By Abdiqani Haji Abdi Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur (Jaamac), the newly Speaker of Somalia’s Federal Parliament selected on 10 August 2026, has risen rapidly through the country’s political ranks, having held various positions under the administrations of both former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. His elevation to the speakership followed what appears...
By Abdullahi A. Nor Disputed constitutional changes, rival electoral positions and deepening federal divisions raise a critical question: can Somalia reach a political settlement before the crisis escalates? Somalia is approaching a defining moment in its fragile state-building process. What began as a disagreement over constitutional amendments and the timing of national elections has developed...
Dr. Abdurahman Baadiyow Somali history is too often told through the experiences of colonialism, independence, state collapse, and the continuing struggle to rebuild the country. Although these events are essential to understanding modern Somalia, they represent only a fraction of our collective past. Behind them lies a much longer history of communities that developed political...
By Farah Mire Good faith is the foundation of any working constitution. It means that the same rules bind everyone, including those in power. When rules are applied only when convenient, confidence collapses and institutions lose their meaning. Somalia’s current constitutional dispute is, at its heart, a test of this principle. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud...
By Abdikarim H. Abdi Buh Riyadh condemns Houthi missiles and drones crossing into Saudi territory, yet Yemen’s civilian suffering raises a fundamental question: why should the destruction inflicted by a powerful state receive a different standard of scrutiny from attacks carried out by its adversaries? Saudi Arabia’s renewed military confrontation with Yemen’s Houthi movement exposes...
By Prof. Askar Abdishakur In contemporary political discourse, the rhetoric of division has found a dangerous new focal point. Across the Atlantic and throughout Europe, populist right-wing factions increasingly isolate specific ethnic and national groups as political scapegoats. Among these, the Somali diaspora has faced a persistent, disproportionate, and unwarranted campaign of stigmatization. Modeled after...
By Abdirahman A. Issa I recently listened to a debate between Ahmed Issa Awad, a former foreign minister, and Mustafe Guufe, chairman of Puntland First, on the path forward for relations between Puntland and the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS). The intergenerational exchange exposed the rupture that will shape the future of the Somali state....
By Abdiqani Haji Abdi Somalia is preparing to put a national currency back into the hands of its citizens at a moment when the country itself is struggling to agree on what kind of state it wants to be. There is no consensus on the electoral system, constitutional disputes remain unresolved, and relations between Mogadishu...
By Abdullahi A. Nor When Mustafe Omer came to power in August, 2018, he represented a break from the past. An activist and outspoken advocate for justice, accountability, and the rights of the Somali people, he was widely seen as the face of a new political era. Nearly eight years later, that promise has given...
By Mohamed A Yasin President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that Türkiye has begun building a spaceport in Somalia, describing the project as a historic partnership that will strengthen Ankara’s independent access to space and contribute to Africa’s emerging space sector. The announcement is extraordinary in itself. But in Somalia, it raises a question far...