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Articles by Mustafa Osman
The state and the strongman
The Puntland government has finally overcome a challenge it has struggled with since 2010. Its defense force and police took over PSF (Puntland Security Force,) a paramilitary currently backed by the federal government, camps in Galkaio and Bosaso on August 5 and 6, respectively. Puntland’s decisive victory brings as much hope as fear. On the one hand, it promises greater stability as the state edges closer to monopolizing power.
Red Sea Tensions: Somaliland’s Economic and Security Vulnerabilities
On 20 July, Yemen’s Houthi movement announced naval blockade against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Saying it would target the Kingdom’s ports and vessels, as well as any shipments that violated the restrictions imposed on Saudi Arabia. The move comes a week later, after Saudi Arabia carried out airstrikes on Sanaa airport, which the Houthis seized in 2014. In a statement, the Houthis said their action was a response to what they described as a Saudi blockade of Yemen that has lasted for 12 years.
Strange bedfellows: Why Puntland fell in love with Somaliland?
Somaliland has, for the first time since its foundation in 1991, received a signal of appreciation for its course from a part of Somalia. The 35th anniversary of its declaration of separation from the Republic of Somalia was celebrated in Garowe and elsewhere in Puntland. This development has many implications for the future of Somali unity. But it says much more about the identity crisis Puntland finds itself in after 28 years of its establishment.
Tigray fighting rekindles fears of wider war
Renewed fighting in western Tigray has intensified fears of a return to large-scale conflict between Ethiopia’s federal government and Tigrayan forces. The clashes began near Shererina, close to Sheraro and the Sudanese border, and represent one of the gravest challenges to the Pretoria peace agreement that ended the 2020–2022 war. Both sides have accused the other of initiating the confrontation.
Puntland’s 28-year journey
When Puntland marks its twenty-eighth anniversary, the date should be read less as a regional birthday than as a historical argument about how Somalia tried to survive state collapse. Puntland was born after the fall of the central state, after the disintegration of public authority, after the violent contest over Mogadishu, after repeated national reconciliation efforts had failed to generate a durable settlement, and after Somaliland had already announced its separation.
Madobe’s election in South West State fuels Somalia’s wider electoral crisis
On Wednesday, a regional presidential election was held in Somalia’s South West State. Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur “Madobe” was elected president of the regional state in a parliamentary vote in Baidoa, following a contested electoral process marked by opposition boycotts and allegations of federal interference. Madobe, who was still serving as Speaker of Somalia’s federal House of the People at the time of the vote, secured an overwhelming victory in the South West State Assembly.
Is war imminent in Tigray?
In a recent opinion piece, two senior Ethiopian officials raised alarm over the deteriorating situation in northern Ethiopia, particularly in the Tigray region and parts of Amhara. Ridwan Hussein, Director General of Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service, and Getachew Reda, a former critic of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who later became an ally and now serves as a senior adviser on East African affairs to the prime minister, warned that Ethiopia risks being drawn back into war.
A World Cup without the world?
While the days leading up to the FIFA World Cup are usually marked by celebratory welcome ceremonies by host nations, the narrative consuming this year’s build-up has focused on the prohibitive entry conditions imposed by the Trump administration on various players, fans, and match officials.
Somalia’s broken rulebook
Since the establishment of Somalia’s “Third Republic,” political legitimacy has rested less on coercive power than on a shared acceptance of the rules that define lawful authority. This common normative ground has served as the glue binding Somalia’s political elite together. When that consensus is challenged, armed violence is never far out of reach. The armed clashes in Mogadishu on the night of 3 June acutely illustrate this dynamic.
THIRTY8EAST Presents After the Garden, Curated by Ashlee Harrison
Exhibition Views - Photography by Joe Kramm A THIRTY8EAST exhibition exploring pleasure, excess, and consequence through the psychological architecture of Hieronymus Bosch. NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2026 / EINPresswire.com/ -- THIRTY8EAST, founded by curator and advisor Ashlee Harrison, presents After the Garden. The group exhibition reinterprets the psychological structure of Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights through contemporary art and design.
The war on Iran: Houthis and the rising threat in the Horn of Africa
The American–Israeli war on Iran has entered its second week, and its repercussions are already extending beyond Iran itself to the Gulf, the Red Sea, and international shipping lanes. Major shipping companies have begun rerouting their vessels away from the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, disrupting established routes and driving up the costs of transport and insurance.
