Mogadishu, (WDN) – What was meant to be a crucial National Dialogue Conference has instead become an exercise in political theater, as Somalia’s Federal Government proceeds with talks in Mogadishu from June 16-19 without the participation of critical stakeholders. The conference, ostensibly organized to chart a path forward for Somalia’s political future, has been rendered largely...
By Abdullahi A. Nor “I earnestly pray that he may become Somalia’s next president, to rescue the nation from fragmentation and steer it toward peace, unity, and progress.” In an era when the world was still largely silent on the legal injustices rooted in colonial history, one Somali legal scholar laid the intellectual foundation that...
By Mohamed Abdiqafar Haji Hussein On June 15, 2025, President Said Abdullahi Deni officially opened the 56th session of the Puntland Parliament. In his speech, he covered a wide range of topics: progress in the fight against Daesh, achievements made under his leadership, and his vision for Puntland’s future. He also spoke at length about...
By Isha Qarsoon On 10 June 2025, Somalia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ali Omar, issued a formal letter to James Swan, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia and head of the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia. The letter was clear, assertive, and diplomatically firm: the so-called “C6+...
By Abdullahi A. Nor Somalia, a country long considered a fragile but hopeful experiment in post-conflict recovery, now stands dangerously close to full-scale state collapse under the increasingly authoritarian rule of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. What many observers describe as the most severe political crisis since the 1991 fall of Siad Barre is rapidly pushing...
Mogadishu (WDN)- A letter from Somalia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ali Omar Balcad, has sparked a wide controversy by declaring the Federal Government’s rejection of the international partners known as the C6+ — a coordination group comprising the United Nations, European Union, United States, United Kingdom, African Union, and IGAD. These stakeholders have...
By Hussien Mohamed Yusuf Recently, during a meeting with several NGOs working in the cross-border areas of Somalia and Kenya, we deliberated on livelihoods and natural resource management. It was a typical technical session—discussions on resilience, climate adaptation, and local livelihoods—until one participant from the Gedo region of Somalia shared a deeply disturbing set of...
Mogadishu- (WDN)-As Somalia moves toward the 2026 elections, political consultations are intensifying — but so are divisions. At the center is President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s unilateral push for a one person, one vote system, despite widespread insecurity and the absence of a national consensus. Adding a new layer to the political drama, former President Mohamed...
By Ismail Aliyu Minnesota Institute of Horn of Africa Studies (MNIHAS) Abstract: This independent investigation surfaces damning evidences of state-sanctioned slaughter, horrific sexual savagery and a calculated architecture of institutional cruelty taking place inside Jigjiga’s Havana Prison. Focusing on the a gruesome and deeply suspicious killing of Shafici Abdulkarim (age 16 at risk) the 15 page detailed...
Mogadishu (WDN)- In a political climate clouded by distrust and fragmentation, Somalia’s opposition coalition, Madasha Samata-bixinta, has issued a cautious response to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s recent announcement of a national consultative conference, scheduled for June 15, 2025. While officially welcoming the initiative, the opposition’s carefully worded statement reveals more skepticism than celebration — and...