Somalia’s voice of hope: a tribute to Axmed Naaji, legendary singer and trailblazing composer: Somalis are natural-born critics, yet for over six decades Axmed Naaji Sacad (Ahmed Naji Sa’ad) was almost unanimously revered. A household name in urban Somalia, the popular singer and poet has passed away at the age of 84 in London. Venerated …
Al-Shabaab is just a symptom of Somalia’s tragedy – the causes are still in place: Abdurashid Abdulle Abikar/AFP via GettyImages For at least 14 years now, the militant group Al-Shabaab has terrorised the southern region of Somalia. Its ambition is to impose a tyrannical dictatorship over the entire country through fear and brutality. To achieve …
Alarm bells as Somalia’s new president sours relationship with Ethiopia: Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (centre) is hosted in Cairo by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in June, 2022. Egyptian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The new government in Somalia that won elections held in May has got off to a rocky political start in …
No time for complacency: Somalia’s unfolding famine catastrophe: After being displaced by drought, nearly 300 people, mostly women, and children arrived at Qansahley camp in Dollow, Jubaland, Somalia. Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Somalia is on the brink of catastrophe. A recent assessment suggests that 7.7 million Somalis need emergency aid right now, a …
Somalia’s election was different: why that’s not necessarily a bad thing: Clan elders gather in Belet Weyne, Somalia's fifth largest city, for a weekly meeting to discuss various issues affecting their region. Flickr-AU UN IST Photo / Tobin Jones At the end of a tough electoral process marked by intensified violence, Somalia has a new …
Somalia’s election raises more questions than answers: Newly elected Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud waves after he was sworn-in, in the capital Mogadishu, on May 15, 2022. Photo by Hasan Ali Elmi / AFP via Getty Images Somalia now has a new parliament – and a president elected by its 329 lawmakers. This followed more …
Somalia’s new president Hassan Sheikh: his strengths and weaknesses: President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud during a 2014 media briefing. Isaac Kasamani/AFP via Getty Images Somalia has a new president. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud beat the incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo in a long-delayed election. It’s not Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s first stint as …
Somalia’s elections are finally under way: five things you should know: Somalia is on course to hold the long-awaited presidential election provided that the current pace is maintained. GettyImages Following a series of setbacks going back more than a year, Somalia is nearly wrapping up parliamentary elections (Lower House) leading to presidential elections. The Horn …
A broken healthcare system has hampered Somalia’s efforts to cope with COVID-19: An image of Bakara market in Mogadishu in 2018. Visit Mogadishu A recent report by the global advocacy organisation Amnesty International painted a dire picture of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Somalia. Based on interviews with health workers, government officials, and …
Somalia’s toxic political and security order: the death knell of democracy: The grand designs of the major political and military actors lack an important ingredient: the views and the hopes of ordinary Somalis. Getty Images By the mid-1990s, it was clear to the world that Somalia had become Africa’s first failed post-colonial state. But this …