress must be…

President Cyril Ramaphosa used his 2026 State of the Nation Address to present a cautiously optimistic picture of South Africa’s economy and to announce a series of urgent security and infrastructure measures, saying the country is “stronger than a year ago” after four consecutive quarters of GDP growth, two primary budget surpluses and the end of load‑shedding. Major executive moves included authorising the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to tackle rising gang violence in the Western Cape and…

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud unveiled a three-pronged diplomatic and legal campaign to overturn Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia, warning the move threatens Somalia’s sovereignty and the security of the Red Sea corridor. He said Mogadishu is acting in close coordination with partners led by Saudi Arabia to contain what he called a reckless escalation. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Mohamud said any recognition of the self-declared Republic of North Western State of Somalia as an independent…

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…

Every year since 2013, Africa Check has fact-checked South Africa's State of the Nation Address (SONA) — the speech President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers to mark the start of the political calendar, officially open Parliament, recap the year gone by and outline the government's aims for the year ahead. After more than a decade of scrutiny, the organisation's researchers say they can often guess what the president is going to say before he opens his mouth. That observation, simple on its face, raises deeper questions about…