Somali Airlines returns, the Soviet Somalis & more Ls for France
Issue #8: Somalia’s national carrier, Somali Airlines, is set to make its comeback after 30 years — but not without some controversy over how.
Good morning everyone and welcome to another issue of Acacia, Geeska’s weekly East Africa newsletter!
We’re diving in fork-first this issue: Somali rice or Jamaican rice? The issue was adjudicated on the Abti Podcast this week in a clip that’s clocked good numbers. The verdict there: bariis and hilib beats rice and peas. There was a diplomat in the comments section, though, who tried to bridge the divide: “Somali rice with some jerk chicken on top”. In other things Somalis are doing well: Abdi Mohamed Sabriye scored a banger in his team, Kalmar FF’s, season opener against Utsiktens BK in the second tier of Swedish football. He also popped up on Somali Athlete’s socials, where he listed his dream picks for a Somali national team — including Taha Ali, whose own highlight reel went viral a few months back. The outgoing Swedish ambassador, Joachim Waern, was so impressed he quote-tweeted the post with: “Taha Alis, of Somali origin. What a player! 🇸🇴🔥🇸🇪”. Are Scandinavian Somalis the most successful Somali footballers?
Staying on the diaspora tip before we exit the qurbajoog portion of the newsletter: Omar Fateh, the Somali-American candidate running a historic campaign to become mayor of Minneapolis, popped up on Reverend Al Sharpton’s PoliticsNation on MSNBC this week. “We need leadership that is rooted in both compassion and justice — not just performative politics,” he told Sharpton. He’s running on an unabashedly socialist platform, and we bid him the best. We’ve covered the abuse he’s faced in our last issue.
On the home front: a genuinely fascinating film — which neither of us had seen before — surfaced on X this week. It’s called Farxiya, and it tells the story of a Somali man, Sharif, who was studying in Leningrad, in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, back when Somalia and the USSR were still cool. But things fall apart when Moscow sides against Somalia during the Ethiopia war in 1977, and Sharif’s life gets upended by the geopolitical chaos and he faces deportation. It threatens to separate him from his Russian wife — and, crucially, their daughter. The film is written and directed by Somali-Norwegian filmmaker Badrudin Ga’ur. It is apparently based on a true story. Many Somalis know at least one (potentially Russian-speaking) Somali elder who studied in the Soviet Union. If you want to dive deeper the stories of Somali students in USSR, Lyubov V. Ivanova wrote about it for Bildhaan. Another bit of history related to the period also came up this week in Mogadishu. Dalsan TV claim to have found Siad Barre’s car; the Fiat Regata once owned by Somalia’s military ruler whose government collapsed in 1991. Apparently, it’s changed hands a bunch of times since then and is now in pretty shabby condition.
That’s the entrée. Now for a deeper dive into the stories we’re featuring this week. We’re looking at the revival of the national carrier; the resignation of the Somali president’s national security adviser; the formation of another new federal state in Somalia, and more.
Society: Somalia announces the revival of its national carrier after a three-decade hiatus
Somalia has announced the revival of its national carrier, Somali Airlines, after a 30-year hiatus. Transport minister Mohamed Farah confirmed a deal with Lema Air Group to acquire two Airbus A320s, aiming to launch commercial flights “within two months.” Farah said this is just the first phase of a phased purchase plan, adding that it will create jobs, restore dignity, and serve the large Somali community that frequently travels in and out of the country. However, the announcement raised many questions. Farah gave no details on the deal’s cost or funding. Observers are especially concerned about the lack of transparency around Lema Air Group and the timing.
Veteran journalist Harun Maruf posted on X: “Information about the Lema Air Group and its history in aviation has not been provided.” Samira Gaid, a security analyst sharply critical of the government’s failures amid more towns falling to al-Shabaab this year, said: “I'm convinced we all collectively suffer from Shiny Object Syndrome.” East Africa analyst Rashid Abdi went further, saying it was a “deal that stinks to the high heavens.” It “smells like a getaway heist”, he added.
