On Wednesday, a regional presidential election was held in Somalia’s South West State. Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur “Madobe” was elected president of the regional state in a parliamentary vote in Baidoa, following a contested electoral process marked by opposition boycotts and allegations of federal interference. Madobe, who was still serving as Speaker of Somalia’s federal House of the People at the time of the vote, secured an overwhelming victory in the South West State Assembly. He won 88 of the 90 votes cast. His only remaining challenger received one vote, while one ballot was declared…
In a recent opinion piece, two senior Ethiopian officials raised alarm over the deteriorating situation in northern Ethiopia, particularly in the Tigray region and parts of Amhara. Ridwan Hussein, Director General of Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service, and Getachew Reda, a former critic of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who later became an ally and now serves as a senior adviser on East African affairs to the prime minister, warned that Ethiopia risks being drawn back into war. The two officials accused “hardline elements” within the Tigray People’s Liberation Front of moving…
A reported drone strike hit the Tekemati area near Sheraro town in northwestern Tigray late Friday, residents and a local official told Addis Standard. The area lies just outside Sheraro, less than two kilometers from the town. Residents who spoke with Addis Standard said the strike began at around 11:30 p.m. and continued for nearly two hours. Their accounts suggested the attack may have targeted military vehicles moving through the area, though the intended target and any possible casualties have not been officially confirmed. A Sheraro town administration official confirmed the incident…
Somaliland has emerged as a key element in a broader network of covert Israeli military positions reportedly used during the war with Iran, according to CNN. Citing a source familiar with the matter, CNN reported that Somaliland provided Israel with an additional military position that could allow Israeli aircraft to stop during long-range flights toward Iran. The report said this made Somaliland part of a wider set of sites across the region that helped extend Israel’s operational reach during the conflict. The CNN report said the Somaliland site was among several covert locations Israel…
Heavy clashes erupted this afternoon in parts of Mogadishu, including the Howlwadaag district, after tensions rose around a planned opposition protest. Former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, who had relocated to Howlwadaag earlier in the day in anticipation of the protest, said he came under attack. Former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed also said his residence had been attacked. The clashes were still ongoing as of writing. No deaths had been officially reported. Somalia’s federal government has accused “armed opposition militia members” of attacking a “police facility” in Mogadishu’s…
For more than twenty hours, Somalia’s capital was gripped by artillery and heavy weapons exchanges between the federal government and opposition leaders, bringing the city to a complete standstill.…
The violence unfolding in Mali reflects a deeper political impasse: how to sustain popular aspirations for emancipation without collapsing into military authoritarianism.…
Families forced from their homes in Mogadishu spoke with Geeska, detailing how their houses were razed without legal warning, leaving dozens of families displaced.…
As battlefield losses mount, a wave of defections is exposing deep tribal and political fractures inside Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces. …
From imprisoned critics to war-scarred regions, Ethiopia’s upcoming election is unfolding amid insecurity and growing doubts about whether it can be free or fair.…
Somalia’s post-2012 settlement rested on an agreed provisional constitution. The events of March, May, and June 2026 indicate that this rulebook has fractured, leaving the country in it is most dangerous constitutional crisis to date.…
Military capture, institutional exclusion, regional conflict spillover, and collapsing national legitimacy are pushing Chad toward a dangerous phase of fragmentation that threatens both state survival and broader Sahel stability.…
Clan-based networks and informal systems preserved stability, but now constrain economic mobility. Somaliland’s next chapter, argues SayidAli Ahmed, depends on cultivating talent, expanding technical education, and building inclusive institutions.…
Abiy Ahmed’s pursuit of maritime access has reshaped Ethiopia’s regional posture, revived tensions with neighboring countries, and increasingly strained relations with Eritrea -- pushing the region closer to a period of dangerous instability.…
A Somali ethnographer’s fieldwork among her own community reveals that insiderhood is not always a source of trust, but often a site of scrutiny, negotiation, and doubt.…
