http://www.hiiraan.com Welcome to Hiiraan Online, your source of news and information about Somalia en-us � 2018 hiiraan.com Fri, 28 Nov 2025 19:33 EDT 5 http://www.hiiraan.com http://www.hiiraan.com//holimages3/hiiraan-online.png 327 99 Welcome to Hiiraan Online, your source of news and information about Somalia http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203765/kenyan_farmers_secure_right_to_share_local_seeds_in_court_ruling.aspx Small-scale farmers in Kenya sang and celebrated on Thursday after a court ruling secured their right to carry on the traditional practice of sharing local seeds. Fri, 28 Nov 2025 13:42 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203764/somalia_joins_global_satellite_organization_in_bid_to_boost_maritime_safety_and_security.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) – Somali government has officially acceded to the Convention on the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), a move described as a major advancement in the country’s efforts to improve maritime safety, security, and technological integration. Fri, 28 Nov 2025 13:26 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203763/south_west_state_president_condemns_illegal_checkpoints_after_traveler_killed_for_two_dollars.aspx Baidoa (HOL) – South West State President Abdiasis Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen has strongly condemned the presence of illegal checkpoints across the region, calling them a major threat to civilian movement and safety. Fri, 28 Nov 2025 05:43 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203762/somali_president_hosts_religious_scholars_praises_their_role_in_countering_extremism_and_guiding_governance.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) – Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday hosted a dinner in honour of the Somali religious scholars who attended the 3rd Somali Scholars Conference, which concluded earlier in the day in Mogadishu. Fri, 28 Nov 2025 05:35 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203761/a_visit_to_somalia_s_crumbling_hospitals_shows_the_toll_of_aid_cuts_and_war.aspx To save the life of his badly malnourished 3-year-old son, farmer Yusuf Bulle had to travel from a remote area of southern Somalia to the capital, Mogadishu, where a rare health unit presented the only hope. Fri, 28 Nov 2025 05:26 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203760/kenya_urges_world_to_share_refugee_burden_as_funding_cuts_bite.aspx Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has urged the international community to step up support for countries hosting refugees, warning that declining funding threatens progress in the region. Fri, 28 Nov 2025 05:22 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203759/kenya_wildlife_service_rejects_wildebeest_migration_concerns_linked_to_luxury_lodge.aspx The Kenya Wildlife Service on Thursday rejected claims that a new Ritz-Carlton luxury lodge was blocking a wildebeest migration corridor between Kenya's Maasai Mara reserve and Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. Fri, 28 Nov 2025 05:17 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203758/banadir_police_chief_orders_crackdown_as_mobile_phone_robberies_surge_in_mogadishu.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) – The Commander of the Banadir Regional Police Force, Mahdi Omar Mumin, on Wednesday chaired a meeting focused on strengthening security in the capital and preventing anti-security activities across Mogadishu. Senior police officers briefed the commander on the latest security developments, including recent incidents reported in various districts. The discussions also covered ongoing and planned operations to curb robberies, particularly the surge in mobile phone thefts carried out by armed groups. Commander Mahdi Omar Mumin instructed the Banadir Police to intensify security measures, enhance vigilance, and take firm action against criminal groups threatening the safety of residents. “The meeting focused on strengthening security, increasing the vigilance of the forces, and preventing activities that could damage the reputation of the Police,” the Banadir Regional Police Force said in a statement. The meeting comes amid rising complaints from residents in several districts over increasing mobile phone robberies and attacks by armed bandits. Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:42 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203757/nisa_detains_suspected_militants_accused_of_planning_attacks_in_mogadishu_and_shabelle_region.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) – The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) has arrested 11 individuals accused of plotting terrorist attacks and conducting espionage against the Somali government and civilians. Thu, 27 Nov 2025 13:26 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203756/farmaajo_urges_somali_leaders_business_community_to_aid_drought_stricken_families.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) - Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has urged Somali business leaders and religious scholars to step up support for drought-affected communities amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:58 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203755/national_guard_soldiers_shot_in_targeted_attack_near_white_house.aspx Two National Guard soldiers were shot and critically wounded on Wednesday in downtown Washington near the White House in what officials described as a targeted ambush, and the suspect was in custody after suffering gunshot wounds during the incident. Thu, 27 Nov 2025 08:37 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203754/u_s_special_forces_join_puntland_in_major_strike_on_isis_hideout_in_balade_valley.aspx Garowe (HOL) - US Special Forces and Puntland counter-terrorism units have carried