MOGADISHU (WDN) — Somalia has announced a new milestone in aviation administration: the adoption of the International Air Transport Association’s Billing and Settlement Plan (IATA-BSP), a system designed to streamline financial transactions between airlines and accredited travel agents. But the announcement has also raised concerns about how the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) will exercise...
Ankara’s plan to expand military training in 2027 may once have been welcomed as a contribution to Somalia’s security. But its perceived alignment with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and its involvement in South West State’s conflict threaten to undermine that goodwill. MOGADISHU (WDN) — Türkiye plans to expand its training of Somali security forces in...
Sheikh Mohamed Idris challenges the president’s claims of economic transformation, arguing that Somalia cannot become an export-driven economy without reliable electricity, infrastructure, political stability, industrial investment and credible economic policies. MOGADISHU (WDN) — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has spoken of transforming Somalia from an import-dependent economy into an export-oriented nation. But where is the evidence...
Hospitals, markets, schools and roads inundated as El Niño rains expose dangerous gaps in urban infrastructure, emergency planning and the ability of Somali administrations to protect their populations. Galkacyo (WDN) — Somalia was warned to prepare for severe El Niño-related flooding. Yet as heavy rains inundate parts of Galkacyo, the consequences are exposing a deeply...
By Abdullahi A. Nor Disputed constitutional changes, rival electoral positions and deepening federal divisions raise a critical question: can Somalia reach a political settlement before the crisis escalates? Somalia is approaching a defining moment in its fragile state-building process. What began as a disagreement over constitutional amendments and the timing of national elections has developed...
Pensioners say meagre monthly payments cannot cover food, rent, education and essential medicines, raising questions about the implementation of Somaliland’s pension system. HARGEISA (WDN) — After spending decades serving Somaliland’s government, many retired civil servants face a troubling question: how can they survive retirement when their pensions are insufficient to cover even their most basic...
Saudi Arabia has publicly accused Iran of encouraging Yemen’s Houthis to attack the kingdom, saying it violates a 2023 diplomatic deal it reached with Tehran to smooth over relations. “We think the escalation by the Houthis at this later stage of the conflict is encouraged by Iran,” Rayed Krimly, deputy minister for public diplomacy at...
BAIDAO (WDN) — In a dramatic shift in the struggle for control of Southwest State, forces aligned with the former Southwest President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed (Laftagareen) have reportedly taken control of four districts of the five Districts of Bay region, with local sources describing withdrawals and handovers that, in most locations, occurred without any fighting....
GAROWE (WDN) — Puntland has issued a sharp warning to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accusing his administration of pursuing a disputed electoral process that deepens Somalia’s political divisions and threatening the country’s fragile unity. The warning reflects growing frustration among federal member states and opposition figures over what they see as the president’s unwillingness to...
Mogadishu (WDN)– Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is pressing ahead with his unilateral electoral scheme, a calculated power grab designed to secure JSP’s dominance, orchestrate his return to office, and install his loyalists across the federal member states through a sham electoral process overseen by a commission operating under his directives. The political theatre witnessed most recently...