Heavy fighting broke out on Thursday morning on the southern outskirts of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, after al-Shabaab militants launched a surprise attack on government security forces stationed in the area.

Heavy fighting broke out on Thursday morning on the southern outskirts of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, after al-Shabaab militants launched a surprise attack on government security forces stationed in the area.

A new political front, the Somali Future Council, has been launched in Nairobi by regional leaders and opposition figures, aiming to provide a unified voice during Somalia’s complex political transition.

A court in Somalia’s Nugaal region on Wednesday sentenced Sharmaarke Hussein Yusuf to 25 years in prison for the kidnapping and rape of three women, including two minor sisters, in a case that has gripped the local community.

Kenya has revoked the passports of two senior Somali officials, including the Federal Government's second deputy prime minister and the deputy fisheries minister, sources close to Villa Somalia said on Wednesday, in a move that risks escalating bilateral strains amid a deepening political crisis in Somalia's southern Jubaland region.

Several of President William Ruto’s diplomatic appointees, particularly deputy heads of mission and consuls general, have yet to assume their posts despite being vetted and approved by the National Assembly, exposing apparent coordination gaps between the State House and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.