out a coordinated operation targeting an ISIS hideout in Somalia’s Balade Valley. Thu, 27 Nov 2025 05:22 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203753/trump_says_he_s_barring_south_africa_from_participating_in_next_year_s_g20_summit_near_miami.aspx President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is barring South Africa from participating in the Group of 20 summit next year at his Miami-area club and will stop all payments and subsidies to the country over its treatment of a U.S. government representative at this year’s global meeting. Thu, 27 Nov 2025 05:04 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203752/kenya_to_appeal_regional_court_ruling_that_suspended_eu_trade_deal.aspx Kenya will appeal against a regional court ruling that halted a trade deal with the European Union, Trade Minister Lee Kinyanjui said on Wednesday, adding the ruling imperils $1.56 billion worth of annual exports to the EU. Thu, 27 Nov 2025 04:59 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203751/mbappé_scores_4_psg_hits_5_arsenal_topples_bayern_and_teenage_scorers_shine_in_champions_league.aspx On a wild Champions League night with stellar teenage scorers, Kylian Mbappé also struck four including the second-fastest Champions League hat trick ever to show the old guys have still got it. Thu, 27 Nov 2025 04:53 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203750/al_shabaab_operatives_registering_for_somalia_s_national_id_president_says.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said on Wednesday that members of the extremist group Al-Shabaab are registering for the country’s biometric national identity system, after the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) and Immigration and Citizenship Agency confirmed that militants had been instructed by their leaders to obtain national ID cards. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 21:53 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203749/uganda_bars_new_somali_eritrean_and_ethiopian_refugees_as_aid_funding_falls.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) — Uganda has stopped granting refugee status to asylum seekers from Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia, saying those countries are no longer considered to have active armed conflicts and that dwindling donor funding has made it difficult to support new arrivals. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 19:58 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203748/somali_jubbaland_forces_close_in_on_jamaame_al_shabaab_s_key_command_base.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali federal forces and Jubbaland regional troops have advanced to within seven kilometers of Jamaame, a major al-Shabaab stronghold in Lower Juba, in what officials say could be the most significant territorial move against the group in the region in more than a decade. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 18:53 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203747/somalia_interpol_agree_to_deepen_counterterrorism_and_crime_fighting_cooperation.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s Minister of Internal Security, Abdullahi Sheikh Ismaaciil Fartaag, met with Interpol President Ahmed Nasser on Wednesday in Marrakech, Morocco, to discuss expanding cooperation on cross-border crime, counterterrorism, and access to global security intelligence. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 18:16 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203746/oman_beat_somalia_4_1_on_penalties_to_reach_fifa_arab_cup_group_stage.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) — Oman advanced to the main round of the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 after defeating a determined Somalia 4–1 in a penalty shootout on Wednesday at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, following a goalless draw across 90 tense minutes. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 17:51 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203745/somali_businessman_shot_dead_in_south_africa_amid_surge_in_targeted_attacks.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) - South African bandits killed a Somali businessman, identified as Qaasin Abdi Hassan, in Philippi, a suburb of Cape Town, on Tuesday night. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:47 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203744/banaadir_court_sentences_woman_to_six_years_for_financing_al_shabaab_operations.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) - The Banadir Regional Court has handed down a severe sentence to Maryan Mohamed Nur after the Office of the Attorney General charged her with financing terrorism, illegal money laundering, and involvement in financial operations linked to the Al-Shabaab insurgency. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 11:10 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203743/trump_administration_orders_review_of_biden_era_refugees_memo_shows.aspx U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has ordered a broad review of all refugees who entered under former President Joe Biden, an internal U.S. government memo seen by Reuters said, an unprecedented move that could reopen cases of thousands who sought U.S. protection. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 05:04 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203742/somali_defense_minister_registers_to_vote_calling_move_a_historic_step_toward_democracy.aspx Galkacyo (HOL) - Somali Minister of Defence Ahmed Moallim Fiqi on Tuesday formally registered as a voter at the National Independent Electoral Commission centre in Galkacyo, Mudug region. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 05:00 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203741/elderly_man_killed_in_suspected_clan_revenge_attack_on_hiiraan–middle_shabelle_border.