Author: Abdihakim Siyad

Under intense and sustained international pressure, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has taken a dramatic and politically consequential step by agreeing to allow heavily armed regional forces from Jubaland and Puntland to enter Mogadishu, a move that underscores both the depth of the country’s electoral crisis and the limits of federal authority in moments of acute political confrontation. The decision, which permits the two regional presidents to arrive in the capital accompanied by up to 40–50 armed guards each, with no clear restrictions on the weapons they may carry, represents a sharp reversal from the federal government’s position just a…

Somalia’s recent political standoff, which saw Puntland and Jubbaland delegations barred from landing in Mogadishu due to security concerns, is a stark reminder of a chronic challenge, the country’s leaders too often rely on external actors to mediate disputes that should be resolved internally. The episode at Aden Adde International Airport, while dramatic, is symptomatic of a deeper problem the inability of Somali political actors to reach consensus and build trust without foreign pressure.  The federal government’s decision to turn back flights carrying security personnel for Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and Jubbaland President Ahmed Madobe has been defended legally,…

The escalating tension surrounding Iran is more than a bilateral dispute; it is a multi-layered regional challenge that involves the United States, Gulf countries, and key regional players such as Turkey and Qatar. In recent weeks, developments have revealed a delicate dance of diplomacy, influence, and strategic maneuvering aimed at either averting or preparing for conflict. Reports indicate that Saudi Arabia has advised the U.S. to carry out a potential military strike against Iran, reflecting its deep anxiety over Tehran’s regional influence. Meanwhile, Turkey and Qatar have taken an active role in mediating and steering the situation toward negotiation rather…

Somalia once again finds itself at a familiar and dangerous crossroads where political mistrust, contested authority, and security anxieties collide at the very heart of the state. The federal government’s decision to turn back aircraft carrying security personnel for the presidents of Puntland and Jubbaland has triggered one of the most serious political standoffs in recent years, pushing an already fragile national dialogue process to what several actors have described as “ground zero.” What makes this episode particularly consequential is not only the dramatic nature of the events planes ordered to return mid-air, accusations of assassination attempts, and emergency statements…

Leadership, by its very nature, is not ceremonial. It is not decorative, and it is certainly not a license for comfort while the people suffer. Leadership is a trust heavy, moral, and unforgiving especially in regions where survival itself is a daily struggle. Few places in Kenya embody this reality more starkly than Mandera County today. As the county grapples with one of the worst droughts in recent memory, Mandera Governor Mohamed Khalif’s appearance before the Senate County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) on January 30, 2026, laid bare a disturbing disconnect between public spending and public suffering. What unfolded was not merely…

The decision by Somalia’s Council of Ministers to remove General Odowaa Yusuf Raage as Commander of the Somali National Army (SNA) and replace him with Turkey-trained General Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamud is far more than a routine military reshuffle. It is a political signal, a geopolitical statement, and a strategic turning point that reflects the evolving balance of power inside Somalia’s fragile state architecture. While the official narrative frames the move as an internal administrative decision aimed at strengthening security, the broader context suggests a deeper convergence between Somalia’s military leadership and Ankara’s long-term strategic ambitions in the Horn of Africa.…

When Donald J. Trump publicly announced that a “massive Armada” was heading toward Iran armed, energized, and prepared to unleash “speed and violence” if necessary the world was reminded of how fragile global peace can be when diplomacy is replaced by spectacle and threats. This was not merely another social media post. It was a strategic message wrapped in political bravado, delivered in a moment of deep mistrust, unresolved history, and raw geopolitical tension. In international politics, words matter especially when spoken by a sitting president of the world’s most powerful military. Trump’s message carried multiple layers. On the surface, it was framed…

In Mandera, a goat that sold for Sh10,000 just months now goes for as little as Sh1,000 if a buyer can even be found. That single fact captures the scale of a humanitarian disaster unfolding across North Eastern Kenya, where drought has stripped livelihoods bare, erased years of resilience, and pushed entire communities to the edge. This is no longer a warning. It is a full-blown emergency happening in real time. Across Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and neighbouring pastoral zones, the land has turned unforgiving. Water pans are dry, grazing fields are dust bowls, and the animals that once sustained families are…

The drought ravaging North Eastern Kenya is no longer a slow-moving disaster waiting for attention. It is an emergency unfolding in real time, dismantling livelihoods, breaking families, and pushing already vulnerable communities toward irreversible loss. Across Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and surrounding pastoral areas, the signs of collapse are everywhere in markets, in homes, in empty water pans, and in the bodies of animals that once sustained entire households. In Mandera, a goat that sold for Sh10,000 only days ago now struggles to fetch Sh1,000, if it can be sold at all. This dramatic price crash is not just a market fluctuation;…

The dramatic scenes that unfolded inside Somalia’s Federal Parliament today were not merely an episode of legislative disorder, they were a loud political verdict. When lawmakers ripped apart the parliamentary agenda, traded blows on the floor, and forced the Speaker to abruptly adjourn the sitting, the institution of parliament itself sent a signal that the constitutional process under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has reached a dangerous breaking point. What played out was not spontaneous chaos. It was the eruption of long-simmering political resentment, mistrust, and unresolved federal tensions that have been building since the president pushed through earlier constitutional amendments…