Author: Osman Omar

By Osman Omar On August 12, 2026, something special happened for Somalis watching football around the world. In Salzburg, Austria, Omar Abdulkadir Artan walked onto one of European football’s biggest stages as the referee of the UEFA Super Cup. For many people, it was simply another major football match. For Somalis, it meant something more. There was a Somali at the center of the field, trusted with one of the biggest responsibilities in European football. The 34-year-old Somali referee has been on FIFA’s international list since 2018 and was named CAF Men’s Referee of the Year in 2025. He did…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur (Jaamac) was elected Speaker of Somalia’s House of the People. On Monday, August 10, he secured 142 votes against 30 for his opponent, Abdulkadir Omar Macallin (Daada). Nur arrives at the Speaker’s office with experience across several important institutions of the Somali state. Educated in International Relations at Ankara University, he began his government career in diplomacy at Somalia’s embassy in Türkiye. He later served as Deputy Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), senior adviser to the Speaker of Parliament, Minister of Justice, Minister of Defense and, most recently, Minister of Ports…

Inclusivity must protect citizens’ right to participate, not give every boycotting politician the power to halt the country. Every time Somalia approaches an election, completes a constitutional reform or begins to recover from a political crisis, a familiar ritual returns. Several political leaders reject the process. Foreign embassies call for “inclusive dialogue.” The Federal Government is told to negotiate again, deadlines are pushed back, and the country is returned to the same political waiting room. The language sounds reasonable. Somalia certainly needs dialogue, lawful government, and protection for political minorities. But an essential distinction has been lost: Inclusion is the…

About 2,500 years ago, the Greek historian Herodotus recorded the story of Cambyses II, the king of Persia, and a distant people known as the Macrobians, a Greek name meaning “the Long-Lived People.” According to Herodotus, Cambyses sent spies disguised as ambassadors before attempting to invade Macrobian territory. The Macrobian king recognized their true purpose and handed them a large bow. He instructed them to tell Cambyses that when the Persians could draw a bow of equal size as easily as he could, they might consider invading. Cambyses ignored the warning and marched his army into unfamiliar territory without adequate…

More than three decades after the collapse of Somalia’s central government in 1991, Mogadishu remains a city shaped by conflict, displacement, and decades of unplanned urban expansion. The capital has become both the political heart of Somalia and a symbol of the country’s long struggle to rebuild functioning institutions. Following the state collapse, hundreds of thousands of displaced families settled wherever land was available. Public and privately owned land alike was developed with little or no urban planning, creating densely populated neighborhoods, blocked roads, weak infrastructure, and limited access for emergency services. The administration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has…

Madaxweyne Xasan Sheekh ma diidin wada-hadalka; wuxuu diiday in siyaasadda gudaha Soomaaliya lagu go’aamiyo shir amni oo dibadda ka dhacaya. Mararka qaarkood hal weedh ayaa taabata dareenka qaran dhan. Shirkii AUSSOM ee ka dhacay Kampala, Madaxweyne Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud wuxuu si kooban u sheegay arrin Soomaali badan muddo qalbiga ku haysay: “Siyaasadda gudaha Soomaaliya lama caalamiyeyn karo, lamana goboleyn karo.” Shirka waxaa loogu talagalay in looga hadlo dagaalka Al‑Shabaab, maalgelinta AUSSOM iyo sidii mas’uuliyadda amniga loogu wareejin lahaa ciidamada Soomaaliyeed. Laakiin dooddu waxay jihada beddeshay markii war-murtiyeedka lagu soo daray arrimo la xiriira siyaasadda gudaha Soomaaliya. Maalin ka hor kulanka…

 President Hassan Sheikh did not reject dialogue. He rejected the idea that Somalia’s internal politics should be managed through a foreign security summit. Sometimes a single sentence captures what an entire nation has been feeling. At the AUSSOM summit in Kampala, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud delivered one of those sentences: “Somalia’s domestic politics must not be internationalized or regionalized.” The summit was convened to discuss Al‑Shabaab, AUSSOM’s financial crisis and the gradual transfer of security responsibilities to Somali forces. The discussion took a different turn, however, when Somalia’s internal political affairs appeared in the draft communiqué. A day before the…

By Osman Omar Somalia’s growing dependence on used and refurbished laptops is driven by a simple economic cause: new computers are expensive, while students, businesses and public institutions urgently need affordable access to technology. The immediate effect is a rapidly expanding market for second-hand devices whose origins, previous owners and repair histories are often unknown. That lack of traceability creates a cybersecurity weakness. A refurbished laptop may contain outdated drivers, an altered operating system or unauthorized programs installed by a previous owner or seller. Most such problems may result from poor maintenance rather than deliberate wrongdoing. However, when the device’s…

Waxaa qoray Osman Omar Baahida sii kordhaysa ee loo qabo tiknoolajiyadda iyo qiimaha sare ee kombiyuutarrada cusub ayaa sababtay in ardayda, ganacsatada iyo hay’adaha Soomaaliyeed ay si weyn ugu tiirsanaadaan laptop-yada la isticmaalay ama dib loo dayactiray. Natiijadu waxay noqotay suuq ballaaran oo ay ku jiraan qalab aan marar badan la aqoon halka uu ka yimid, cidda horay u lahayd iyo waxa lagu sameeyey intii dib loo dayactirayay inta dabana waxaa laga keean wadamada Khaliijka oo lagu yaqaano basaasid xadhaaf ah Taariikhda qalabka oo aan la hubin waxay dhalinaysaa daciifnimo dhinaca amniga ah. Laptop-ka waxaa ku jiri kara drivers duugoobay,…

The campaign for United States recognition of Somaliland is built on an incomplete understanding of Somalia’s political geography. Its advocates present recognition as a simple strategic opportunity for Washington, but they rarely address the wider diplomatic, security and political consequences. Unilateral recognition would not occur in a vacuum. It could place the United States at odds with Somalia’s federal government while creating unnecessary tension with African and Arab states that support Somalia’s territorial integrity. Washington would be creating a major political dispute where none currently exists—and for uncertain strategic returns. As a Somali American with a strong understanding of both…

Baraha bulshada waxay noqdeen fagaaraha ugu weyn ee ay Soomaalidu ku wadaagto wararka, doodaha siyaasadeed iyo dhacdooyinka amniga. Wararka degdegga ah ayaa halkaas lagu baahiyaa, madaxda ayaa su’aalo lagu weydiiyaa, Soomaalida gudaha iyo dibadduna si toos ah ayay macluumaad isku dhaafsadaan. Hase yeeshee, xawaarahaas ayaa sidoo kale fududeeyey in war been ah uu faafo ka hor inta aysan saxafiyiinta, hay’adaha dowladda iyo muwaadiniintu helin waqti ay ku xaqiijiyaan. Maalin kasta waxaa la arkaa sawirro hore oo loo soo bandhigayo sidii dhacdooyin cusub, muuqaallo dalal kale laga soo qaaday oo Soomaaliya lagu sheegayo, hadallo loo nisbeeyo dad aan waligood oran iyo…