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...
Garowe (WDN) — Puntland is preparing to remove one of the biggest barriers keeping children from school, with the government announcing plans to make primary and intermediate education free across the region, potentially bringing immediate financial relief to thousands of families once the policy takes effect. Puntland Interior Minister Abdi Hersi Ali (Qarjab) said the...
Mogadishu (WDN) — Somalia’s fractured opposition is attempting something that has repeatedly eluded it: putting aside bitter personal and political rivalries to build a united front against President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. Members of the opposition Future Council have begun a series of meetings and telephone consultations aimed at resolving their internal disputes and creating a...
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...
Nairobi (WDN) — A potentially significant breakthrough has emerged from renewed efforts to resolve the political and security crisis in Somalia’s Southwest State, raising fresh hopes that a peaceful settlement could finally bring an end to the bloodshed and suffering in Baidoa. WardheerNews has learned that senior Somali lawmakers from Southwest State, led by former...
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...
Mogadishu (WDN) — Former Somali intelligence chief Fahad Yasin has launched a pointed political attack on the newly elected Speaker of Somalia’s House of the People, Abdulqadir Mohamed Nur (Jaamac), accusing him—without naming him directly of being linked to two high-profile security operations separated by years of political upheaval. In a brief statement posted on...
Garowe (WDN) — Puntland’s Road Advantage: Why Deni Can Reach His People by Road While Other Somali Presidents CannotDeni of Puntland is demonstrating something increasingly rare: the ability to travel by road, day or night, across his territory and reach even some of its most remote communities. At the time of writing, President Deni is...