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In Mogadishu’s tightening political season, former President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmaajo, has reemerged with a packed schedule: meetings with supporters, quiet conversations with media figures and political brokers, and visible outreach to segments of the opposition. His renewed profile is unmistakable. But it also reveals a telling split-screen in Somalia’s politics ahead of a potential 2026 presidential contest: the energy of a comeback bid versus the structural headwinds of coalition math, federal…

Thursday March 12, 2026 HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia (AX) — Israel is weighing the establishment of a strategic base in North Western State of Somalia to help counter Yemen’s Houthi movement, according to a Bloomberg report published Wednesday that cites unnamed North Western State of Somalia officials and people familiar with the talks. The exploratory assessments have focused on sites along North Western State of Somalia’s northern coastline, including elevated terrain west of the port city of Berbera — about…

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. forces destroyed 10 Iranian mine-laying vessels in the Strait of Hormuz within minutes of his warning that Tehran would face unprecedented military consequences if it did not remove mines from the strategic waterway. “We have hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships, with more to follow,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. Central Command had been eliminating the vessels “with ruthless…

NAIROBI, Kenya — The death toll from torrential rains and flash floods that ripped through Nairobi and other parts of Kenya has nearly doubled to 42, the government said late Sunday, as military-led teams combed submerged neighborhoods and riverbanks for the missing. Intense downpours on Friday swamped roads, swept away vehicles and inundated homes and workshops in low-lying districts, including the Grogan area of downtown Nairobi, a hub for auto garages and spare parts traders. Floodwaters also disrupted traffic at the…

Iran and Israel long fought in the shadows — through intelligence operations, cyberattacks, covert sabotage and proxy warfare — calibrating pressure without crossing into direct war. That balance is faltering. The shadow conflict is tilting toward open confrontation, reshaping the Middle East’s security architecture and rippling through energy markets, shipping lanes and fragile regional politics from the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. For decades, Tehran relied on partners such as Hezbollah in…

‘Operation Buckeye’ and a barrage of online attacks leave Somali Americans in Columbus living with fear — and facing an uncertain future COLUMBUS, Ohio — The men began circling the 161 Child Care center just after dawn. They idled in their cars, cracked their windows and spoke across the December cold: “We’re exposing all of you. Every single one of you, you’re all going back.” Days later, in the early hours of New Year’s Day, someone broke into the Somali American–owned daycare on the city’s north side. For co-owner Abukar…

MOGADISHU — Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo on Sunday sharply criticized President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s decision to sign a revised constitution into law, warning the move could endanger national unity and deepen political divisions in the fragile Horn of Africa nation. Farmaajo said the amendments threaten Somalia’s system of governance and risk undermining social cohesion at a sensitive political moment. “The constitution is a national agreement,” he said, arguing that any revision requires broad…

Sunday March 8, 2026 Arusha (AX) — East African Community leaders on Sunday approved and swore in Somali jurist Abdiwahid Warsame Abdullahi as a judge of the First Instance Division of the East African Community Court of Justice, marking a milestone in Somalia’s integration into the regional bloc. The appointment was endorsed at the 25th Summit of EAC Heads of State in Arusha, where Abdullahi took the oath of office. His elevation brings Somali legal expertise onto the bench of the EAC’s principal judicial institution at a…

Tabaarak ICT provides Eid clothing, gifts to 100 girls in Mogadishu as part of Ramadan drive MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali technology company Tabaarak ICT organized a community support event in Mogadishu on Sunday, distributing Eid clothing, gifts and essential items to 100 girls from orphaned and low-income families as part of its annual Ramadan charity program. The initiative, held under the banner of the company’s “Farxadda Afurka” program, is designed to promote social solidarity during the holy month and help vulnerable…

Opinion/Analysis: Somalia’s constitutional crossroads — process, not power, will decide the future Somalia’s Constitution is again at the center of national politics. A round of changes presented as a constitutional amendment has triggered sharp objections from federal member states and opposition figures, raising questions about legality, legitimacy and the balance of power in the federation. At stake is not only the letter of the 2012 Provisional Federal Constitution but public confidence in the institutions charged with…