By Bashir M. Sheikh Ali, J.D., Ph.D. Any serious discussion of abolishing the 4.5 power-sharing formula must begin with a difficult reality: many Somalis will feel deceived, threatened, or misled if 4.5 is challenged. For years, it has been presented as a guarantee against exclusion, domination, and renewed conflict. Many people organized their political expectations...
By Isha Qarsoon Somalia’s Provisional Constitution establishes a sovereign state in which public authority derives exclusively from the Somali people and is exercised solely in their name. That authority is vested in defined constitutional organs—the federal legislative, executive, and judicial branches—and is conditioned on fidelity to the state as a single political entity. Public office...
By Abdulkadir Osman Farah On the 7th and the 8th of January 2026, the Somali owned and exclusively Somali funded Think Tank and Research Centre Dhaxalreeb organized its 4th annual conference. This time with the main title of “The link between Islam and State.” Scholars from inside the country and abroad attended the conference in...
By Mohamed Abdiqafar Haji Hussein President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected at a time when Somalis were largely united and eager to turn a new page. The May 2022 presidential election, however, followed a prolonged and bitter political standoff. Former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo was widely suspected of attempting to consolidate power by extending his...
By Mohamed Mukhtar Ibrahim Khat—known as mira in Kenya—has become one of the most significant and persistent economic drains on Somalia’s fragile economy. According to the Kenya National Assembly Proceedings of 3 December 2025, Somalia is Kenya’s largest export destination, accounting for over 95 percent of Kenya’s total mira export volume. While mira is produced...
By Isha Qarsoon A war driven by the Rapid Support Forces and sustained through external patronage is destroying Sudan. The RSF’s ascent from a paramilitary auxiliary to the most powerful armed actor in Sudan was fueled by sustained financial, material, and logistical support that investigators, journalists, and government findings have repeatedly linked to the United...
By Abdikarim Haji Abdi Buh Iran did not wake up to crowds in the streets.It woke up to a country that had already stopped moving. Before the chants came, daily life shut down. Markets pulled their shutters. Universities suspended classes overnight. Government offices across dozens of cities fell silent. In more than twenty provinces, sudden...
By Ali Haji Warsame Somalia’s name is once again in the spotlight, attracting attention for both positive and negative reasons, while trending widely on social media platforms. At first glance, Somalis across the globe appear to be able to endure and withstand significant challenges that they face abroad and at home, while still thriving. Yet...
To: H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud President of the Federal Republic of Somalia From: Ahmed Abbas Ahmed,Former Advisor to the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia on Federal Affairs (2022–2024) Mr. President, following due salutations, the decision to issue this letter as an open communication is compelled by the grave and unprecedented convergence of two...
By Abdisalam Ali Farah (Biligsey) The recognition of Somaliland by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu represents a deeply destabilizing development with potentially catastrophic consequences—not only for Somaliland itself, but for Somalia as a whole and the wider Horn of Africa. Far from bringing legitimacy or stability, such recognition risks igniting internal conflict,...