By Balal Mohamed Cusman, former State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Somalia As the Çağrı Bey Turkish drill ship appears off the coast of Mogadishu, preparing to commence hydrocarbon exploration, Somalia stands at a pivotal historical moment. The prospect of oil and gas development presents an opportunity to accelerate state-building, stimulate economic growth and restore national dignity after decades of conflict and fragility. This development is not occurring in isolation but is rooted in a long-standing and evolving partnership between Somalia and Turkiye. Over the past decade, Turkiye has played a significant role in Somalia’s reconstruction through investments in infrastructure, security, and social development. The modernization of Mogadishu’s port and airport has enhanced revenue generation and connectivity, while Turkish-supported military training has strengthened national security institutions. In addition, educational scholarships and healthcare investments have contributed to human capital development. However, history demonstrates that natural resource wealth can either deliver promise or...

By Dayib Sh Ahmed Introduction The history and lived experience of state-building across the world teach us that nations must periodically engage in self-reflection carefully examining the weaknesses within their systems of governance, questioning the direction of their political trajectory, and assessing the quality and character of their leadership. Today, Somalia appears to stand at a critical juncture. Fundamental questions are emerging regarding the nature of its statehood, the integrity of its accountability mechanisms, and the steadily eroding trust of its citizens. Concerns are mounting over allegations of nepotism, corruption, and a governing style increasingly perceived as concentrating state power and national resources in the hands of a select few. The most persistent and serious accusations directed at the current administration center on what many view as widespread nepotism. It is frequently alleged that members of the president’s family have been appointed to influential positions that bear directly on the...

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Voters in the small Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti cast ballots to elect their president on Friday, with longtime leader Ismaïl Omar Guelleh expected to secure a sixth term in office after lawmakers scrapped presidential age limits last year. Guelleh, 78, has ruled the country of about 1 million for more than two decades. The results of the 2021 election showed him winning nearly 99% of the vote. He faces a single challenger, Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former ruling party member, in a race analysts say offers little genuine competition. Opposition groups frequently boycott elections, citing restrictions on political freedoms. Guelleh succeeded his uncle, former President Hassan Gouled Aptidon, in 1999, extending a family-led system that has shaped the country’s politics for decades. Regional observers from the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development monitored the vote. Election results are expected to be announced within one...

Baidoa (WDN) — With just less than a weeks remaining before President Hassan Sheikh constitutional term expires on May 15, 2026, Somalia’s President, is intensifying efforts to extend his hold on power, amid growing political tension and controversy. While Somalia’s political landscape has long been marked by turbulence and contentious practices, recent developments in Baidoa signal a deepening crisis, one that reflects an alarming shift toward coercion and disregard for legal norms. President Hassan is poised to break with Somalia’s fragile tradition of peaceful power transfer, seeking to extend his rule beyond constitutional limits, a move that risks plunging the already fragile state into renewed chaos and a potentially irreversible conflict. The federal forces under the direction of president Hassan recently took control of Baideo, the administrative capital of the South West State. In the aftermath, a controversial move unfolded involving parliamentary seat HOP204, previously held by MP Isaaq Cali...

By Mohamed Abdirizak Mohamud, the former minister of foreign affairs of Somalia Somalia is once again debating sovereignty—but not yet confronting the harder question: who exercises power, and on what terms? When Somali leaders speak of sovereignty, they are not merely describing authority or territory. They are defining the terms of coexistence in a society that has never accepted domination and has repeatedly resisted it. That instinct is not rhetorical. It is historical. For centuries, Somali society was governed through a decentralized system often described as pastoral democracy, where authority was rooted in lineage and exercised through elders, and where decisions emerged through deliberation and consensus rather than imposition. In such a system, domination is not simply unpopular; it is incompatible. Somalia’s modern political crises cannot be understood without this foundation. The Lesson of Collapse The collapse of the Somali state in 1991 was not sudden, nor accidental. It marked...

