Garowe (WDN) — Turkey Denies Role in Puntland Airstrikes, but Questions Over Its Presence Refuse to Disappear allegedly targeting individuals linked to the hijacking of the M/V LUTUF. Yet Ankara’s denial has done little to quiet the questions surrounding the attack. A Turkish Foreign Ministry official told BBC Somali that Ankara had no information about...
Garowe (WDN) — Puntland’s government has warned against paying ransom to pirates holding vessels off its coastline, arguing that such payments would only strengthen and encourage the resurgence of piracy. In a statement, Puntland’s Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources said ransom payments create a financial incentive for pirate groups and risk turning coastal communities...
Mogadishu (WDN) — Somalia’s former presidents Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed have strongly condemned the forced displacement of residents in Mogadishu’s Tookiyo neighborhood, describing the destruction of homes and removal of families as a deeply troubling abuse of state power. Their statements came after government security forces reportedly carried out an early-morning...
A federal judge in New York has vacated a Trump administration policy that suspended the processing of visas from 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration deemed likely to require public assistance in the United States. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, set aside...
Mogadishu (WDN) — New Speaker of Somalia’s House of the People Abdulqadir Mohamed Nur Jama has achieved what many considered an extremely difficult task; beginning to reunite a parliament that had become deeply divided into opposing political camps. Speaker Jama made reconciliation within the House a priority. His efforts have brought the leadership of the...
Ankara (WDN) — Turkey has dramatically escalated its confrontation with Israel, launching a legal campaign seeking an Interpol Red Notice for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a criminal case linked to the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was carrying humanitarian aid toward Gaza. Turkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek said his ministry had...
Addis Ababa (WDN) — Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is reportedly seeking a sweeping overhaul of the country’s political system that could transform Ethiopia from a parliamentary federation into a presidential system and give the head of state significantly greater executive authority. Under the reported proposal, Abiy could seek to become Ethiopia’s first president with...
Mogadishu (WDN) — The Federal Government of Somalia has for the first time publicly addressed reports of recent airstrikes along the Puntland coast, saying it is gathering information and preparing a comprehensive report on the incidents. State Minister for Defense Omar Ali Abdi, speaking to the media in Mogadishu, said the government was closely monitoring...
Mogadishu (WDN) — Somalia is preparing to revive its long-dormant national airline through a Rent-to-Buy (Lease-to-Own) agreement with LEMA Air Group that would initially provide two Airbus A320 aircraft. Under the arrangement, the government would operate the aircraft under a lease before eventually taking ownership once the agreed payments have been completed. There is very...
Garowe (WDN) — Puntland has for the first time formally addressed a series of airstrikes along the Nugaal coast, demanding that the governments responsible explain why the attacks were carried out and who authorized them. The Puntland administration condemned the resurgence of piracy along Somalia’s coastline but said it was investigating information suggesting that newly...