Hargeisa (HOL) — Taiwan and Somaliland signed a landmark coast guard cooperation agreement on Thursday to bolster maritime security and expand blue economy initiatives, marking a deepening of unofficial diplomatic ties between two unrecognized governments seeking broader global partnerships.

The road from Garowe, the capital of Puntland statelet in northern Somalia, to the port of Bosaso runs through territory occupied by two of the world’s most notorious jihadist groups (see map). In the remote mountains to the east is an outpost of Islamic State (IS). To the west is al-Shabab, al-Qaeda’s richest and most lethal affiliate. For the past eight months local forces from Puntland, backed with air strikes by America and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have been waging an all-out war against IS. A similar offensive against al-Shabab may begin soon.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (HOL) — Derrick Thompson was sentenced Thursday to 58 years and eight months in prison for a 2023 high-speed crash in Minneapolis that killed five Somali American women, a tragedy that devastated one of the largest Somali diaspora communities in the United States.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Qatar will host a high-level ministerial summit on Sunday aimed at rallying international support for Somalia’s stability, development, and unity, as part of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Somalia Contact Group.

Nairobi (HOL) — Former Somali lawmaker and deputy parliamentary speaker Mohamed Omar Dalha was detained for nearly three hours on Thursday at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, in an incident reportedly tied to his past defence of Somalia’s territorial claims in a high-profile maritime dispute with Kenya.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Security forces in Somalia’s Galmudug state killed at least nine Al-Shabaab militants, including senior commanders, and destroyed a militant base during a coordinated operation in the Mudug region late Wednesday, regional officials confirmed.

Bosaso (HOL) — Puntland regional government has confirmed that a group of local fishermen briefly boarded the MV Sea World after the vessel experienced technical issues off the Bareda coast in the Ras Asayr region, raising concerns about stolen weapons before Puntland security forces intervened.

Garowe (HOL) — At least two Garowe local government tax officials were killed and three others seriously injured after a Puntland security officer opened fire on a Brobax vehicle they were boarding in the city on Monday.

Doha (HOL) — Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi met on Wednesday with Somalia’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ali Mohamed Omar, who is currently visiting the Gulf nation.

Maxaas, Somalia (HOL) — At least four Al-Shabab fighters were killed Wednesday in a clash with Ma’awisleey forces near Maxaas, a town in central Somalia’s Hiiraan region, as local militias step up operations to reclaim territory from the insurgent group.

Beled Hawo, Somalia (HOL) — Heavy fighting erupted Tuesday in the southern town of Beled Hawo between Somali federal forces and troops aligned with the Jubaland administration, leaving multiple people dead or wounded, including civilians caught in the crossfire.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Police in Mogadishu have arrested a man accused of violently assaulting his wife just days after her arrival from the Netherlands, in a case that has sparked public outrage and renewed calls to protect women’s rights in Somalia.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali federal government has called on the Puntland regional administration to immediately and unconditionally release the Sea World, a Comoros-flagged cargo vessel intercepted while transporting military equipment and commercial goods to Mogadishu under a bilateral defense agreement with Türkiye.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdisalan Abdi Ali, has called on the Somali diaspora to increase their support for the Somali National Army (SNA) in an effort to strengthen national security and promote stability.

Geneva (HOL) — Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency (ICA) and Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) have signed a new cooperation agreement to improve immigration services and enhancing border security systems.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s Ministry of Internal Security has accused Jubbaland regional leader Ahmed Mohamed Islam, widely known as Ahmed Madobe, of orchestrating a deadly attack against federal forces in the contested town of Beled Hawo, in the Gedo region, on Tuesday.

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Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s federal government has strongly condemned members of the British Parliament for supporting Somaliland’s bid for independence, warning that foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs threatens national sovereignty and risks destabilizing ongoing state-building efforts.

Mogadishu (HOL) — In a modest studio tucked behind a quiet alleyway in Somalia’s capital, Masla Abdi Deir is quietly staging a creative revolution.

Mogadishu (HOL) — A Somali-led study has used machine learning to identify age, childbirth history, and access to health care as the strongest predictors of whether women want more children, insights that could reshape family planning efforts in one of the world’s highest-fertility countries.

Beled Hawo (HOL) — Heavy fighting erupted Tuesday in the southern border town of Beled Hawo after the Somali federal government deployed Abdirashid Janan, a controversial former Jubbaland security minister, as the new regional intelligence chief, triggering a fierce response from Jubbaland forces who later claimed full control of the town.

Hargeisa (HOL) — Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro on Tuesday declared a national emergency and ordered the immediate launch of emergency relief operations after severe drought conditions threatened lives and livelihoods across several regions, particularly Awdal and Salal in the country’s west.

Hargeisa (HOL) — Somaliland and Taiwan are poised to sign a maritime cooperation agreement this week, bolstering their diplomatic relationship with a focus on regional security and coastal defence while deepening a relationship that continues to draw sharp criticism from Somalia and China.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Lawmakers from Somalia’s National Salvation Council have warned that months-long talks between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the opposition have failed to yield progress, deepening the country’s political crisis and risking national instability.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s Gaashan Special Forces, operating under the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), carried out a targeted operation Monday in the Dhanaane area of the Lower Shabelle region, destroying a house used by al-Shabaab to store explosives.

Kismayo (HOL) — A military court in Somalia’s Jubbaland State has sentenced four women found guilty of providing intelligence to al-Shabaab militants operating in the country.

Bosaso (HOL) — Authorities in Somalia’s Puntland State have reported the presence of another Comoros-flagged vessel off the coast of the Bareedo district in the Raascayr region—near the same location where a previous ship carrying military equipment was recently intercepted.

The Iranian and Russian naval forces will launch a three-day joint maritime exercise in the Caspian Sea starting Monday.

Bosaso (HOL) — Security forces in Somalia’s northern Puntland region have intercepted a cargo vessel allegedly carrying Turkish military equipment to the capital, Mogadishu, raising new questions about Somalia’s maritime governance and arms control.

Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali national army troops, backed by allied clan militias, have killed more than 15 al-Shabaab fighters, including key operatives, in recent military operations across four regions: Galgaduud, Lower Shabelle, Lower Juba, and Middle Shabelle.

Nairobi (HOL) — At least three Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers were killed and seven others injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack on Tuesday, July 15, in the Badaah area along the Kiunga-Sankuri road in Lamu County.

Darwin Nunez scored a hat-trick as Liverpool beat Stoke City 5-0 in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Kirkby.

The Kenyan rights activist Boniface Mwangi is accused of “facilitation of terrorist acts” during protests that rocked the country last month, investigators said on Sunday, a day after he was arrested.

A vehicle rammed into a crowd of people waiting to enter a performance venue along a busy boulevard in Los Angeles early Saturday, injuring 30 people and leading bystanders to attack the driver, authorities said.

Hargeisa (HOL) — Somaliland has renewed its criticism of the United Nations’ 2023 decision to lift a decades-long arms embargo on Somalia, arguing the move has destabilized the region, after Puntland authorities seized a vessel allegedly transporting weapons last week off the coast of northeastern Somalia.