Baydabo (WDN)- Xukuumadda Madaxweyne Xasan Sheekh, oo muddo xilleedkeedii oo ku aadan Bisha 15 May, 2026, uu hadda gabaabsi yahay, ayaa wada dadaallo xooggan oo ay ugu jirto sidii ay xukunka ugu sii negaan laheyd. Hadaba in kasta oo dhacdooynka looga bartay siyaasiyiinta Soomaaliya, aanay hadda aheyn kuwo dadka fajac geliya, oo wax yaalo badan oo sharciga iyo damiirka badni’aadmka ka baxsan ay ku kacaan, haddana dhacdo dhawaan ku soo biirtay siyaasaddaha sharci darada, xoogga iyo is muquuninta ku dhisan ayaa dhawaan laga fuliyay Baydhabo, kadib markii ay gacan ku heynta magaalada la wareegen ciidamada Xukuumadda Madaxweyne Xasan Sheekh.  Arinkan ayaa ku aadan Kursiga Baarlamaanka ee HOP204, oo si boob yo badheedh ah xildhibaanki ku fadhiyay Md. Isaaq Cali Subag, looga qaaday, iyada oo la siiyay Wasiir ka tirsan Golaha Xukuumada DF Cabdiqaadir Maxamed Nuur,  taasi oo dhawaan ka dhacay magalaada Baydhabo. Xildhibaano faraban oo ka biyo’diidsan qaabka uu u...

Nick Ferris reports, Independent The start of 2026 has not been easy for the residents of Madina Camp, on the outskirts of the city of Baidoa, in Somalia’s South West State. According to Adan Adan Abdi, a sub-camp leader of around 50 people, there is an “urgent need” for both food and water, with thousands having migrated from rural areas to camps such as his amid a catastrophic drought that has devastated Somalia. “The situation across these camps is the same: The hardship is severe, and people are extremely hungry and thirsty” he says. Families have been going day to day without food to cook, he adds, while the only work available at the moment is to head deep into the bush to collect firewood to sell at the market. Pointing to a water truck that has just delivered water from the Juba Foundation, a local NGO, he adds: “The water we received...

(ERGO) – Thousands of families uprooted by the recent conflict in southern Somalia’s Bay region, including many who were already displaced, have fled into drought-hit rural areas, where they can’t access adequate food, clean water, and shelter. Gudey Abdullahi Malin, a mother of eight, told Radio Ergo that she fled her home in Baidoa with her children after violence erupted in her area in late March. She is now living in Buula Gedisoy village, about 20 kilometres away, where conditions are tough and the local community has little to share with others. “We have nowhere proper to sleep. At night we stay out in the open, and during the day we sit under trees. We don’t have shelter to protect us from the heat or cold. What we need most now is food and water for the children,” she said. Gudey said her children had gone for a long period without...

By Mukhtar Ainashe Following is an excerpt from an article on Wardheer News by Hon. Ahmed Abdi Koshin, a serving member of Somali Federal Parliament, and Dr Abdifatah Ismael Tahir, a former member of Parliament: “For those of us from Somaliland, Baidoa raises a key question: is this an isolated episode, or part of a broader shift in which externally backed coercive centralisation is becoming the new logic of power in Somalia? The answer lies in preparedness grounded in a comparable strategic logic. That means Somaliland must either secure, or accelerate efforts to consolidate, external backing of its own…Stated plainly, Israel could expedite the delivery of equipment such as drones and armoured vehicles, training, and operational expertise, while the UAE could help underwrite the financial costs… Somaliland would need a comparable framework of support to preserve deterrence and defend its territory effectively.” Are the authors seriously suggesting that Somali regions...

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump pulled back on his threats to launch devastating strikes on Iran late Tuesday, as the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump swerved to deescalate the war less than two hours before the deadline he set for Tehran to capitulate to a deal or face attacks on its bridges and power plants meant to destroy Iranian “civilization.” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted the ceasefire and that it would negotiate with the United States in Pakistan beginning Friday. Neither Iran nor the United States said when the ceasefire would begin, and attacks took place in Israel, Iran and across the Gulf region early Wednesday. Israel backed the U.S. ceasefire with Iran but the deal doesn’t cover fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday. His office said in the statement...