Somali

Polling stations across Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland opened for a presidential election on Wednesday. The incumbent, President Muse Bihi Abdi, of the ruling Kulmiye party and candidates Abdirahman Irro of the main opposition party Wadan and Faysal Ali Warabe, the leader of the opposition UCID party, are vying for the presidency. Voters started arriving at the polling stations early in the morning to choose their president for the next five years. Polling started at 7 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) and will continue until 6 p.m. The Somaliland National Electoral Commission said over 1 million registered voters are set to participate in the election. The vote comes as regional tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia over Somaliland Red Sea access deal with Ethiopia still remain tense. Somaliland is a former British protectorate in northwestern Somalia that declared independence in 1991, but has received no international recognition.

 Somalia announced on Wednesday that it has apprehended a senior member of the terrorist organization al-Shahaab in the central Galgadud region. The Somali National Army (SNA) apprehended Ali Geelle, a senior al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab ringleader, during a military operation in the central region of Galgadud, the country’s Defense Ministry said in a brief statement. “The arrest, carried out in Galhareeri district, Galgaduud region, also led to the seizure of a vehicle, a firearm, and ammunition,” the ministry stated on X, adding that Geelle was responsible for extortion and the abhorrent practice of recruiting children for the terror outfit. The Somali National Army, backed by local militias, has been fighting al-Shabaab in south-central provinces for the past two and a half years, liberating large swaths of territory, including the strategic coastal town of Haradhere in the Mudug region. Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from al-Shabaab and the Daesh/ISIS terror groups. Since 2007, al-Shabaab has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) — a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council. The terror group has stepped up attacks since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an “all-out war” on the group.

 Somalia’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi met with Mesut Ozcan, the director of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, in the capital Mogadishu late Monday. The two sides discussed enhancing cooperation in the critical areas of diplomatic training and expanding the knowledge base for diplomats. A statement issued by the Somali Foreign Ministry after the meeting said the discussions also delved into fortifying the relationship between the Turkish academy and the Somali Diplomatic Institute, with a “view to elevating the partnership and fostering a robust exchange of experiences and best practices.” It said Fiqi expressed profound gratitude to Türkiye for its steadfast support to Somalia. Ankara has trained more than 80 Somali diplomats over the past 15 years, according to the ministry’s statement. Somalia and Turkey developed their close friendship in 2011 after Turkish President (then Prime Minister) Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a visit to the country – the first non-African leader to do so in over 20 years. Turkey has strong historical ties with Somalia on the principle of “win-win” relations, including more than 150 development aid projects carried out by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) since 2011. Turkey also has its largest embassy in Africa in Mogadishu and built its largest overseas military facility there to train the Somali National Army.

The death toll from a suicide bombing late last week on a crowded beach in the Lido area of the Somali capital Mogadishu rose to 37 on Sunday. “As of now, the number of people killed in the heinous attack stands at 37, while nearly 70 others were wounded,” said Ahmed Abdi, a police officer in Mogadishu who spoke by phone to Anadolu. He said an investigation into the attack is underway, while the government has named a ministerial committee tasked with coordinating the emergency response and support for the wounded. Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, who visited Recep Tayyip Erdogan Hospital in the capital, said security officials and soldiers in charge of the area where the attack took place were arrested due to negligence. “Rest assured, we are taking strict action against those responsible,” Barre said in a brief statement on X. Barre did not elaborate further on how many soldiers and officials were arrested. Lido Beach is frequented by civilians, security officials and businesspeople. The Al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack. The blast was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks so far this year in Somalia, which has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from al-Shabaab and the Daesh/ISIS terror groups. Since 2007, al-Shabaab has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) — a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council. Al-Shabaab has stepped up attacks since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an “all-out war” on the group.

Somalia faces extreme food insecurity due to prolonged droughts and severe flooding, with four million people and nearly two million children at risk of acute malnutrition.