Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. [FILE] The legislative arm of the regional economic bloc, the East African Community, is now fully constituted after the East African Court of Appeal cleared the way for the nine legislators from Somalia to take up their positions in Arusha, Tanzania. Somalia, which joined the regional bloc in 2023 and elected its legislators last year, ran into high winds when the East African Court of Justice suspended the swearing in of the nine MPs-elect last November. Uncover the stories others won’t tell. Subscribe now for exclusive access Continue Reading Unlimited access to all premium content…
Author: By David Okwembah
Somaliland Mission in Kenya premises at Runda, Nairobi on May 29, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard] After the recognition of Somaliland by Israel and this week’s high-profile visit by the Jewish state’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, there has been tittle-tattle that more countries are angling to join in recognising the breakaway republic. Several nations, including India, were singled out as some of the nations that want to officially recognise Somaliland despite the hostility that has come with the Israeli move. Other nations included in the list were Abu Dhabi, Ethiopia and Kenya. While India moved with speed to deny the move, the other nations chose to…
Somaliland Mission premises at Runda, Nairobi on May 29, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard] Israel has caused a brouhaha and diplomatic braggadocio in Somalia and the Horn of Africa after it became the first country in the world to recognize the breakaway republic of Somaliland. While Somaliland leaders were in celebratory mood over the announcement, the response from Somalia was one of utter shock and complete rejection. How dare Israel recognize one of its federal member states as a nation? .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px; z-index: 1; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0),…
Somaliland Mission premises at Runda, Nairobi on May 29, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard] Israel has caused a brouhaha and diplomatic braggadocio in Somalia and the Horn of Africa after it became the first country in the world to recognize the breakaway republic of Somaliland. While Somaliland leaders were in celebratory mood over the announcement, the response from Somalia was one of utter shock and complete rejection. How dare Israel recognize one of its federal member states as a nation? Unlock the Full Story — Join Thousands of Informed Kenyans Today Support Bold Journalism Unlimited access to all premium content Uninterrupted…
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud casts his ballot during local council elections in Mogadishu on December 25, 2025. [AFP] Mogadishu was virtually under lockdown on Thursday as thousands of Somali nationals turned out in their numbers to exercise their democratic right to pick representatives to the regional council for the first time in almost 60 years. The streets were sealed off to vehicles while the airport, port and businesses remained closed as the city residents cast their votes in a historic move. The Christmas Day exercise will see 390 representatives elected for the capital’s 16 districts who will eventually pick…
A fish porter carries tuna carcasses on his shoulders from an open-air beachside market where local fishermen land their catch at dawn in Mogadishu, on November 12, 2025. [AFP] The Horn of Africa and Somalia in particular are in the throes of yet another severe drought situation. The long rains, which run from October to December, have failed once again, exacerbating the situation even more. Last month, the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) declared a drought emergency across the country. Follow The Standard channel on WhatsApp The drought conditions in the country are spreading fast, compounding an already serious…
Muslims hold a march with flags to mark Mawlid al-Nabi, the birth anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad, in Mogadishu, Somalia, on September 4, 2025. [AFP] The electronic visa platform that the Somalia government put in place last month and touted it as the panacea to its immigration and citizenship problem came down tumbling last week. And in the face of its crumbling at the behest of hacksters, thousands of sensitive personal data of travelers who used the system was laid bare for anyone who cared to read to the chagrin of travelers especially in the United States and United…
Mourners react as they gather around the coffin to pay their final respects to Michael Christian, Chairman of Youth for Nyamagana District of Tanzania’s opposition party Chadema, who was killed amid unrest following Tanzania’s presidential election, in Mwanza on November 6, 2025. [AFP] President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was among the two presidents from the East African Community who attended the inauguration and swearing-in of the Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan. The other president from the regional economic bloc was the Burundian president, Evariste Ndayishimiye. The presidents from the other six member states either gave the ceremony a wide berth…
Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency Director General Mustafa Sheikh Ali Dhuxulow during the launch of the eVisa system. [Courtesy, IcaSomalia] The Somali Federal Government on September 1, 2025 through the civil aviation authority introduced its new electronic visa system in what it said was aimed at modernizing immigration, enhance financial transparency and improve security oversight. While rolling out the system, Somalia’s internal security minister Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag it will make it easier for foreigners to apply for a visa from anywhere in the world. A week later, Somaliland’s government moved swiftly to reject the new system reaffirming the Visa on…
Despite carrying the scars of its past, Somalia is advancing toward becoming a regional hub. [AFP] Somalia’s integration into the East African Community (EAC) has gathered momentum with last week’s election of nine members to join the legislative arm that sits in Arusha. The nine were picked at a joint sitting of the bi-cameral federal parliament chaired by the Speaker of the House of the People. The selection of the nine MPs to join the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) is one of the requirements for member states to be integrated in the regional body. Follow The Standard channel on…
When Kenya’s President William Ruto hoste his Somalia counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at State House Nairobi. [PCS] Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and the country’s capital Addis Ababa were busy this week playing host to two Somali leaders in what is shaping to be a realignment of the politics and alliances in the Horn of Africa. The first to arrive in Addis Ababa on Sunday was the President of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. On his departure on Monday, the president of the breakaway republic of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro checked in a few hours later for what was…
Somalis do shopping in the markets and bazaars that open early in the morning on the streets of the capital Mogadishu, Somalia on August 20, 2025. [AFP] While Kenya was mired in the 2027 politics, the health of its former prime minister and ODM leader Raila Odinga, down south Tanzania was counting days to the October 29 general elections, Somalia was celebrating a diplomatic coup it scored last year. The war-torn country which has not known peace and stability since 1991 was basking in the glory of having been elected as a member of the United Nations Security Council…
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Mogadishu’s Police Commissioner Moallim Mahdi have officially registered as voters ahead of General Election slated for May 2026. [Courtesy] Three member states of the East African Community (EAC) are in the throes of a general election that will either birth a new president or give the incumbents a new mandate. Tanzania’s president Samia Suluhu Hassan will know her fate a few days from today when her country goes to the polls on October 29 pick new members of Parliament and she defends her position. In neighbouring Uganda, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will face an acid test…