Somalia

Somalia will expel thousands of Ethiopian troops stationed in the country to help with security by the end of the year unless Addis Ababa scraps a disputed port deal with the breakaway region of Somaliland, a senior Somali official said on Monday.

In a significant move to combat terrorism, the United Nations Security Council has sanctioned three leaders of the Al-Shabaab militant group following a request from the Somali government.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the designation of James Swan of the United States as his Acting Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).  

A high-level delegation from the African Union Commission has wrapped up their assessment visit to Somalia by vowing to preserve the hard-won stabilization gains achieved so far, ahead of the exit of the AU peacekeeping troops.

Somalia has earned new money to help it upgrade its security services in what officials said will help combat its perennial problem of Al Shabaab. This week on Tuesday, the European Union (EU) said it had approved €116 million ($117 million) for stabilisation efforts in Somalia via its Political and Security Committee. … This came as the UK announced a contribution of $2.8 million in support of Somali security forces via the UN Support Office in Somalia (Unsos).

Somalia has expelled the Ethiopian ambassador, ordered the closure of two Ethiopian consulates and recalled its own ambassador over Addis Ababa's plan to build a naval base in the breakaway region of Somaliland. 

The announcement comes as Somalia is locked in a fierce dispute with Ethiopia over a maritime deal that Addis Ababa signed with the breakaway region of Somaliland in January -- raising tensions in the Horn of Africa.

Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland is criticizing changes made by the federal parliament to the country’s provisional constitution and announced it is withdrawing recognition for federal government institutions.

Somalia and Turkey recently announced that they would expand the terms of a defence agreement first signed on 8 February 2024 to include the maritime sector. This came as tensions rose between Somalia and landlocked Ethiopia.

The African Union (AU) delegation on Friday wrapped up a five-day working visit to Somalia, reaffirming the AU's commitment to completing the security transition in the country by the end of 2024.