Security: Somali security chief sacked as al-Shabaab overruns towns
Hussein Sheikh Ali (Macalin), the long-serving national security advisor to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, has stepped down. Appointed in 2022, his resignation came without an official announcement, though he has updated is X profile: “Former National Security Adviser of Somalia”. His departure comes as government forces continue to face severe setbacks in south and central Somalia. Al-Shabaab has made major gains in recent months since launching its Ramadan Offensive, particularly in the Hiraan region of Hirshabelle state, where it recaptured Moqokori, and, more significantly, seized Mahaas — a town under government for over 12 years. Since June, more than 60,000 people have been displaced in the Hiiraan region, where the fighting has been concentrated. The loss is seen as both symbolic and strategic. Following the fall, the Institute of War Studies said: “The group reconnected its territory in central Somalia and southern Somalia for the first time since 2022 in March.” Below is a good map.
Although President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud came to power emphasising the need to negotiate with al-Shabaab, fighting the group was also one of his marquee commitments, declaring “total war” — and he began with considerable momentum. Much of that, however, has now been rolled back. Samira Gaid, a prominent security analyst, attributed the failings to divisions over the Somali president’s contested constitutional changes related to the way elections are held, which have unleashed a “political storm.” The changes have divided the Somali elite and signalled that the fight against al-Shabaab has been “deprioritized” by the government. “The dominoes are falling, yet we continue to chase lofty illusions as the country unravels at its seams,” Gaid posted on X. Meanwhile, in an interview with Al-Araby al-Jadeed this week, Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs insisted al-Shabaab is “beginning to weaken and decline”.
Politics: SSC-Khaatumo becomes the North Eastern State
After two weeks of consultations, the newly rebranded North Eastern State of Somalia (Waqooyi Bari in Somali) — formerly SSC-Khaatumo — has been officially established, claiming the Sool and Sanaag regions. Political momentum for the project gathered pace in 2023, when Somaliland forces were expelled from the eastern city of Las Anod. The new state carves out territory claimed by Puntland, which operates autonomously from the Somali government, and Somaliland, which declared independence in 1991. Somaliland claims the old colonial boundary; Puntland, genealogical ties to local clans; and the North Eastern State, a mix of federal government fiat and genealogy. Both Somaliland and Puntland, which control parts of Sanaag, have rejected the move and have expressed no desire to forfeit the land. Puntland’s vice president, Ilyas Lugatoor, for example, visited a remote part of Sool this week, where he said that the region remains part of it and called for dialogue. The declaration ushers in a new, more complex period in the politics of the north.
The administration will include clans from the Sool and Sanaag regions, though the Warsangeli clan’s elders in the Sanaag region have previously distanced themselves from the process. Despite this, over 417 representatives took part, according to Somalia’s state news agency. Las Anod was named the capital, with Laasqoray as a secondary capital. A new constitution was ratified, and technical committees were formed to begin electoral planning and set up an 83-member parliament. The presidency will rotate every five years between the Dhulbahante and Warsangeli clans.
Aid: Deadly protests breakout at Kakuma refugee camp
Violent unrest has rocked Kakuma, one of the Horn of Africa’s largest refugee camps hosting people from South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda and other regional countries, leaving one refugee dead and two police officers injured. Protests, fuelled by anger over shrinking food rations and Kenyan government plans to turn the camp into a permanent settlement, escalated into clashes with security forces and the torching of a UN World Food Programme (WFP) storage facility. A new aid system prioritising only the “worst-off” for full support has left many feeling excluded and discriminated against. Melissa Chemam, a journalist at Radio France Internationale, pointed to a study on a 20% aid cut in 2023, which found it affected people in Kakuma in multiple ways — from household consumption and food security to psychological well-being.
At the heart of the crisis is a sharp drop in humanitarian funding. The US, long the world’s biggest donor, has cut billions from global aid in 2025, cancelling 83% of its foreign assistance contracts. Other donors, including the UK, have also scaled back aid, calling it the “new normal”. Humanitarian agencies such as UNHCR had warned of the fallout, estimating nearly 12 million refugees globally are now at risk due to dwindling support.
