#Yemen says oil tanker hijacked off Shabwa coast, diverted toward #Somali waters
Addis Abeba - An oil tanker was hijacked off Yemen’s southern coast and is being steered toward Somali waters, Yemen’s coast guard said on Saturday, according to Reuters.
The coast guard said unidentified armed men boarded the M/T EUREKA tanker off Shabwa province, seized control of the vessel, and redirected it toward the Gulf of Aden in the direction of Somalia. Authorities added that the ship’s location has been identified and efforts are underway to track it, recover the vessel, and ensure the safety of its crew.
The incident comes amid a renewed surge in maritime insecurity in the region. Earlier this week, a European Union naval mission warned that the ongoing war in Iran is contributing to a spike in piracy off Somalia’s coast.
At least three hijackings were confirmed in the past week alone, with pirates boarding two cargo vessels and a tanker.
https://www.facebook.com/share/18nGoy1Rd3/?mibextid=wwXIfr
#Somali president orders urgent drought response as famine fears grow
Somali President #Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday ordered all government institutions to prioritise emergency drought response after visiting the National Disaster Management Agency’s emergency operations centre.
The president received a detailed briefing from agency officials on the worsening drought, including the hardest-hit areas, displacement, environmental degradation and reported loss of life. Officials warned the crisis had reached a critical stage and risked tipping into famine if urgent action is not taken.
Mohamud called on government officials, Somali business leaders, humanitarian organisations and international partners to unite in responding to the growing humanitarian emergency and to prevent further human suffering.
He also instructed the country’s financial authorities to exempt from taxes all aid, donations and....
https://shabellemedia.com/somali-president-orders-urgent-drought-response-as-famine-fears-grow/
‘Sharing is off the table’ as #drought reshapes the lives of #Ethiopia’s pastoralists
Pastoralists in Ethiopia’s #Somali region say that worsening drought is eroding traditional systems of sharing that once helped communities survive.
Historically, Somali pastoralists survived drought through strong social networks. These Indigenous climate adaptations were built on an intricate system of mutual aid.
One of the most important systems is known as Gergar, a form of social insurance in which families who lose livestock receive animals from relatives and neighbors to help rebuild their herds.
“When people used to lose livestock, others would help them,” says Mohamed Abdi, a lifelong pastoralism advocate and director at Jijiga University’s Institute of Pastoral and Agro-Pastoral Development Studies. “We would move to relatives or sub clan areas, and they shared water and pasture with us.”
https://news.mongabay.com/2026/04/sharing-is-off-the-table-as-drought-reshapes-the-lives-of-ethiopias-pastoralists/
News: #Somali political groups announce formation of new alliance, declare end to engagement with federal government
Three Somali political organizations have announced the formation of a new alliance, the Somali People’s Alliance for Self-Determination (#SPAS), declaring what they described as the end of restraint and engagement with Ethiopia’s federal government.
In a joint declaration issued on 18 January in Jigjiga, the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF), the Congress for Somali Cause (CSC), and the Somali Regional Democratic Alliance (SRDA) said the alliance aims to serve as a unified political, diplomatic, and civic platform to “consolidate Somali political agency” and advance what they called the collective rights and political future of the Somali people.
The groups argued that the incorporation of Somali territories into the Ethiopian state occurred during the colonial-era “Scramble for Africa” and subsequent historical processes that, they...
Read more: https://addisstandard.com/?p=54800
Colonization of Africa
#Belgian soldiers holding a #Somali child above a fire roasting him alive in Mogadishu! 1993
#Western
https://t.me/YediotNewsChat
When Identity Becomes a Political Weapon: Targeting People in the Age of Populist Spectacle. Read.
https://borkena.com/2025/12/03/somali-when-identity-becomes-a-political-weapon-targeting-people-in-the-age-of-populist-spectacle/#identity#politics#Somali
#Somali forces reopen key Mogadishu–Baidoa route as defense minister signals intensified offensive
Minister of Defense of the Federal Government of Somalia, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, has announced that government forces have fully secured the strategic road linking #Mogadishu and #Baidoa, a major breakthrough in ongoing military operations.
In an interview with national television, the Minister said the Somali National Army successfully cleared and reopened the route earlier this week after swiftly dislodging militant fighters from key positions.
“The road is now safe for civilian movement, restoring vital connectivity between the capital and the Bay region”, He said.
