By Hassan Yusuf In a country grappling with recurring insurgency, fragmented governance, and a paralyzed reform agenda, Somalia’s federal government has proposed what appears to be a giant leap forward: a nationwide “one person, one vote” (OPOV) electoral model. Presented as a historic shift from clan-based power-sharing to democratic legitimacy, the plan promises a future...
U.S. Department of the Treasury Press Release RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – Today, the seven members of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC) announced joint designations of 15 al-Shabaab leaders, operatives, and financial facilitators operating in Somalia. These targets were involved in a wide range of activities in support of al-Shabaab, including fundraising and proliferation of...
US President Donald Trump’s top Africa envoy laid the groundwork this week for a minerals deal in DR Congo.But any deal between Washington and Kinshasa is dependent on the US helping to negotiate peace in the African nation’s troubled eastern region, according to two people who were present for some of the meetings. After the...
By Jamal Mohamoud The recent arrest of members of the Somali Custodial Corps who fled from the frontlines in Lower Shabelle is not merely a disciplinary incident. It is a damning indictment of a crumbling security strategy and a reflection of the Somali Federal Government’s increasingly desperate and chaotic military posture. As the war against...
By Mohamed A Yasin The much-anticipated National Consultative Conference—once hailed as a political turning point for Somalia—has imploded, not with the decisive clarity that crises demand, but through the quiet unraveling of a deeply flawed process orchestrated from the heart of Villa Somalia. As Somalia edges closer to another political abyss, public demands for accountability...
By Abdullahi A. Nor There are few names in the Horn of Africa that still echo like war drums in the minds of many. Among them, Qalbi-Dhagax—whose name literally translates to Heart-of-Stone—is not just a nickname; it’s a metaphor, a political compass, and depending on who you ask, either the last standing revolutionary or a...
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Pressure from U.S. aid freezes and global trade tension is unlikely to result in widescale credit downgrades in Africa, Fitch Ratings said on Thursday. The impact of tariffs on Africa is limited, Fitch said, due to the region’s export composition and weaker integration into global supply chains compared to a region such as Asia....
Mogadishu (WDN)– As the call of the consultations proposed by President Hassan circulated for days, drawing mixed reactions, President Hassan met in Mogadishu with regional leaders from South West, Hirshabelle, Galmudug, and the Banadir Region—an engagement notably not attended by Puntland, Jubaland, or opposition politicians. In response, the international community has called for the consultations...
By Faisal A. Roble While this op-ed piece does not comprehensively appraise Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s rule in the last seven years, it does provide a cursory look at the missteps and dashed hopes that worsened the country’s structural problems. Seven years ago, millions of Ethiopians, including the influential Diaspora community, welcomed Abiy Ahmed’s arrival...
Mogadishu (WDN)- The international community has urged President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to broaden his recently proposed national consultative dialogue, calling on the Federal Government of Somalia to expand its scope and include all key political stakeholders. Diplomats based in the Halane compound are pressing for a comprehensive national dialogue that goes beyond the government’s focus...