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Somalia

December 4, 2024

Mogadishu 11:00 am

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Waddani Party presidential candidate Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, also known as Irro, (C) casts his vote at a polling station.

Opposition wins election in Somaliland, signals dialogue with Somalia: What we know

Somaliland's opposition leader, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, has won the presidential election, unseating the incumbent president who held office for seven years.

President-elect Donald Trump attends the America First Policy Institute Gala held at Mar-a-Lago on Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Florida.

Analysis

From Sudan to Ethiopia, Trump’s 'America First' priorities could shift Horn of Africa policy

As the Horn of Africa region seemed to be overlooked by Washington’s foreign policy, questions about how President-elect Donald Trump will deal with the rising conflicts in the region arise.

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

By Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In Exmouth, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

Auto rickshaws (Tuk-Tuks) and a monument are seen through the window of an armoured car on Sept. 4, 2022 in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Somalia-Ethiopia rift intensifies: What's behind latest row?

The latest expulsion marks yet another step toward an eruption of tensions between the neighboring countries.

(R to L) Somali Ambassador to Ankara Fathudin Ali Mohamed, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan bid farewell to the Oruc Reis departs from Istanbul.

Analysis

Turkey's hydrocarbon mission to Somalia extends its Africa influence

Turkey-Somalia ties enter a new phase as the Turkish research vessel RV Oruc Reis heads to Somali waters to prospect for oil and natural gas.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Egypt, Somalia, Eritrea solidify regional alliance amid tensions with Ethiopia

AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Ethiopia’s naval ambitions, Egypt-Somalia alliance shake Horn of Africa balance

Paratroopers jump off an Egyptian C-130 Hercules military plane during the "Guardians of the Nile" joint military drill between Egypt and Sudan in the Um Sayyala area, northwest of Khartoum, on May 31, 2021.

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

By Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In Exmouth, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

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Turkey seeks to set up space rocket launchpad in Somalia

Turkish Army Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar (L) escorts Somalia Prime Minister Hassan Ali Kheire during an inauguration ceremony of the Turkish military base in Mogadishu on Sept. 30, 2017.

Egypt sends military aid to Somalia as tensions soar with Ethiopia

A military vehicle is seen at the Rafah border crossing to Gaza on October 19, 2023 in North Sinai, Egypt. The aid convoy, organized by a group of Egyptian NGOs, set off Saturday 14th October from Cairo for the Gaza-Egypt border crossing at Rafah. On October 7th, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on border communities in southern Israel, spurring the most violent flare-up of the Israel-Palestine conflict in decades. Israel launched a vast bombing campaign in retaliation and has

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (L) receives a gift from Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (R) after addressing a joint news conference in Somalia's capital Mogadishu January 25, 2015. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan travelled to the Somali capital Mogadishu under heavy security on Sunday, making his second visit in four years to promise further investment in the country as it struggles to rebuild after two decades of conflict. REUTERS/Feisal Omar (SOMALIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4MTPA

Erdogan's Africa tour

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose aspirations for regional leadership have failed, has begun trying to acquire leadership of the Islamic world on his Africa tour.

A fisherman travels on a boat with his family during low water levels on the river Nile in Cairo, April 19, 2014. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY) - RTR3LW80

Economic cooperation between Egypt, Ethiopia on the rise

In light of the expected visit of Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to Ethiopia, the Egyptian-Ethiopian committee is working on resuming dialogue on the Renaissance Dam issue.

Turkey’s Africa policies blend hard, soft power

Turkey’s humanitarian initiatives in Africa are complemented by business and strategic policies as well.

Members of the Somali parliament vote by a show of hands in Mogadishu December 2, 2013. Somalia's parliament voted on Monday to sack Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon, the speaker of parliament said, after a row with the president that has paralysed the state and threatened a shaky recovery from war. The prime minister, who was appointed last year, fell out with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud over what legislators said was a dispute over the composition of a new cabinet, prompting Monday's no confidence v

Somalia's democracy a pleasant surprise

The Arab League and the African Union should support the nascent democratic transition in Somalia.

A helicopter flies as smoke rises over Westgate shopping centre after an explosion in Nairobi, September 23, 2013. Powerful explosions sent thick smoke billowing from the Nairobi mall where militants from Somalia's al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group threatened to kill hostages on the third day of a raid in which at least 59 have already died. REUTERS/Karel Prinsloo (KENYA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW) - RTX13WO3

Kenya Terror Strike Al-Qaeda's Latest In Global Jihad

Al-Qaeda continually reconstitutes itself as a global terrorist threat, headquartered in Pakistan, and with franchises throughout Africa, the Middle East and worldwide.

Kenyan soldiers hold their rifles near the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi September 23, 2013. Thick smoke poured from the besieged Nairobi mall where Kenyan officials said their forces were closing in on Islamists holding hostages on Monday, three days after a raid by Somalia's al Shabaab killed at least 62 people. It remained unclear how many gunmen and hostages were still cornered in the Westgate shopping centre, two hours after a series of loud explosions and gunfire were followed by a plume of blac

Defeating Al-Shabab Requires Kenya-Somalia Cooperation

The terrorist attack at the Kenya shopping mall on Sept. 21 signals that al-Shabab has reconstituted itself in East Africa.

Erdogan Silent on Nairobi Mall Attack

Erdogan’s silence on terror attacks in Kenya and Pakistan raises the question of whether he is taking a balanced approach in his criticism of the West.

African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) secure the scene of a suicide bomb attack outside the United Nations compound in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, June 19, 2013. A suicide bomber and several gunmen attacked a United Nations compound in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, police and witnesses said, in a strike that bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda-linked militants. REUTERS/Feisal Omar (SOMALIA - Tags: SOCIETY CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW MILITARY) - RTX10TBM

Islamist Al-Shabab 2.0 Threatens Somalia

Al-Qaeda-linked Somali terrorist group al-Shabab is more lethal than ever.

The Horn of Africa