May 4th brought another strike in Somalia against ISIS. This is the 62nd declared strike this year and 63rd by our tally which includes one reported strike that AFRICOM has denied. www.newamerica.org/insights/ame...

Episode 2 of the Beyond Series explores digital connection and mobility across conflict-affected borderlands. @petechonka.bsky.social reflects on how social media shapes migration dreams and risks for youth in Hargeisa. Listen: tinyurl.com/BeyondXCEPT2 More about this project: xcept.riftvalley.net

Notice the #Puntland soldiers wearing prominent #Somalia flag patches. Despite not recognizing the federal govt in Mogadishu, Puntland still considers itself proudly part of Somalia. Last year we debunked misconceptions that it had declared #independence: www.polgeonow.com/2025/06/punt... #geography

Good video report from frontlines of still-ongoing #Puntland vs. #ISIS war in northern #Somalia by Bastien Renouil, @willswanson.bsky.social, and @artefr.bsky.social for @france24.com. (Apparently shot last Nov.) www.france24.com/en/somalia-i... #geopolitics #conflictzone #security #armedgroups

POTUS saying the quiet part out loud as he usurps Congress’s war powers to wage an unlawful and unnecessary conflict against Iran. Word games aside, congressional authorization was necessary and this war is flagrantly illegal.

It was not hard to forecast this hybrid, very low-key wind of change — we predicted how her government was gonna be in this 2023 issue www.tandfonline.com/toc/rita20/1...

Dr Firehiwot Sintayehu reflects on how women in academia remain underrepresented and often excluded from key research and publishing spaces. As part of the lead-up to #SHECONF 2026, #EWNET is featuring voices from across the network. Conference details: riftvalley.net/events/sheco...

Quillette magazine article stealing our Sudan control map. It's credited to avoid plagiarism, but using it without our permission is still (illegal) copyright violation, and a well-known publication should really know better. #Sudan #geopolitics #geography #copyright #iplaw #maps #mapping

The original map and original accompanying article on our site: www.polgeonow.com/2024/06/suda...

AFRICOM has announced its 45th strike in Somalia of 2026. www.newamerica.org/insights/ame...

Nice piece from @newhumanitarian.bsky.social summarizing what's happened in #Tigray since 2022 ceasefire and what scenarios look likely in the near future among fears of renewed #Ethiopia-#Eritrea war. www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/202... #HornOfAfrica #geopolitics #geography #conflict

@fabrizio-coticchia.bsky.social & Mattia Mazziotti di Celso 'All’inizio del 2022, pochi giorni prima che la Russia invadesse l’Ucraina, il governo tedesco annunciò l’invio a Kiev di 5000 elmetti.' Poi la storia ha preso un'altra piega... www.ispionline.it/it/il-futuro...

By Hiraal Institute #Somalia’s security situation & developments over the past 5 years: - a pre- & a post-2022 offensive periods - from urban terrorism to rural insurgency - surge in monthly attacks against SNA Special Forces - surge in civilian targeting more @ hiraalinstitute.org/somalia-secu...

By Faisal Ali How did a twelfth-century Sicilian cathedral [Cefalù] end up in Mogadishu? 'In this interview, I spoke with art historian Claire Dillon about her archival research into Mogadishu Cathedral and Italian colonial ambition in Somalia' open.substack.com/pub/somaliar...

Who decides what counts as research? In Ep 5 of the Beyond Series @jasonmosley.bsky.social, Freddie Carver & David Deng examine how funding, power and global research systems shape whose knowledge is valued and whose voices are heard. Listen: tinyurl.com/BeyondXCEPT5 More: xcept.riftvalley.net

New #Yemen control map report for subscribers brings our coverage up to the present, with #SouthYemen separatists having badly lost their gambit for #independence. More info: www.polgeonow.com/2026/02/yeme... #MiddleEast #maps #geopolitics #Saudi_Arabia #geography #defacto #map #politics #MENAsky

How are #Somali experiences of mobility changing in contexts of displacement, violence and declining humanitarian support? The Somali Mobilities Forum brings together scholars and practitioners to explore these questions. Event details and full programme: tinyurl.com/SomaliMobili...

UPDATE Join EWNET for an online webinar on how #Ethiopia has been written into global knowledge and how Ethiopian thinkers have written the world from Ethiopia. Fri 30 Jan 2026 | 13:30 Cambridge | 16:30 EAT (corrected time) Register here: tinyurl.com/3kbm7xuj

United States membership in the UN's World Health Organization officially ended a few days ago, at the end of the legally-required one-year waiting period from country's withdrawal announcement last year. #intergovernmental #geopolitics #geography #UnitedNation

What does mobility look like in conflict-affected borderlands? Episode 2 of the Beyond Series reflects on digital connection, migration and survival across Somaliland, Puntland and South Sudan. Listen: tinyurl.com/BeyondXCEPT2 More about this project: xcept.riftvalley.net

Major political geography event: #BBNJ aka " #HighSeasTreaty" takes effect today, meaning new laws governing environmental protection in intl. waters are now binding on 81 countries that have so far ratified it, including #Brazil, #China, #Japan, #France news.un.org/en/story/202... #geography #ocean

#UPDATE Puntland and Jubaland regional states, along with the Somaliland administration, have rejected the federal government’s Sunday decision to cancel agreements with the UAE.

DP World says it will continue operations at Berbera despite the UAE–Somalia dispute.

