By Abdul Ghelleh Twelve months ago, a largely unknown former NGO operative called Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, became the president of Somalia, elected by a group of MPs that was selected (not elected) by Somalia’s civil war corrupted traditional leaders. When his name was pronounced winner at the voting venue, he smiled for the cameras, all...
November 14, 2026
2025 search results for: interview
Post
Political Mishaps Should Have Consequences
By Ahmed M. Farah (Nurradin) Since the conflict between the Somali president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, alias Culusow, and the Prime Minister, Abdi Farah Shirdon, alias Saacid, came to the fore, in public, for all to see, Somalis – politicians, elders, civil society members and common folk – expressed derision and sense of loss towards both...
Post
Somaliland to Sign Accord With Fourth Company on Oil Exploration
By Benjamin Harvey Somaliland expects to sign an agreement with a fourth international energy company this week to begin exploring for oil in the semi-autonomous region, Energy Minister Hussein Abdi Dualeh said. An accord with the Middle East-based company, which Dualeh declined to identify, has been completed, he said in a phone interview on Nov. 21 from...
Post
Kenya: UK soldier killing suspect arrested in 2010 near border with Somalia
NAIROBI, KENYA – A suspect in last week’s savage killing of a British soldier on a London street was arrested in Kenya in 2010 while apparently preparing to train and fight with al-Qaida-linked Somali militants, an anti-terrorism police official said. Michael Adebolajo, who was carrying a British passport, was then handed over to British authorities...
Post
The tweet that sparked a debate over racism in Norway
A simple tweet from a university student of Somali origin in Norway has triggered a big debate in the country over racism. It started with a tweet. On Sunday evening, medical student Warsan Ismail began to list a series of everyday examples of racism she and her family have experienced in Norway. She began with the...
Post
Crossing Swords: Siad Barre and Professor Said S. Samatar
By Hassan M. Abukar “You have to know the past to understand the present.” Carl Sagan. It was either in 1984 or 1985 that Siad Barre’s regime was weakening. It was a period not far removed from Somalia’s war with Ethiopia in 1977/1978, a tragic miscalculation by President Barre. Perhaps the aftermath of that costly...
Post
Somalia arrests woman over rape allegations
Woman who said she was raped is held along with journalist who interviewed her in second such case this year. Hamza Mohamed Police in Somalia have arrested a 19-year-old alleged rape victim and a journalist who interviewed her about the attack, a government official told Al Jazeera. Both the victim and Mohamed Bashir, a reporter...
Post
Syria, Egypt Reveal Erdogan’s ‘Hidden Agenda’
By Nicola Nasser The eruption of the Syrian conflict early in 2011 heralded the demise of Turkey’s officially pronounced strategy of “Zero Problems with Neighbors,” but more importantly, it revealed a “hidden agenda” in Turkish foreign policy under the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. What Sreeram Chaulia, the Dean of the Jindal...
Post
Somali Women Watch Soccer as Mogadishu Defies al-Shabaab
By Mohamed Sheikh Nor Sahro Ali did something this month that she hadn’t dreamed possible for years: she and two female friends went to a soccer match between Banadir Sports Club and Elman FC in the Somali capital. The match in the rebuilt Banadir Stadium was the third of the season that kicked off Nov. 8....
Post
The Pirate Negotiator
by Caitlin Dickson Ali Mohamed Ali faces life in prison on piracy-related charges. But is he a criminal mastermind or a Good Samaritan? The truth is likely something in between. Ali Mohamed Ali never considered himself a criminal, let alone a pirate. He was well-educated. He spoke English. He may have asked his friends in America...