He stated that the armed forces have regained strong operational capacity and are now able to conduct precise offensives in remaining militant-held areas. Recent operations include preemptive strikes and a surprise attack on....
https://www.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02MvxWBnGmjHxoqi12Tii5cZDWqSXj1gLp14Nf3vXPFcpnhRKdMiLn6ho3nLc3pPNul
#Somali tuk-tuk drivers protest fuel hikes since war
Hundreds of #tuk-tuk drivers blocked a main road in the Somali capital #Mogadishu on Wednesday to protest increased fuel prices caused by the war in the #Middle_East.
Petrol prices have doubled in the city from around $0.60 to $1.25 since the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on February 28.
Like many oil-importing countries, Somalia is feeling the effects of surging global oil prices as Iran's retaliatory strikes have targeted its Gulf neighbours and shipping through the vital Strait of Hormuz.
"The federal government must intervene in this matter. We are facing livelihood problems as the prices of fuel are increasing every day," Ali Yare, one of the tuk-tuk drivers, told AFP.
"The merchants are increasing the prices to take advantage of the conflict in the Middle East, and they have no regard for others'......
https://www.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02D1j73MwKTv8YLDKvanzt9azaSHxC3GgPJV4Dh8x2hppcNHqW4ytQVtp3iY9GKAdul
#Somalia: #Southwest President Laftagareen resigns from Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's JSP Party
Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen has resigned from the Justice and Solidarity Party (#JSP), led by #Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, in the latest sign of escalating tensions between his administration and the federal government.
Laftagareen, who had been serving as deputy chairman of the JSP, announced his resignation on March 18, 2026.
“I, President of Southwest State H.E. Abdiaziz Laftagareen, resign as Deputy Chairman of the JSP effective today, March 18, 2026. I cannot support unconstitutional actions that weaken our unity. My commitment remains to Somalia’s unity, democracy and the rule of law,” he said in a statement.
The regional leader argued that Somalia’s only legitimate constitutional framework remains the 2012 provisional constitution,....
https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2026/Mar/204696/southwest_president_laftagareen_resigns_from_hassan_sheikh_mohamuds_jsp_party.aspx
News: #Somali Federal forces seize key installations in #Baidoa as political tensions between #Mogadishu, #Southwest_State escalate
Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF), accompanied by allied militias, took control of the town’s police station, major business centers, and key installations after entering Baidoa without major clashes.
Earlier on Monday, President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed warned against federal military intervention in the region.
“Any attack on Baidoa or South West State territory will be met with an appropriately severe military response,” he said in a statement posted on his official X account on March 30. “I urge President Hassan Sheikh to use the remainder of his short time in office to not spill Somali blood but help find a solution for a credible election process.”
https://addisstandard.com/?p=56188
#US judge pauses termination of deportation protections for some #Somali immigrants
A U.S. court ruling in #Massachusetts Friday temporarily paused the looming termination of Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Somalia.
U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs’ ruling said there would be “weighty” consequences if Somalia’s #TPS designation is allowed to expire Tuesday.
Advocates filed an emergency motion in federal court seeking to pause the termination after the #Trump administration promised to end the designation last month during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, where many Somalis live .
“Over one thousand people will face ‘a myriad of grave risks,’ including detention and deportation, physical violence if removed to Somalia, and forced separation from family members,” the ruling said.
Burroughs said implementing an....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2026/03/13/trump-immigration-somalia-temporary-protected-status-ruling/08887e30-1f4a-11f1-a29c-fd43da9a479a_story.html
#Somalia rejects claims of illegal #Chinese fishing, says vessels properly licensed
Somalia’s federal government has rejected claims that Chinese fishing vessels are operating illegally in its waters, insisting that the ships hold valid licenses issued by the Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy.
In a statement Sunday, the ministry said the vessels are operating in compliance with #Somali law and international maritime regulations, describing the arrangement as part of a longstanding strategic partnership between #Mogadishu and #Beijing.
“All licensed vessels operate legally under official permits issued by the Federal Government of Somalia,” the ministry said, adding that Chinese companies have respected Somalia’s sovereignty and maritime governance framework.
The statement comes amid renewed scrutiny of foreign fishing activity off Somalia’s coast. A recent ......
https://www.hiiraan.com/security4/2026/Mar/204670/somalia_rejects_claims_of_illegal_chinese_fishing_says_vessels_properly_licensed.aspx