North Africa

Somalia elects nine EALA lawmakers, taking its full seat in East Africa’s regional house Somalia’s parliament has elected nine lawmakers to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), a procedural step with outsized symbolism. Less than a year after joining the East African Community (EAC), Mogadishu now has a voice in the bloc’s lawmaking chamber in Arusha, Tanzania — where rules on trade, movement, and regional cooperation are hammered out. The joint sitting of both Houses at Villa Hargeisa in Mogadishu capped months…

Raila Odinga, Kenya’s tenacious opposition leader and former prime minister, dies at 80 NAIROBI — Raila Odinga, the combative and charismatic politician who embodied Kenya’s long, bruising fight for multiparty democracy and remained the country’s most formidable opposition voice for decades, has died at the age of 80, a person in his office told Reuters on Wednesday. Immediate details were scarce. Indian daily Mathrubhumi reported that Odinga had been receiving treatment in the southern city of Kochi and suffered a cardiac…

A generation protests in Morocco: from delivery-room tragedies to demands for dignity What began as local outrage over the deaths of pregnant women during Caesarean sections has rippled into a broader youth-led movement in Morocco, forcing the kingdom to confront persistent gaps between its gleaming skylines and the battered public services most citizens rely on. Under the banner of GenZ 212 — a name that nods to Morocco’s international dialing code and a generation connected online — young people are calling for better…

The Human Cost of Sudan's Dual Catastrophes: War and Flooding In the heart of Sudan, where the majestic Nile River weaves its way through the land, both a lifeline and, at times, a source of despair, a relentless crisis is unfolding. More than 1,200 families in Bahri city, Khartoum state, have found themselves displaced, as a sudden deluge inundates their homes. This devastating event, reported by the UN's International Organization for Migration, underscores a painful reality for the Sudanese people already caught in the…

A Long-Awaited Justice: ICC's Landmark Conviction in Darfur Conflicts The International Criminal Court in The Hague delivered a momentous verdict on Monday, finding former Janjaweed militia leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, also known as Ali Kushayb, guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. This marks the tribunal's first conviction linked to the Darfur crisis, shedding light on one of the darkest chapters in Sudan's history. A Decades-Long Pursuit for Accountability The Darfur conflict, which erupted over…

El-Fasher: A Humanitarian Crisis Amid Conflict In recent days, the war-ravaged city of el-Fasher has witnessed yet another heartbreaking tragedy. At least eight lives, including vulnerable mothers and newborns, were extinguished when a drone strike by Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted a maternity ward. The harrowing attack, emanating from a brutal assault on el-Fasher by RSF, underscores a wider conflict that has already cost tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions since it erupted in April…

Humanitarian Crisis Unfolds in El-Fasher Amid Sudan's Ongoing Conflict In the troubled heart of Sudan, a tragic scene unfolded this past week as at least 30 lives were lost in the city of El-Fasher. A drone operated by the Sudanese paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck a displacement camp, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis already gripping the region. The Dar al-Arqam camp, situated on the grounds of a local university, became the unexpected epicenter of this tragedy. According to the…

Somalia and Ethiopia test a fragile thaw in Addis Ababa — and the Horn of Africa is watching On a quiet Sunday in Addis Ababa, far from the sirens that so often announce news in this region, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud stepped off a plane at Bole International Airport and into a delicate diplomatic dance. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed greeted him before the two moved quickly behind the National Palace’s tall gates. The choreography was deliberate: a handshake, a short walk, a private conversation. The…

Somalia hails Sharm el-Sheikh ceasefire framework, calls it a ‘genuine step’ toward peace Somalia has welcomed a ceasefire framework announced in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, saying the effort to halt the war between Israel and Hamas could open a narrow but crucial window for humanitarian relief and political talks long seen as out of reach. In a statement late Thursday, Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs voiced support for the regional and international mediation that produced the agreement, which aims to secure a…

Mustafa Omer and the Somali Region: A Debate That Mirrors Ethiopia’s Bigger Test On a breezy evening in Jigjiga, you still hear the word “isbeddel” — change — tossed around tea houses in the old quarter like a benediction and a warning. It’s the phrase that came to define Ethiopia’s Somali Region after 2018, when a feared security state gave way to an administration that promised to open space, lower voices, and put civilians at the center. Today, that promise — and the man who personified it, regional president Mustafa…