MOGADISHU (WDN) — Somalia’s federal government is facing mounting fiscal pressure after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud disclosed that customs-based domestic revenue has fallen by an estimated 40 percent, underscoring the vulnerability of the country’s finances to disruptions in regional maritime trade. The president attributed the decline to disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical...
President Rejects Any Comparison Between Israel and Türkiye — Yet Leaves the Door Open to Future Relations with Israel MOGADISHU (WDN) — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s latest interview with Al Jazeera has exposed a striking tension in Somalia’s foreign-policy messaging: while he presents Türkiye as fundamentally different from Israel and rejects any suggestion that the...
Nile Dispute, Red Sea Access and Security Rivalries Bring Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia Closer Together Addis Ababa (WDN) — Ethiopia is facing a widening diplomatic challenge as Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia increasingly coordinate their positions on issues touching some of Addis Ababa’s most sensitive interests — the Nile, Red Sea access and regional...
Prosperity Party Sweeps Parliament as Opposition Questions the Election and Abiy Faces Mounting Pressure at Home and Abroad Addis Ababa (WDN) — Ethiopia’s parliament has re-elected Abiy Ahmed to a third five-year term, giving his Prosperity Party overwhelming control of the legislature just as his government confronts renewed fighting, deep political divisions and worsening tensions...
Saudi Air Campaign Backs Yemeni Counteroffensive as Fighting Reaches the Strategic Bab al-Mandab Corridor MOKHA, YEMEN (WDN) — Yemen’s war has entered a new and potentially decisive phase, with Saudi-backed government forces launching a major counteroffensive along the Red Sea coast and claiming significant gains around the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait. The offensive comes weeks...
Hargeisa’s Wake-Up Call: Baidoa Fighting Raises Fears That Turkish Military Power Could Become Entangled in Somalia’s Political Conflicts HARGEISA (WDN) — For Somaliland, the lesson from Baidoa is no longer theoretical. As Turkish F-16s, drones and other military capabilities have become increasingly visible in Somalia, the violent confrontation surrounding Baidoa has given Hargeisa a powerful...
TPLF Withdraws After 11 Days of Fighting as Ethiopia-Eritrea Relations Collapse and Regional Powers Move to Coordinate MEKELLE (WDN) — Ethiopia’s renewed Tigray war has moved with extraordinary speed from a major Tigrayan offensive to the fall of Mekelle, while a parallel diplomatic crisis between Ethiopia and Eritrea threatens to turn the conflict into a...
WHO Says None of Gaza’s Hospitals Is Fully Functional as Critical Medical Supplies Wait Weeks for Israeli Clearance GENEVA (WDN) — Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is deepening as critical medical supplies face prolonged delays before entering the territory, with the World Health Organization warning that patients are paying the price for a system it describes as...
Latest Attack Raises Fresh Alarm for Global Energy Shipping as Vessel Is Struck Near One of the World’s Most Critical Oil Routes MUSCAT (WDN) — A crude oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile off Oman on Friday, triggering another maritime security alert in waters surrounding the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. The vessel’s...
Federal Forces Retake Mekelle Airport as TPLF Fighters and Leaders Reportedly Leave Tigray’s Capital MEKELLE (WDN) — Ethiopia’s renewed Tigray war has entered a dramatic new phase, with federal forces and their allies closing in on Mekelle after reportedly retaking the city’s main airport and Tigrayan fighters and political leaders beginning to abandon positions inside...