Somalis celebrate the electoral victory of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Hassan Ali Elmi/AFP via Getty Images
The Somalia waters deals could upset the cordial relations between Ethiopia and Turkey, and put the UAE at odds with Egypt.
Somalia’s president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud with Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in March 2024.
Mustafa Kamaci/Anadolu via Getty Images
All states have limited security capabilities and they generally prioritise them close to home. where it matters.
Somali soldiers at a military training given by the Turkish Armed Forces in Mogadishu.
Ercin Erturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The persistence of the Al-Shabaab terror group has convinced Turkey it needs to provide more active military support in Somalia.
Demonstrators in Somalia protest news of a Red Sea deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland in January 2024.
Abdishukri Haybe/AFP via Getty Images
Ethiopia has maintained strong ties with Somaliland since the 1980s when it supported a rebel movement in the breakaway region.
A Somali soldier controls the crowd at a protest in the capital Mogadishu on Jan.3, 2024.
AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh
Somalia has demanded that a memorandum of understanding – which would see Ethiopia gain access to the Red Sea via a Somaliland port – be ripped up.
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International law provides pathways for landlocked countries to access the sea but this depends almost entirely on striking deals with neighbours.
Berbera port consumes a lot of energy while most city dwellers lack affordable electricity.
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Berbera’s plans for development, including modernisation of its seaport and airport, as well as the special economic zone, all depend on availability and affordability of energy.
Workers next to the Independence Monument, depicting a hand holding a map of the country, in the city of Hargeisa, Somaliland, in September 2021.
Eduardo Soteras/AFP via Getty Images
Whichever way the ongoing armed conflict ends, the loser will be Somaliland president Muse Bihi Abdi.
Somaliland has been assessed as holding commercial quantities of oil and gas. EDUARDO SOTERAS/AFP via
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Any new wealth will create new social, economic and political tensions.
Bosaso has become a major export hub since security improved in Somalia’s Puntland region.
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A modern port raises Puntland’s stake within the fragmented political landscape of Somalia and prevents traders from seeking alternatives.
Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame Said, known as Hadraawi, in 2013.
Screengrab/YouTube
Poet, soldier and critic of postcolonial elites, Hadraawi was the greatest poet of his generation.
Dubai-based port operator DP World and the Government of Somaliland, opened a container terminal at Berbera Port in June 2021. Photo by ED RAM/AFP via
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The project promises improved living condition for citizens and fosters ambition for international recognition.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (centre) is hosted in Cairo by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in June, 2022.
Egyptian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Ethiopia’s direct engagement with Somalia’s regional governments will likely weaken the prospects of restoring a functioning Somali state.
Different types of property relations shape the living conditions of residents in marginalised urban settlements of Hargeisa. EDUARDO SOTERAS/AFP via
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Many urban residents live in dire poverty, lack shelter, and have limited access to basic services.
Somalia is on course to hold the long-awaited presidential election provided that the current pace is maintained.
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The accelerated pace of Somalia’s election has been welcomed at home and abroad – but it comes at a credibility cost.
Somaliland’s newfound strategic importance has been both a gift and a curse.
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The recent flurry of developments is just the world catching up to the reality of Somaliland.
Stability and peace cannot be produced by importing legal experts to hold workshops and advise on laws.
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Shari’a, most certainly, is not just a tool of violent radicals with a particular set of ideas about sexual morality and gender relations.
Supporters of different Somali opposition presidential candidates protest over delayed elections in Mogadishu on February 19, 2021.
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The current tensions have been driven by a delay in elections.The only feasible solution is to ensure that they take place.
Ali Mohamed Gedi (left), then Somali prime minister, speaks during a meeting with clan elders to discuss the surrender of weapons from the Mogadishu community in 2006.
Peter Delarue/AFP via Getty Images
While the insurgent group rebuffs talks on the national stage, it frequently negotiates local issues with the government and other groups through senior clan elders.
Al Eyad/Flickr
The composer, performer and poet was an artistic pioneer of lasting and distinctive gifts, and bottomless stamina. He gave us over 70 years of high-octane Somali musical mastery.