Politics: Somali officials slam govt over public land sales
Recent posts from Somali officials have sparked concern over the alleged sale of public land in Mogadishu. Mursal Khaliif, a Somali MP, quote-tweeted a post claiming that land belonging to Laansareti Hospital — a public asset — had been sold to private individuals, describing it as “Daylight robbery”. In a strongly worded post on X, Khaliif wrote: “From hospitals, to IDP residences, to schools and mosques — no place is safe from HSM.” Another striking intervention came from prominent Somali scholar and senator Abdi Samatar, who reported a case about poor families who had been displaced near the Boondhere monument in the central-northern part of Mogadishu. “The ultimate measure of leaders is how they treat the indigent and most vulnerable members of a community,” adding that the current leadership is destined for “the trash can of history.”
Following the collapse of the Somali state in the early 1990s, impoverished families in the capital took up residence in some abandoned or derelict public properties. The state has struggled to reclaim the land, or do anything with it itself due to budget constraints. Allegations of public land being sold off have circulated since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud returned to office in 2022. The Laansareti Hospital land acquisition is reportedly being redeveloped as a “public-private partnership hospital” after the health ministry failed to secure donor funding for a fully public facility. A report by Somali broadcast channel Universal TV confirmed that significant parcels of public land have been transferred to private companies. In a joint letter dated January, former president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, former PM Hassan Ali Khaire, and opposition figure Abdirahman Abdishakur raised similar concerns. “Most of the land is being sold off through auctions to private businesspeople, while some portions are granted to specific families, and others are used to bribe politicians,” they said.
Across the gees
The Middle East Eye reports that the Egyptian presidency pressured Ahmed al-Tayeb, the imam of al-Azhar — one of Sunni Islam’s most prestigious institutions — to remove a strongly worded statement condemning Israel’s genocide in Gaza and anyone complicit in it. The report cites anonymous Egyptian government sources. Here is a part of the original readout: “anyone who supplies this entity with weapons, or who emboldens it through complicit resolutions or hypocritical words, is a partner in this act of genocide”. Al-Azhar later said it removed the statement from social media to avoid undermining ongoing negotiations to end the genocide in Gaza.
The Tasis Alliance, a bloc of Sudanese armed groups that includes the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, has announced a long-anticipated but widely condemned parallel government. Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, will lead the 15-member Presidential Council of the new government. Many fear the move could splinter the Sudanese state and lead to a Libya-style situation, with competing authorities in the east and west. Several major Sudanese parties, Arab countries and the African Union have rejected the announcement. The announcement came ahead of planned peace talks in Washington between the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt — talks which have since been called off.
Ethiopia’s birr has hit an all-time low of 174 to the dollar on the unofficial market, prompting the central bank to allocate $121 million in foreign exchange. The official rate set by the National Bank of Ethiopia remains at 135 birr to the dollar. The currency has struggled since PM Abiy Ahmed floated it last July in a bid to attract investors and IMF funding. It lost 30% of its value on the first day and 100% in ten days. When Abiy was re-elected in 2019, the Ethiopian Birr was valued at 30 to the dollar. The drop has sparked a major cost-of-living crisis, triggered doctors’ strikes, and caused a surge in inflation. The country has climbed to fourth place on economist Steve Hanke’s inflation dashboard.
Africa
France’s West Africa minister has said that the security of the Sahelian states — which have expelled French forces in recent years and are now struggling against al-Qaeda and ISIS-linked armed groups — are no longer Paris’s problem. When asked about the situation, Thani Mohamed-Soilihi told Reuters: “I’m sorry to say, but it no longer concerns us.” The message comes after years of setbacks for France in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — all now ruled by sovereigntist, pro-Russian military governments. France ended its military presence in the Sahel earlier this year when it withdrew from Chad, and left Senegal in July — leaving Paris with no permanent military presence in Central or West Africa. It retains a base in Djibouti, its last in Africa.
Tangent
We think everyone should watch the film Farxiya. It’s a very short film, but it offers a glimpse into a world you’ve likely never encountered before. You can watch it here.
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