Sunday 18 January 2026
Mahbub M. Abdillahi is a writer based in Hargeisa and a member of the Geeska editorial team. He can be reached at X/Twitter.
Articles by the Author
Interviews
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Following the breakdown of consensus on Somalia’s electoral reforms and constitutional amendments, Mogadishu’s local elections proceeded despite opposition demands for broad political buy-in — an approach Samira Gaid argues mirrors, rather than resolves, Somalia’s recurring political and…
Following the breakdown of consensus on Somalia’s electoral reforms and constitutional amendments, Mogadishu’s local elections proceeded despite opposition demands for broad political buy-in — an approach Samira Gaid argues mirrors, rather than resolves, Somalia’s recurring political and…
Opinion
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As El Fasher falls to the RSF, the world watches in silence — enabling atrocities, foreign-backed militias, and exposing the fatal collapse of African diplomacy and international accountability in Sudan.…
As El Fasher falls to the RSF, the world watches in silence — enabling atrocities, foreign-backed militias, and exposing the fatal collapse of African diplomacy and international accountability in Sudan.…
Interviews
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Framed as a monument to coexistence, the Mogadishu Cathedral drew its form from Sicily’s medieval past. Through her research, Claire Dillon reveals how this architecture of “tolerance” masked the deep fractures of colonial ambition.…
Framed as a monument to coexistence, the Mogadishu Cathedral drew its form from Sicily’s medieval past. Through her research, Claire Dillon reveals how this architecture of “tolerance” masked the deep fractures of colonial ambition.…
Thoughts
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A new wave of vigilante violence grips Hargeisa, targeting undocumented Ethiopian immigrants who’ve long lived on the margins. Their daily hustle, from shining shoes to washing cars, now unfolds under the shadow of fear and aggression. …
A new wave of vigilante violence grips Hargeisa, targeting undocumented Ethiopian immigrants who’ve long lived on the margins. Their daily hustle, from shining shoes to washing cars, now unfolds under the shadow of fear and aggression. …
Interviews
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Dabindid Yusuf of Journal Gobanimo argues that different Somali futures depend on reclaiming imagination as a political act—challenging imposed frameworks and rethinking how Somalis live, know, and struggle. …
Dabindid Yusuf of Journal Gobanimo argues that different Somali futures depend on reclaiming imagination as a political act—challenging imposed frameworks and rethinking how Somalis live, know, and struggle. …
Opinion
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Mogadishu Cathedral is a Catholic monument in a 99% Muslim nation, and a colonial relic in a post-colonial city. Should it be preserved, repurposed, or left to crumble into memory?…
Mogadishu Cathedral is a Catholic monument in a 99% Muslim nation, and a colonial relic in a post-colonial city. Should it be preserved, repurposed, or left to crumble into memory?…
Thoughts
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Today, Somali religious scholars are no longer confined to their historical role of uniting people. Instead, they enforce their own sectarian interpretation of law and mislead by globalising problems that have local roots. …
Today, Somali religious scholars are no longer confined to their historical role of uniting people. Instead, they enforce their own sectarian interpretation of law and mislead by globalising problems that have local roots. …
Thoughts
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The failure to archive the poetic and literary production of our forebears has deprived Somalis of a crucial moral and artistic resource, argues Mahbub Abdillahi. And judging by our political culture, it shows. …
The failure to archive the poetic and literary production of our forebears has deprived Somalis of a crucial moral and artistic resource, argues Mahbub Abdillahi. And judging by our political culture, it shows. …
Opinion
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MP Abdillahi Hashi Abib exposed a multimillion-dollar corruption scheme—days later, he was expelled. Was this a legal move or a blatant crackdown on dissent? …
MP Abdillahi Hashi Abib exposed a multimillion-dollar corruption scheme—days later, he was expelled. Was this a legal move or a blatant crackdown on dissent? …
Thoughts
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Borama is a city renowned for its outsized role in Somali education and for the brilliant minds that have passed through its institutes. But distant clan conflicts have led some in the city to leave, fearing for their safety.…
Borama is a city renowned for its outsized role in Somali education and for the brilliant minds that have passed through its institutes. But distant clan conflicts have led some in the city to leave, fearing for their safety.…