Flash floods kill over 20 in Kenya’s capital Nairobi
Flash floods have ravaged Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, killing more than 20 people as heavy rains continue to batter the city and other parts of the country. Kenyan President William Ruto on Saturday expressed condolences to families affected by the severe flooding in Nairobi and other regions, saying the disaster has caused “immense distress,” including deaths, displacement, and property damage.
“When constitutional change procedures are contested, political stability suffers.” M. Abdirizak
Somalia, in the literal sense of crisis, has endured a relentless succession of calamities. For more than three decades, the country has been shadowed by a civil war so prolonged that it now resembles an enduring condition rather than a transient affliction. The violence has hollowed its institutions and wearied its people. Hardly had the embers of war and conflict cooled when droughts and famine, in grim procession, laid claim to the country.
The dangers of Somalia’s “new constitution”
On 4 March, Somalia’s parliament voted to finalize the country’s long-stalled and controversial constitutional review process.
Why Somalis now?
In moments of political pressure, economic uncertainty, and social tension, societies often look for someone to blame. It’s easier to point to a visible minority group than to confront the deeper systems that are failing everyone. In Minnesota today, the Somali community has become the latest target of this pattern. Many attacks on Somali Minnesotans originate in bold claims that have no evidentiary basis.
China reboots Kenya mega-projects despite deepening debt crisis
Kenya, in partnership with two Chinese state-owned firms, has broken ground on a $1.5 billion highway expansion project, signaling Beijing’s renewed engagement in large-scale infrastructure development in the country after several years of reduced activity. The project, structured in two phases, will be financed through a mix of debt and equity under a public–private partnership (PPP) model.
Barre complex: Why no one person can save Somalia
The presidential election is about five months away. In other words, we are entering that familiar season when every political figure, old and new, presents himself as Somalia's long-awaited savior. The public, though they do not vote, is often divided over who the true savior is. One thing, however, is sure: whoever is elected turns out not to be the savior. Why do we never find the true savior?
Tanzania turns East amid Post-Election turmoil
Weeks after her re-election in a vote that triggered one of the most severe waves of political repression in the country’s history, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is moving to deepen her country’s partnerships with China and Russia, at a time when relations with Western capitals are experiencing growing tension and criticism of her human rights record.
Tanzania turns East amid Post-Election turmoil
Weeks after her re-election in a vote that triggered one of the most severe waves of political repression in the country’s history, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is moving to deepen her country’s partnerships with China and Russia, at a time when relations with Western capitals are experiencing growing tension and criticism of her human rights record.
Ethiopian Airlines: The African carrier that swims against the tide of losses
As African airlines continue to face recurring crises ranging from liquidation and restructuring to fleet downsizing, Ethiopian Airlines remains a “successful exception” in the continent’s skies, with ongoing fleet and network expansion, strong financial results, and a massive airport project aimed at turning Ethiopia into Africa’s largest aviation hub.
Somaliland Court convicts Quran teacher of Child sexual assault
This week, a high‑profile rape case has captured public attention in Burao and across Somaliland. Local media have identified the perpetrator as Mohamed Jama Hassan, a madrasa Quran teacher, who has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two children. According to a statement from the Office of the Attorney General, Hassan was initially charged with two rape offenses.
Somalia and the perils of premature OPOV
Somalia’s journey toward universal suffrage has been turbulent ever since the country emerged from its transitional government. Successive administrations have repeatedly come to power promising to deliver one-person-one-vote elections and move the country away from the indirect voting system that has been in place for decades.
Somalia and the perils of premature OPOV
Somalia’s journey toward universal suffrage has been turbulent ever since the country emerged from its transitional government. Successive administrations have repeatedly come to power promising to deliver one-person-one-vote elections and move the country away from the indirect voting system that has been in place for decades.
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China reboots Kenya mega-projects despite deepening debt crisis Kenya, in partnership with two Chinese state-owned firms, has broken ground on a $1.5 billion highway expansion project, signaling Beijing’s renewed engagement in large-scale infrastructure development in the country after several years of reduced activity. The project, structured in two phases, will be financed through a mix of debt and equity under a public–private partnership (PPP) model.
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