Five leading famine, conflict and humanitarian specialists have warned that the Greater Horn of Africa could descend into a major regional emergency during the second half of 2026 and into 2027. They say a strengthening El Niño, disruptions to food and fertiliser markets, epidemic threats and persistent warfare are converging across countries already weakened by years of crisis. Rather than representing separate emergencies, the scholars argued that these pressures could interact across borders, producing consequences that “could be catastrophic.” The climatic warning follows two…
The International Criminal Court says it has made a significant breakthrough in its investigation into alleged atrocities committed during the war in Sudan, identifying evidence that could connect senior Rapid Support Forces commanders to war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told the BBC that investigators had gathered evidence linking crimes committed on the ground to individuals in leadership positions. Khan did not indicate when charges or arrest warrants might follow, acknowledging that international prosecutions often take time.…
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has accused forces in the northern Tigray region of carrying out daily provocations that he said could trigger renewed war, while defending the 2022 Pretoria Agreement that ended two years of conflict between the federal government and Tigrayan forces. Addressing lawmakers in parliament, Abiy said the Pretoria Agreement had brought “many benefits” but had also angered groups he described as dissatisfied with the deal. “Currently, forces in Tigray are carrying out daily provocations that could trigger new conflicts and renewed war,” Abiy said. He said the…
Last week, Reuters reported that the United States had informed the African Union (AU) that it would no longer support United Nations-funded logistical assistance for the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) beyond the end of 2026. Although Washington does not oppose renewing AUSSOM’s mandate, Reuters reported that it intends to block any extension that depends on UN “operational or logistical support.” The decision reflects growing U.S. dissatisfaction with Somalia’s political and security progress. According to a diplomatic communication reviewed by Reuters, Washington…
Reports of Israel-Somaliland covert security cooperation are mounting. A senior Somali official, speaking with Middle East Eye, has alleged that Israel sent around 50 soldiers to Somaliland shortly after recognising the territory, becoming the first UN member state to do so, and amid the conflict with Iran. The official said Somali intelligence indicated that the troops were deliberately chosen from Israelis of African background, particularly Ethiopian Israelis, to avoid attracting attention and to “blend more easily with local communities.” Israel’s military declined to address the…
The World Cup was meant to be the culmination of Omar Artan’s remarkable rise. His exclusion from it revealed something equally striking, the magnitude of the admiration he had earned at home and globally.…
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. …
Somaliland’s mining sector is attracting rapidly growing investment amid the global race for Africa’s critical minerals, but existing institutional gaps could limit its ability to regulate the industry and sustain its expanding economic potential.…
As Abiy Ahmed recasts Adwa, Axum and Solomon into a theology of power, Ethiopia's past is being repackaged to sanctify a project of national remaking, animated by prophetic myth and carried forward under the spectre of violence.…
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.…
From unity anthems to love songs, Saalax Sanaag is building a musical world rooted in Somalinimo, reminding a divided people that belonging can still be sung into being together.…
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.…
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.…