DURBAN, South Africa (Reuters) – Ethiopian refugee Helana Wolde locked his home and watched on television as thousands of angry demonstrators marched through South Africa this week calling for foreigners like him to leave. His wife and their three South African-born children were terrified, he said in the shop in downtown Durban where he sells coffee and...
By Abdullahi A. Nor For more than four months, the International Community (IC) has presided over what it describes as a mediation process between former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Somalia’s opposition. Since the talks began in March 2026, diplomats have issued optimistic communiqués, held countless meetings, and repeatedly assured Somalis that dialogue remains the...
A Somalian flag that was raised outside of Buffalo’s City Hall to commemorate Somali Independence Day was stolen in an overnight heist, the city’s leftist mayor decried. “The City of Buffalo’s flagpole in Niagara Square sustained damage after unknown vandals broke the access panel, cut the cable, and removed the Somali flag during the overnight...
By Adan Makina Currently, there is a political fracas going on in the United States after President Donald Trump described the American Somali community in the US as garbage. While there are millions of illegal immigrants in the US, his hate for the Somali community has reached alarming proportions and it all evolved after Ilhan...
Garrowe – (WDN) – In the early hours of the morning, police in Garowe detained Suweys Jama Mahmoud Gacayte, a well-known Puntland journalist whose reporting has largely focused on public opinion, social issues, and entertainment. According to local sources, officers from the Puntland Police Force arrived at her residence in Garowe and took her into...
Mogadishu (WDN) – Somalia’s Independence Day celebrations took an unexpectedly sobering turn after former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed declared that, despite the patriotic ceremonies marking July 1, Somalis today have little meaningful freedom to celebrate. In remarks that amounted to a sharp criticism of the country’s current political climate, Sharif argued that the freedoms won...
Mogadishu (WDN) – An emotional encounter between National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Director Mahad Mohamed Salad and a young boy has captured public attention, with those present describing the moment as a powerful display of compassion and humanity. According to accounts shared by witnesses, the child approached Mahad Salad and told him that his...
Garowe (WDN) – Friday prayers across Puntland’s capital, Garowe, became a platform for calls to safeguard the region’s security and political stability as tensions continue to mount over allegations that Somalia’s Federal Government is seeking to undermine Puntland through military deployments and weapons transfers. Imams and religious scholars used their weekly sermons to urge residents...
Mogadishu (WDN) – The sentencing of Sadiyo Macalin Ali Hassan, popularly known as Sadiyo Bajaj, has ignited a fierce national outcry in Somalia over freedom of expression, political dissent, and the limits of state authority. A court in Mogadishu has sentenced the social media activist to three years in prison. Sadiyo’s conviction is a troubling...
By Dayib Sh Ahmed The damage inflicted on Somalia’s fragile state-building project by entrenched political networks is so enormous and wide-ranging that it is hard to fully grasp. It runs the gamut from the hollowing out of public institutions to the erosion of core diplomatic customs, transforming sovereign statecraft into a vehicle for private extraction....