Somalia

Somali security authorities announced that nearly 10,000 police officers will be deployed to secure local council elections in the capital, Mogadishu, scheduled for December 25.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has described relations between Somalia and China as historic, strong, and firmly rooted in mutual respect and sustained cooperation spanning 65 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties.

The Puntland State Minister for the Presidency, Abdifatah Mohamed Abdinur, has urged Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to positively engage with the outcomes of the Somali Future Council conference, which concluded in Kismayo on Saturday.

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) carried out airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab militants in Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region on December 18, 2025, according to an official statement.

The National Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (NIEBC) has deployed ballot boxes to 523 polling centers across Mogadishu’s 16 districts in preparation for the Banadir local council elections scheduled for 25 December.

Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, said his administration is ready to listen to views and decisions from the ongoing Kismayo Conference, organized by opposition leaders, “provided they adhere to Somalia’s governance system and constitution.”

More than 55,000 Somalis have crossed into Ethiopia after a severe drought hit the country following the failure of the October–December 2025 Deyr rains, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said.

Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni has called on Somalia’s federal leadership and political actors to heed the advice of Somali intellectuals, warning that continued disregard could lead to political chaos and threaten national unity.