Saturday May 16, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s federal government on Friday said it will press ahead with one-person, one-vote elections, insisting the country has entered a new democratic chapter after three days of talks with opposition leaders collapsed without a deal. The Ministry of Information said the government was carrying out its constitutional obligation to organize free and fair elections that give citizens the right to vote and stand for office. The announcement followed negotiations in Mogadishu between the…

MOGADISHU, Somalia, May 16 — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni departed Mogadishu on Saturday after three days of political talks failed to produce an agreement among Somalia’s leading stakeholders. Deni had joined opposition figures in negotiations with the federal government from May 13 to 15, in an effort to bridge deep divisions over the country’s electoral and political framework. Despite bringing together representatives from both the federal side and the opposition, the discussions ended without a deal,…

MOGADISHU, Somalia, May 16 — The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia on Friday pressed Somalia’s federal government and opposition leaders to keep talking and settle on an inclusive electoral model after negotiations in Mogadishu ended without agreement on the main points of contention. The mission said it welcomed the restart of discussions held from May 13 to 15 and recognized the role of international partners in backing the process, but said it was disappointed the meetings failed to produce a…

Saturday May 16, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The United Nations mission in Somalia has welcomed the return of talks among Somali political leaders, while warning that the latest round of negotiations failed to settle the core disputes surrounding the country’s political transition. The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia UNTMIS said Saturday that discussions held from May 13 to 15 marked an important step forward and commended the international partners who backed the effort. “It is regrettable, however,…

MOGADISHU, May 16 - Somalia’s political crisis deepened on Saturday as term-ended President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met Turkey’s ambassador just hours after talks collapsed over the question of his expired mandate, a move viewed by some as an effort to show he still commands international support. The meeting at the Villa Somalia presidential palace with Ambassador Alper Aktaş followed a failed attempt by opposition leaders and regional states to reach common ground at the UN-protected Halane compound on Mohamud’s tenure,…

Collapse of Halane Talks Deepens Somalia’s Election Standoff Three days of high-stakes political talks in Mogadishu have ended in failure, sending Somalia deeper into uncertainty as a bitter dispute over elections and the legitimacy of the federal leadership intensifies. The negotiations brought together the opposition coalition known as the Future Forum, represented by former Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni. Representing the government were outgoing Somali President…

With the latest Lebanon-Israel ceasefire nearing its expiry, officials from both countries returned to Washington today for fresh peace talks, even as Israeli strikes that have killed hundreds during the truce underscored how fragile the calm remains. Israel's military said it was carrying out strikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon after ordering residents in several towns and villages there, as well as in the country's east, to evacuate. It also said a Hezbollah drone crashed inside Israeli territory, injuring…

Thursday May 14, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s federal government and opposition leaders left the table Wednesday without a deal after hours of hard-fought talks over the country’s contested electoral roadmap, according to sources familiar with the meeting. The negotiations took place within the tightly secured compound of Aden Abdulle Osman International Airport in Mogadishu, at a venue operated by the National Intelligence and Security Agency. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A tense round of talks between Somalia’s Federal Government and the opposition “Council of the Future” ended in deadlock on Wednesday, with the country’s long-running electoral dispute once again exposing a widening political rift, sources familiar with the negotiations said. Held behind tight security at the heavily fortified Halane base, the meeting broke up without a breakthrough after hours of sharp exchanges over the stalled voting process. The two sides remained far apart on the central issues and…

Talks over Greenland’s future are moving forward, but the three-way negotiations involving Denmark, Greenland and the United States have not yet produced a final agreement, Greenland’s prime minister said. The mineral-rich Arctic territory has drawn intense interest from US President Donald Trump, who is reportedly seeking to establish three military bases in southern Greenland in addition to the existing US Pituffik base in the north. "We are negotiating but we don't have an agreement," Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen…