Washington (WDN) — Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Cirro) has triggered a political backlash after saying Somaliland could deploy up to 2,000 troops to Gaza if formally requested by the United States and Israel. Cirro made the remarks Wednesday in Washington while attending the MEAD conference, saying Somaliland was not volunteering to send forces to...
Tehran / Washington (WDN) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it has seized a U.S.-made autonomous underwater vehicle near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, highlighting the increasingly sophisticated technological dimension of the confrontation between Tehran and Washington. Iranian state media identified the device as the Dive-LD, an autonomous underwater system developed by U.S. defense...
Baardheere (WDN) — Al-Shabaab fighters launched a heavy early-morning assault on a Somali government military base in Baardheere on Wednesday, triggering mortar fire and a subsequent ground battle that residents say is still being heard across the town. Local sources said the attack began with several mortar rounds directed at the government forces’ position before...
Garowe (WDN) — Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni has announced that Puntland has cancelled all agreements previously reached with Somalia’s Federal Government and will independently manage its affairs, until Somali political leaders reach a settlement acceptable to all sides. Deni said Puntland would no longer operate under political arrangements it considers invalid or superseded, while...
Nairobi (WDN) — Confusion and anxiety spread across Nairobi as Kenyan security and immigration authorities intensified a crackdown on foreign nationals believed to be living in the country without valid immigration status, following a recent directive from President William Ruto calling for the removal of undocumented foreigners. The enforcement operation was particularly visible on the...
Mogadishu(WDN) — The United States is reassessing its engagement with Somalia as Washington signals that Somali leaders must take primary responsibility for resolving the country’s deepening political crisis, amid nearly a year of failed negotiations over elections, constitutional changes and the next political transition. Justin Davis, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Mogadishu, is completing his...
Mogadishu (WDN) — A potentially destabilizing security development is emerging across the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea following reports from Yemen’s internationally recognized government that Somali fighters are fighting alongside the Iran-backed Houthi movement. Yemeni authorities have reportedly announced that Somali nationals were among fighters killed in recent clashes with Houthi forces, with some...
JIJIGA (WDN) — The reported detention of nearly 230 Somali soldiers after they crossed into Ethiopia’s Somali Regional State has raised sensitive questions about border security, military protocols and the circumstances under which armed personnel from one country can enter another without the documentation normally required for international travel. According to regional sources, the soldiers...
Hargeisa (WDN) — In a striking contradiction, Israel has placed Somaliland under Level 4 travel warning, the highest and most severe category in its national travel advisory system, effectively advising its citizens to stay away from the territory. Under the warning, Israeli citizens are prohibited from traveling to Somaliland, while Israelis already there are being...
Kismaayo (WDN) — Streets in Kismaayo and Doolow have become the latest stage for Somalia’s deepening political confrontation, as protesters rallied against the Federal Government and expressed anger toward Turkey, a country that has spent more than a decade building one of Somalia’s closest and most consequential foreign partnerships. Demonstrations were held in Kismaayo on...