North Africa

Somalia Welcomes Egypt’s Security Pledge — and Steps Onto a Narrow Diplomatic Tightrope Mogadishu’s new embrace from Cairo comes as the Nile dispute looms and Ethiopia watches closely Somalia’s leaders have a way of smiling through storms. In Mogadishu this week, officials welcomed Egypt’s renewed pledge to back the country’s security and state-building — a gesture with history behind it and geopolitics baked into it. On paper, it is straightforward: Cairo says it will support the new African Union Support and…

Analysis: Somalia’s Fractured Politics Meet Red Sea Power Plays On a humid September evening in Mogadishu, a handshake meant for the cameras never happened. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had hoped to sit down with Jubbaland leader Ahmed Mohamed Islam, better known as Ahmed Madobe, before flying to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Kenya, a frequent mediator in Somali politics, had quietly worked the phones to make it happen. But at the last moment, the meeting fell apart, after opposition figures urged…

Somalia’s Deputy Foreign Minister meets Sen. Ted Cruz as North Western State of Somalia recognition debate intensifies On a quiet Saturday in Washington, a meeting that might have passed as routine diplomacy was anything but. Somalia’s deputy foreign minister, Ali Omar Ali—widely known by his nickname, Balcad—sat down with Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texas Republican who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and has emerged as one of the most vocal advocates in Washington for recognizing North Western State of…

Ancient gold bracelet disappears from Cairo museum days before landmark opening What happened Egyptian authorities launched an urgent search this week after a 3,000-year-old gold bracelet vanished from a restoration laboratory at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The artifact — a delicate cuff studded with lapis lazuli beads dating to the reign of King Amenemope of the 21st Dynasty (circa 993–984 BC) — was reported missing while conservators were preparing items for an exhibition in Rome, the Ministry of Tourism and…

At least 61 people feared dead after two migrant shipwrecks off Libya, UN agency says TRIPOLI — A vessel carrying 74 people, mostly Sudanese refugees, capsized off the Libyan port city of Tobruk on Sunday, leaving only 13 survivors, the U.N. refugee agency said Monday. The tragedy came a day after another boat carrying dozens of Sudanese caught fire off Libya’s coast, in an episode the International Organization for Migration said claimed at least 50 lives. The two incidents underscore the perilous journeys many are taking…

Tragedy at Sea: The Perilous Journey of Sudanese Refugees In a chilling reminder of the treacherous paths taken by those fleeing conflict, at least 61 Sudanese refugees perished when a rubber boat caught fire off the coast of Libya. The vessel, which was bound for Greece, burst into flames near Tobruk, an eastern port city, leaving only 13 survivors to recount the ordeal, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). A Desperate Escape The Sudanese refugees, escaping the ravages of war in their…

Drone Strikes Shatter Fragile Calm in Sudan’s Capital Region In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the sudden roar of drones shattered the stillness near Sudan's capital as coordinated strikes targeted key infrastructure and military sites. Witnesses reported the assaults, which struck a power station, a weapons factory, and an oil refinery near Khartoum, effectively ending a period of relative calm. A Sudden Spike in Violence According to witnesses, the attacks began around 5 a.m. local time, sending tremors through the…

Sudan's Education Crisis: A Generation Lost to War In a stark reminder of the devastating toll of war, a recent study by the UK-based charity, Save the Children, has highlighted a dire reality in Sudan: more than three-quarters of the nation's school-age children are out of school, a crisis with profound implications for the future of the country. The Extent of the Crisis The study reveals a heartbreaking statistic: 13 million out of 17 million children are not attending classes in Sudan. Having missed more than two…

Ghana Welcomes the First Wave of West African Deportees: A Complex Narrative of Immigration and Diplomacy In a significant development that highlights the intricate web of international relations and the human stories behind immigration policy, Ghanaian President John Mahama recently announced the arrival of the first group of West African deportees from the United States. The event, which saw 14 individuals—predominantly Nigerians—and a Gambian citizen land on Ghanaian soil, unfolds amid broader geopolitical dynamics…

Egypt announces troop deployment to Somalia, intensifying Horn of Africa contest Egypt has announced it will deploy troops to Somalia under a bilateral security agreement, a move Cairo says is intended to bolster counter‑terrorism operations and help stabilize the war‑torn Horn of Africa nation. Officials described the steps as the completion of planning for the deployment, but they provided few operational details, leaving open questions about the size, mandate and timetable of the force. What Cairo says Egyptian…