#Somalia (still Provisional) #Constitution 2012 Article 54. 'The #allocation of #powers and resources shall be negotiated and agreed upon by the [FGS] and the [FMS].. except in matters concerning: (A) Foreign Affairs; (B) National Defense; (C) Citizenship and Immigration; (D) Monetary Policy',

sOFIES (Society of Friends of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies) lecture by Dr Heran Sereke Brhan, Smithsonian National Museum of African Art Deputy Director and presentation of the book "Ethiopian Devotions" edited by the late Prof Marilyn Heldman for the IES library Jan 8 2026

Every time someone says “geopolitics” or “geoeconomics” god electroshocks a kitten.

#Israel's recognition of #Somaliland 'Al-Chabaab... de même que l’immense majorité... de citoyens de l’État fédéral, ils voient d’un très mauvais œil ce qui relève à leurs yeux d’une trahison à la fois de la cause palestinienne et de l’unité du peuple somalien' theconversation.com/la-reconnais...

Murkus Virgil Hoehne puts #Israel's recognition of #Somaliland into a wider context and discusses potential future scenarios, ranging from civil war, to country partition, or a renewed Federal #Somalia, among others africanarguments.org/2026/01/isra...

New #Yemen control #map + report for our subscribers! This one shows the height of separatist control last month (the later reversals will be covered in a future report): www.polgeonow.com/2026/01/sout... #SouthYemen #independence #geography #MiddleEast #RedSea #Houthis #GulfOfAden #Menasky #UAE

#Venezuela #US #Donroe by @bennorton.com 'In addition to enormous reserves of oil and natural gas, Venezuela also has significant deposits of gold, critical minerals, and rare earth elements. [US] want to create a new supply chain.. that cuts out China' geopoliticaleconomy.com/2026/01/05/d...

“Transatlantic loyalty first”. The note issued by 🇮🇹 on #Venezuela may appear surprising ("a legitimate defensive intervention against hybrid attacks"), but only up to a point. As on other issues (see lnkd.in/dBxWWSMS), “Italy has no intention of supporting initiatives not aligned with Washington"

Two people confirmed dead as Iran protests turn into ‘battlefield’

#Israel's recognition of #Somaliland #'AlShabab can frame #recognition as Zionist interference betrayal to the Palestinians by Somaliland, strengthening ties with the Houthis, Iran, and the Eritrean dictator—who opposes Somalia’s fragmentation and #UAE interference..' www.jpost.com/opinion/arti...

#BREAKING | #Somalia–#Turkey President Hassan set to depart to Ankara for a meeting with President Erdogan on Tuesday.

#BREAKING: #Israel says it will convene an urgent session on Monday following its recognition of #Somaliland. Meanwhile, #Somalia—currently non-permanent member of the UN Security Council—set to assume UNSC rotating presidency in January.

#Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh hosted former and opposition leaders at the presidential palace for a joint discussion on #Israel’s recognition of #Somaliland. Tomorrow, President Hassan is set to address Parliament in an extraordinary session.

🚨 BREAKING: European Union reaffirms support for #Somalia's unity & territorial integrity, following #Isreal's recognition of #Somaliland, per statement.

#Somalia 'attempted to build the hardware of a modern state without cultivating the software of citizenship' 'Somalia’s failure was not inevitable.. its future is not doomed.. rebuilding a republic begins with restoring the moral meaning of public life' husseinsheikhali.substack.com/p/the-idea-o...

🚨 #SOMALIA In #Mogadishu voters line up casting ballots in controversial yet historic local council election, with 1,604 candidates vying for 390 seats across 16 districts. 15 associations failed to field full candidate lists, unlike President Hassan's JSP association.

🚨 #SOMALIA's president Hassan Sheikh cast his ballot in Mogadishu's controversial local council election in the Wardhiigley district. This is the first municipal local council election in 57 years in #Mogadishu.

escalation of the US #drone campaign in northern #Somalia, rising level of impunity over civilian deaths By Mohamed Gabobe, Faisal Ali Semira Gaid: most strikes occur in areas controlled by AS or other armed groups, independent verification nearly impossible www.dropsitenews.com/p/somalia-un...

Ottima intervista di @fabrizio-coticchia.bsky.social su #Ucraina, #Italia, #Nato e #UnioneEuropea www.play2000.it/detail/140?e...

#Somalia 'the most viable way to ensure a safe transition', according to Afyare Elmi: an improved indirect election model, fixed number of delegates for each seat, traditional elders from each constituency select delegates, parties agree on nr. of delegates www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202...

#SomaliFutureCouncil Conference opens in #Kismayo #SFC aims at reaching a consensus-based electoral model that can avert political conflict #FGS 'accused opposition figures of resisting the return of power to the people through one-person, one-vote elections' www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/D...

Thousands of civilians are being held for ransom after the RSF captured El Fashir, with kidnappers staging torture and executions on camera if families cannot pay. One man could only pay for his wife and children; he was killed in front of them www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...

This says everything about politics in 2025: Far-right, pro-US, anti-China candidate José Antonio Kast won Chile's presidential election. Kast, a Trump ally, is a staunch defender of the Pinochet dictatorship, and the son of a German Nazi official. He also is very pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian.

It looks like 2025 will end up at about 1.47°C above the 1850-1900 pre-industrial baseline, making it likely the third hottest year in the last 120,000+ years. Meanwhile, the 3-year running average is going to end the year above 1.50°C for the first time.

#Sudan The #Kanabi Killings: #SAF and Proxies Killed Hundreds and Dumped the Bodies in Canals The investigation establishes a broader pattern of racially motivated atrocities against farming communities largely of non-Arab, black Sudanese descent sudanwarmonitor.com/p/investigat...

#Sudan #TasisState Whose PM is from the Ta’aisha Arab tribe of Darfur - highly symbolic in the context of the rivalry between the Baggara (cattle-herding) Arabs of Darfur and the settled Arabs of northern Sudan who have dominated since independence, 1956 jamestown.org/rsf-establis...