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) - Armed men killed an elderly man on Tuesday in a village located between Xalfooley and El-Baraf, along the border of the Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 04:51 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203740/former_british_soldier_wanted_in_kenya_for_murder_refused_bail.aspx A former British soldier wanted in Kenya over the murder of a woman near a British army training camp more than a dozen years ago was refused bail on Monday pending extradition proceedings. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 04:36 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203739/chelsea_beats_10_man_barcelona_3_0_as_guardiola_s_much_changed_city_loses_in_champions_league.aspx On a night of changes, blunders and a glorious individual goal by 18-year-old Estevão, defensive lapses cost Manchester City and Barcelona dearly as both teams slumped to notable losses in the Champions League on Tuesday. Wed, 26 Nov 2025 04:31 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203738/puntland_police_officer_and_rickshaw_driver_killed_in_crash_involving_presidential_guard.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) - A Puntland police officer and a rickshaw rider were killed in a car accident in central Garowe on Monday night. Tue, 25 Nov 2025 14:43 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203737/somali_intelligence_forces_kill_ssenior_al_shabaab_bomb_maker_in_ower_shabelle_region.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) - The elite Gaashaan Special Forces of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) have killed a key Al-Shabaab commander responsible for bomb attacks and insecurity in the Lower Shabelle region. Tue, 25 Nov 2025 12:47 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203736/somali_pm_heads_to_morocco_for_medays_forum_amid_global_geopolitical_shifts.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) - Somali Prime Minister Hamsa Abdi Barre departed for Morocco on Tuesday morning to participate in the 17th edition of the Medays International Forum. Tue, 25 Nov 2025 07:46 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203735/somali_foreign_minister_meets_turkish_chinese_envoys_to_boost_bilateral_cooperation.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) - Somalia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Abdisalam Abdi Ali, on Monday held separate meetings with the Ambassadors of Türkiye and China in Mogadishu to discuss strengthening bilateral ties. Tue, 25 Nov 2025 04:37 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203734/sudan_s_top_general_rejects_us_led_ceasefire_proposal_calling_it_the_worst_yet.aspx Sudan’s top general rejected a ceasefire proposal provided by U.S.-led mediators in a blow to efforts to stop a devastating war that has gripped the African country for over 30 months. Tue, 25 Nov 2025 04:30 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203733/ethiopian_volcano_erupts_after_lying_dormant_for_12_000_years.aspx A long-dormant volcano in northern Ethiopia has erupted, sending plumes of ash across the Red Sea towards Yemen and Oman. Tue, 25 Nov 2025 04:28 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203732/trump_administration_plans_to_review_refugees_admitted_under_biden_memo_obtained_by_the_ap_says.aspx The Trump administration plans a review of all refugees admitted to the U.S. during the Biden administration, according to a memo obtained Monday by The Associated Press, in the latest blow against a program that has for decades welcomed people fleeing war and persecution into the country. Tue, 25 Nov 2025 04:15 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203731/minnesota_leaders_reject_trump_s_claim_to_end_somali_tps_as_community_rallies_for_clarity.aspx MINNEAPOLIS, Minn (HOL) — Minnesota officials, immigration attorneys, and Somali American leaders urged calm and denounced what they called “dangerous misinformation” after former President Donald Trump claimed in a social media post that he had immediately terminated Temporary Protected Status protections for Somali nationals. Legal experts confirmed that TPS remains unchanged and cannot be revoked through a presidential announcement. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 21:51 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203730/acss_al_shabaab_advances_threaten_mogadishu_as_somalia_s_federal_system_weaken.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia faces a realistic risk that al Shabaab could seize Mogadishu and turn the country into a jihadist-ruled state, as the federal government loses control outside the capital, the African Union mission runs out of money and political leaders tear up the federal bargain, a new security study warns Mon, 24 Nov 2025 21:28 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203729/how_minneapolis_somali_community_became_an_important_source_of_support_for_mayor_jacob_frey.aspx Frey’s top challenger was the son of Somali immigrants. But Frey has been running with East Africans for decades. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 19:31 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203728/somaliland_faces_education_emergency_as_drought_displaces_teachers_and_students.aspx Hargeisa (HOL) — Severe drought has shut down more than 150 schools across Somaliland, disrupting classes for at least 45,000 children as families abandon rural villages in search of water and grazing land, education officials said. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 19:17 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203727/farmaajo_claims_somalia_worse_off_than_civil_war_years_as_hassan_sheikh_highlights_security_gains.