Inside Africa

12/12/2025

Samaroon clans in Somaliland’s Awdal region mobilised a formidable fighting force as Somaliland authorities withdrew its army as Issa militia’s from Ethiopia’s Somali region and Djibouti are preparing a brazen cross-border invasion into the disputed historic port town of Zeila.

Currently, Awdal highlands are buzzing with clandestine movements, secret meeting and a territory brazing for a confrontation.

11/12/2025

“Why is it we only take people from sh*thole countries like Somalia?”

10/12/2025

: The head of the British Office in Somaliland delivered a blistering criticism of what she described as the massacre carried out by Somaliland authorities in Borama, casting a grim shadow over the international Human Rights Day event in Hargeisa.

10/12/2025

: Djiboutian Regime UAV’s Appear Near Somaliland Border as Zeila Crisis Deepens.

According to multiple independent sources, the Djiboutian regime has deployed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles near the Somaliland border as the Issa–Samaroon dispute over the strategic port town of Zeila intensifies.

Tensions are rapidly escalating, with both Samaroon and Issa clansmen reportedly mobilising for a potential armed clash over the historic town’s ownership.

10/12/2025

According to open-source intelligence reports, thousands of Issa fighters are now moving toward the historic coastal town of Zeila in response to the Issa Grand Chief’s call for armed mobilisation against Somaliland.

Fighters are reportedly streaming in from Ethiopia’s Somali Region, from Djibouti, and from parts of Somaliland’s own Awdal region.

A video recorded by Issa fighters themselves in their way to Zeila is among the evidence circulating online, showing organized groups preparing to join the escalating confrontation.

09/12/2025

: Samaroon Sultans Claim Secret Sensitive Recording of their Meeting with Somaliland President Was Passed to Djibouti.

According to an anonymous source familiar with the matter, Samaroon traditional leaders have accused two individuals working at the Somaliland president’s office of secretly recording sensitive parts of their meeting last Thursday held to discuss the Zeila dispute and covertly passing the information to the Djiboutian regime.

The revelation has been described as a profound breach of trust, leaving the Samaroon leadership feeling exposed, betrayed, and used at a moment when tensions were already dangerously high.

The alleged leak has dealt a heavy blow to the already fragile relationship between the Samaroon elders and the Somaliland administration, deepening suspicions and eroding the credibility of future dialogue.

At the heart of the crisis is the long-running territorial dispute between the Samaroon and Issa clans over the historic port town of Zeila in Somaliland, both Issa and Samaroon communities span across Somaliland, Djibouti, and Ethiopia, and the rivalry over Zeila has for decades been a flashpoint for political, social, and clan-based friction across the region.

The situation is further inflamed by the reality that the Issa community dominates Djibouti and controls the country’s ruling regime, heightening Samaroon fears that external actors are meddling in Somaliland’s internal affairs.

For the Samaroon, the alleged transmission of confidential discussions to Djibouti is not merely a political misstep; it is a direct confirmation of their worst fears.

09/12/2025

Somaliland’s President Summons Opposion Leaders for Emergency Consultations Amid Awdal Crisis.

Somaliland president has called the two main opposition leaders for an urgent consultations as the crisis in Awdal transitions into an anarchy, deadly protests on Friday claimed the lives of 21 persons and the injury of more than 100 others after the riot police used live rounds, the protests caused widespread destruction of both public and private property leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to basic services.

07/12/2025

: Issa Community Takes Up Arms Against Somaliland Over Zeila Dispute.

Issa Grand Sultan has called on all able-bodied clansmen to mobilize in Zeila, declaring the community must defend its claimed homeland amid rising tensions with Somaliland.

He urged all Issa clansmen capable of carrying arms to mobilize and assemble in the historic port town of Zeila, on the Somaliland–Djibouti border, claiming they must “defend their homeland” against what he described as Somaliland authorities siding with the Samaroon community.

The two communities are locked in a bitter dispute over the ownership and historic rights of Zeila.

His call did not go unanswered as hundreds of Issa fighters from Ethiopia’s Somali Region and from Djibouti have reportedly responded and are now organizing themselves for what appears to be an armed confrontation with Somaliland.

This latest escalation was triggered when Somaliland authorities cancelled an Issa cultural festival planned in Zeila on December 14, 2025 that it had previously gave the green light.

The event was meant to celebrate UNESCO’s recent decision to inscribe Xeer Ciise onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The cancellation came after strong objections from the Samaroon community, who view the festival as a political assertion over Zeila, their opposition sparked three days of violent clashes across Somaliland’s Awdal region, leaving more than 18 people dead and over 100 injured.

06/12/2025

05/12/2025

Violence has spread across Somaliland’s Awdal region after the Hargeisa regime deployed military units to crush anti-regime protests.

At least 10 civilians have been killed so far, with the toll likely to rise.

Footage from the ground shows soldiers firing directly at protesters.

04/12/2025

The situation in Borama, the capital of Somaliland’s Awdal region, has rapidly escalated into armed conflict following deadly protests that swept across the region earlier tonight. The building housing the central bank offices has been set ablaze, and heavy gunfire is now being exchanged between armed groups and security forces as the crisis deepens.

04/12/2025

The people of Somaliland are now asking where their Vice-President has gone, after being politically sidelined by President Cirro’s administration—an administration that has rapidly devolved into blatant cronyism, nepotism, and tribal patronage.

Cirro and his inner circle have packed government institutions with close relatives and loyalists, creating what many describe as a full-scale state capture that has shut out national leaders, undermined governance, and betrayed public trust.