By Abdiqani Haji Abdi The Turkish ambassador’s recent remarks about Somalia’s future were presumably intended to inspire optimism. Instead, they risk sounding remarkably disconnected from the realities facing the Somali people. The ambassador speaks of satellites, oil discoveries, Turkish fishing fleets, mining, agriculture, roads and ambitious infrastructure projects—as though Somalia were already a stable country...
EYL (WDN) — Anger over Turkey’s growing military and political role in Somalia has spilled into the streets, with protesters in Puntland burning the Turkish flag and similar displays of hostility reported in Jubaland, reflecting growing opposition to what critics describe as Ankara’s increasingly close alignment with the Federal Government in Mogadishu. In a coastal...
Jowhar (WDN) — Somalia’s federal system is facing another potentially destabilizing political rupture after senior Hirshabelle figures openly challenged President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s handling of the regional leadership and electoral process. Hirshabelle Vice President Yusuf Hagar (Dabageed) and former National Intelligence and Security Agency chief and lawmaker Abdullahi Mohamed (Sanbalooshe) have critically come against the...
Galkacyo (WDN) — Government officials in Mudug are conducting efforts to identify and arrest those responsible for the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yusuf Haamay, who was shot dead in Galkacyo several days ago, as the latest killing raises renewed fears of retaliatory violence. Regional officials said security forces are intensifying investigations and operations to locate...
Asmara (WDN) — Eritrea has accused the United Arab Emirates of pursuing what it described as “port colonialism” in Africa, warning that Abu Dhabi’s expanding commercial, political and military footprint along the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and East Africa deserves far greater scrutiny. Eritrea’s Foreign Minister Osman Saleh said the UAE’s growing presence in...
By Abdullahi A. Nor President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says Somalia is finally preparing to move beyond clan-based recruitment and replace political connections with merit, competence and qualifications. It is a message that would be difficult to oppose—if it were coming from a government with a convincing record of practicing what it preaches. Instead, the president’s...
By Abdijaliil Osman Axmed Shire Xuseen survived the frontline against al-Shabaab. He did not survive the road home. His last plea is a question every Somali now has to answer. A video has been moving across Somali phones this week. I watched it once. It’s very panful to watch. I will not link to it...
Yemen (WDN) — Yemen’s western front has suffered a dramatic reversal after Houthi forces seized the strategic Red Sea port of Mocha, forcing forces commanded by Gen. Tareq Saleh to withdraw from the city and surrounding positions. Saleh, commander of Yemen’s National Resistance Forces and deputy chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, has become the...
Bossaso (WDN) — Somali pirates have reportedly released a vessel they had held hostage since April, according to security sources cited by local media, highlighting the continuing vulnerability of commercial shipping in waters already facing growing security threats from piracy and the conflict in Yemen. The vessel, which was reportedly carrying 17 crew members, was...
London (WDN) — In a remarkable story of resilience, opportunity and public service, the British Labour Party has selected Sagal Abdi-Wali, a Somali woman who arrived in Britain as a refugee as a child, as its candidate for the forthcoming by-election in Holborn and St Pancras. The by-election is scheduled for October 8, following the...