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Tuesday April 7, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday night convened a high-level security meeting in Baidoa, just days after mortar fire hit the city’s airport soon after his arrival. The session brought together senior military and security officials and centered on efforts to calm the Southwest region after a period of political turbulence and mounting security risks. According to officials, the president was briefed in detail on plans to step up operations against al-Shabab, improve…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A former NISA chief has urged the government to lift travel restrictions on lawmakers seeking to reach Baidoa, adding another layer of controversy to the political crisis in South West State. The appeal also carries implications for members of the House of the People, whose access to the region now intersects with wider questions about security power, parliamentary oversight, and political legitimacy. Sanbaloolshe called on the government to lift restrictions affecting federal lawmakers, naming MP…

Saturday March 21, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — A looming election dispute in Somalia’s Southwest State has sparked a stark warning from the region’s parliamentary leadership, with Speaker Dr. Ali Said Fiqi cautioning that a federal push to stage polls in Barawe could destabilize the area and even ignite conflict. Writing Friday on his X account, Fiqi argued that Barawe has never operated as Southwest State’s effective seat of government. He said the regional parliament has not convened there, nor has the cabinet held meetings in the…

Saturday March 21, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Marking Eid al-Fitr on Friday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud prayed alongside Somali Armed Forces units in Gendershe, the coastal Lower Shabelle town recently wrested back from al-Shabab. He was accompanied by the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) director, top cabinet members, the Somali National Army commander and the national police chief, sharing the holiday with frontline soldiers. In remarks after the prayer, Hassan Sheikh said his government will move…

Friday March 20, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Southwest State security forces said they detained several armed men on the outskirts of Baidoa on Thursday after intense clashes with fighters aligned with the regional opposition. Officials said in a statement that the detainees belong to opposition groups they allege are linked to the Federal Government of Somalia. Mogadishu has not commented on the accusation. One of the captured men told local media he is from Buurhakaba district and dropped his weapon when the shooting began. He…

GALKAYO, Somalia — Security officials from Puntland State and Galmudug met Sunday in Galkayo to coordinate plans for stabilizing Somalia’s divided Mudug region, pledging closer cooperation and heightened vigilance ahead of Eid al-Fitr, officials said. The joint session brought together members of the two states’ security committees to assess the overall security picture, examine recurrent flashpoints along their shared boundary and align responses to threats that spill across administrative lines. The meeting, held in a city…

BAIDOA, Somalia — Southwest State’s information minister on Monday denied social media reports that fighting erupted overnight in Baidoa, insisting the regional capital remains calm despite unverified accounts of a mortar incident near a military installation. Minister says “no shooting” occurred and daily life is normal in Baidoa Unconfirmed online claims alleged a mortar round landed near a Southwest State base Officials accuse unnamed groups in Mogadishu of spreading misinformation Denial comes amid broader political…

AU commander tours recaptured Somali town of Mubarak after joint offensive against al-Shabab MOGADISHU — The commander of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) on Friday visited the newly secured town of Mubarak in Lower Shabelle to assess troop readiness after a joint operation that pushed al-Shabab fighters from key positions south of Mogadishu. Lt. Gen. Sam Kavuma toured security positions in and around Mubarak with senior Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF) commanders, meeting soldiers…

The last of the afternoon heat clings to the metal walls as Asho Mohamud Jama stoops to set down a yellow jerrycan outside a ramshackle shelter on the edge of Lasanod. She has walked about 7 kilometers to and from a privately owned borehole to collect the only water her family of 14 will drink today. Inside, her 10-month-old dozes fitfully. Tin sheets rattle in the wind. There is no door to keep out the cold at night, and nowhere to escape the sun by day. Across Somalia’s Sool region, prolonged drought has pushed hundreds of…

Somali community inaugurates house honoring former President Farmaajo in Merca as presidency disputes claim over fundraising halt Community elders and residents on Saturday inaugurated a house built in honor of former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo in the Ceeljaalle area of Merca town, Lower Shabelle region, a project organizers said was funded entirely by donations from Somalis at home and abroad. The house was constructed under the “Thank You President” campaign, a nationwide fundraising initiative that its…