Washington (WDN)- U.S. authorities allege that Fahad Mohamed Noor participated in a scheme to defraud federal programs established to provide meals to children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The programs were created as part of the U.S. government’s emergency response to the pandemic and distributed substantial amounts of federal money through organizations responsible for providing food...
By Osman Ali Hassan Across Africa, growing restrictions on the movement of people and cross-border trade are deepening economic and social divides, undermining regional integration and challenging the vision of a more connected continent. The recent Kenya’s plan to expel small-scale foreign traders reflects these broader tensions over migration, informal commerce, and economic competition, raising...
Beledweyne, Somalia (WDN) — A visibly angry delegation led by the traditional leader of the Hawadle clan arrived in Beledweyne on Monday afternoon after returning from Mogadishu, where efforts to secure the top leadership position in Hirshabelle reportedly ended in failure. Hundreds of residents gathered at Beledweyne airport to welcome the delegation, reflecting the deep...
Mogadishu (WDN) — Security tensions around the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Strait of Hormuz are disrupting Somalia’s traditional shipping routes, forcing importers to seek alternatives and raising concerns over higher prices, shortages of essential goods and declining government tax revenues. Somali businesses typically import goods from Asia through Gulf hubs including the United Arab Emirates,...
Bosaso / Hargeisa(WDN) — The regional shipping crisis is no longer a story unfolding somewhere far beyond Somalia’s shores. It has reached the markets, the kitchens and the household budgets of ordinary Somalis. In Bosaso and Hargeisa, prices of essential commodities are already climbing, with consumers and traders reporting sharp increases in the cost of...
Dhuusamareeb (WDN) — Galmudug’s repeat election is facing a serious political test after the Towfiiq Political Association, led by Sheikh Shakir Sheikh Mohamed, was excluded from the list of political organizations approved to participate in the vote scheduled for September 30. The decision is particularly significant because Towfiiq was a major participant in the previous...
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...