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and former President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo delivered sharply contrasting assessments of Somalia’s future within hours of each other this week, underscoring growing political debate over stability, security and the rising cost of living. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 18:26 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203726/somalia_mourns_banaadiri_music_icon_maryan_nasir_ali_dead_at_67.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali singer Maryan Nasir Ali, a renowned voice in Banaadiri music and one of the most influential artists of Somalia’s cultural era in the 1980s, died Saturday in Mogadishu after a prolonged illness, according to family members and colleagues. She was 67. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 17:51 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203725/trump_s_tps_remark_sparks_fear_legal_debate_and_community_response_in_minnesota.aspx MINNEAPOLIS, Minn — Somali American families and community leaders in Minnesota are expressing fear and anger after President Donald Trump claimed he was “terminating, effective immediately,” Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in the state, even as legal experts and federal officials say the program remains in force and cannot be ended by social media post alone. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 17:36 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203724/teacher_sentenced_to_14_years_for_raping_two_children_in_burao.aspx Hargeisa (HOL) — The Office of the Attorney General of Somaliland has released a detailed report on sexual assault cases that occurred in April in the city of Burao, involving a Quran teacher who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 17:21 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203723/puntland_restricts_night_travel_to_stop_isis_resupply_in_baallade_valley.aspx Garowe (HOL) — Puntland authorities have imposed a nighttime curfew and tightened movement controls in areas surrounding the Baallade valley as part of a military operation to cut off supply routes to ISIS-linked militants active in the region. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:16 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203722/somali_troops_destroy_al_shabaab_mines_and_extortion_posts_near_afgooye.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali government forces have dismantled multiple explosive devices and militant checkpoints planted by Al-Shabaab on civilian roads near Afgooye in Lower Shabelle, officials said Monday, in a major operation aimed at securing public transport routes and disrupting the group’s financial networks. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:09 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203721/only_somali_security_forces_allowed_to_carry_guns_minister_says_after_public_uproar.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s State Minister for Defence has clarified that only government security forces have the legal authority to carry weapons, dismissing any suggestion that Al-Shabaab or clan-based militias are allowed to be armed. The statement followed widespread public backlash after comments he made were interpreted as legitimizing Al-Shabaab’s possession of weapons. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 16:00 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203720/border_closure_choking_northeastern_kenya_trade_mps_urge_ruto_to_act.aspx NAIROBI, Kenya (HOL) — Lawmakers from Kenya’s Northeastern region are renewing calls for the swift reopening of the Kenya–Somalia border, warning that the 14-year closure has crippled local economies, disrupted cross-border markets and intensified frustration among residents who rely on trade for their livelihoods. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:27 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203719/somalia_seeks_to_prosecute_lawmakers_accused_of_arming_clan_militias.aspx Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s Military Court is preparing a request to the Federal Parliament to lift the immunity of several lawmakers accused of supporting clan militias involved in deadly violence in Lower Shabelle, in what could mark a significant test of legal accountability for elected officials. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 15:06 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203718/somalia_u_17_s_calm_precision_and_structure_hint_at_footballing_shift_after_3–0_win_over_rwanda.aspx ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Tournament football, at youth level especially, is as much about learning composure and identity as it is about results. On a breezy afternoon in Addis Ababa, Somalia’s under-17 side, a team not traditionally associated with tactical refinement or tournament longevity, offered a glimpse of both. Their 3–0 victory over Rwanda did more than keep their CECAFA semifinal hopes alive; it hinted at a structure, a cohesion, a sense of purpose that has too often eluded Somali football at all levels. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 14:53 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203717/mogadishu_police_arrest_couple_accused_of_torturing_13_year_old_girl.aspx Garowe (HOL) — Puntland security forces have arrested a suspected ISIS logistics operative accused of coordinating supplies, communications and intelligence support for militants based in the Al Miskaad Mountains, authorities said on Monday. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 14:32 EDT http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/Nov/203716/isis_logistics_lifeline_disrupted_as_puntland_forces_arrest_key_operative.aspx Garowe (HOL) — Puntland security forces have arrested a suspected ISIS logistics operative accused of coordinating supplies, communications and intelligence support for militants based in the Al Miskaad Mountains, authorities said on Monday. Mon, 24 Nov 2025 14:22 EDT