The exclusion of Somali referee Omar Artan hardens the contradiction at the heart of the 2026 World Cup: a global tournament increasingly shaped by the politics of exclusion.…
The Granta controversy surrounding a Commonwealth Prize-winning story tells us less about AI than about the enduring metropolitan expectation that writing from the South should sound opaque, excessive, and primitive.…
The film Out of Africa, set in colonial Kenya, explores the tension between romance, empire, and the European imagination of Africa. Beneath its love story lies a meditation on freedom, power, and belonging.…
Teddy Afro’s latest album continues his engagement with Ethiopia’s contested past. The work highlights how art becomes a space for national debate.…
The Iran conflict is exposing the Horn’s structural dependence on vulnerable trade routes and its limited capacity to absorb external shocks.…
A documentary lens on Ethiopia’s industrial push shows how jobs, land, and livelihoods are unevenly reshaped—benefiting investors while burdening workers and farmers.…
As colonial structures weakened and new nations took shape, writers began telling their own life stories. These narratives bridged older communal traditions and the rise of a modern literary self.…
The politics of recognition in the Somali Horn reveals a deeper structural convergence, where opposing projects mirror each other in privileging symbolic validation over the material reconstruction necessary for genuine sovereignty.…
conflicts in HoA
Wars and political conflicts have shaped the Horn of Africa for decades. Explore our articles, news, and in-depth coverage of the region’s crises.
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The War in Sudan
Since fighting erupted in 2023, we have reported from the ground with breaking news, cultural stories, and coverage centered on Sudanese voices.
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Trump and Africa
U.S. policy toward Africa shifted sharply under Donald Trump. Explore our reporting on foreign policy, drone strikes, and discussions on immigration.
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Palestine in Africa
Afro-Palestinian solidarity shapes how Africa writes about Palestine. Explore our coverage and analysis of these cross-border connections.
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Kenyan runner Sebastian Sawe made history at the London Marathon by becoming the first person to run a marathon in under two hours in an official race, finishing in 1:59:30 and breaking the previous record set by Kelvin Kiptum. …
William Ruto and Giorgia Meloni have signed a 2026–2029 action plan to expand cooperation between Kenya and Italy after talks in Rome. The agreement sets out government-to-government consultations and coordination in forums such as the United Nations, covering issues including migration, technology, climate, and development. …
The Trump administration is exploring ways to improve relations with Eritrea, including potentially lifting some sanctions, as part of a broader effort to rebuild diplomatic ties after years of limited engagement. This initiative has been discussed by U.S. envoy Massad Boulos in meetings with Eritrean and Egyptian officials, including Isaias Afwerki and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The move is still under review but reflects growing U.S. interest in the region, particularly as security concerns rise in the Red Sea due to threats from the Iran-backed Houthi movement. …
Across the Horn of Africa, elections tell very different stories - decades-long grips on power in Djibouti and Uganda, uncertainty in Somalia, conflict and the dominance of the Prosperity Party shaping Ethiopia’s polls, and a closely watched 2027 race in Kenya. …
A group of foreign ministers from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia has condemned Israel’s appointment of a diplomatic envoy to Somaliland. …
In this interview, Hammour Ziada speaks on war, censorship, symbolism, and the uneasy role of literature in times of violence and collapse.…
From plural universality to the philosophy of shared living, Fathi Triki reflects on modernity, dignity, and coexistence across Arab and African intellectual traditions.…
As crises multiply from Sudan to Yemen, Federico Donelli makes the case for seeing the Red Sea as a one interconnected region shaped by fluid alliances and the decline of old hierarchies.…
In Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State, Mahmood Mamdani draws on archival research and lived experience to reassess two pivotal regimes, challenging dominant narratives about Idi Amin and examining the long rule of Yoweri Museveni.…
Somalia’s parliament has passed controversial constitutional amendments, triggering a new political crisis at a time of rapid regional and global change. Somalia’s former Foreign Minister, Mohamed Abdirizak, reflects on what this moment reveals about the country’s institutions, politics, and future.…