Saturday  13 September , 2025 {HMC}  Galmudug regional leader Ahmed Abdi Kariye has commended the Somali National Army (SNA) and local militia forces for foiling an AS attack in the El-Dheer district of the Galguduud region on Friday.

In a statement, Kariye said the Somali forces and allied fighters had inflicted heavy casualties on the militant group.

“The strength of the country and the people of El-Dheer— you have taught an unforgettable lesson this morning to the terrorists who attacked you. You have sent a message of courage that shows the days of terrorists hiding inside our country to harm our honorable people are running out,” Kariye declared.

Somalia’s Defence Ministry said more than 30 AS militants were killed after government forces and allied militias repelled a dawn assault, the heaviest fighting reported in central Galgaduud this week.

According to the ministry, six soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded in the clashes, while several AS commanders known for targeting civilians were captured. Residents told Hiiraan Online that militant bodies remained scattered outside the town, underscoring the scale of the losses.

Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi praised the joint forces for “bravely defending El-Dheer” and noted that militants had been unable to retrieve their dead and wounded.

Al-Shabaab later claimed online that it had captured El-Dheer and killed government soldiers. However, those claims could not be independently verified. District Commissioner Abdirahman Ahmed Omar dismissed the group’s statement as “fabricated propaganda meant to mislead the public.”

Source Hiiraan Online

Saturday September 13, 2025 {HMC} Saturday September 13, 2025 {HMC} Riek Machar, South Sudan’s first vice president, has been charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity.

The charges stem from his alleged involvement in attacks by a militia against federal forces in March, the justice minister announced on Thursday.

South Sudan’s government claims the White Army, a loose band of armed youths, attacked a military base in Nasir, northeastern South Sudan, and killed more than 250 soldiers on Machar’s orders.

Seven others, including the former minister of petroleum, were charged alongside Machar on Thursday following investigations into a suspected rebellion plot.

“These crimes were marked by gross violations of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, including the desecration of corpses, persecution of civilians and attacks on humanitarian workers,” Justice Minister Joseph Geng Akech said, according to AFP.

Machar and President Salva Kiir have long been rivals.

Civil war broke out in oil-producing South Sudan in 2013 — less than two years after the country gained independence from Sudan following decades of war — after Kiir sacked Machar as vice president, accusing him of plotting a coup.

The conflict killed an estimated 400,000 people directly and indirectly, and forced roughly four million — one-third of the population — from their homes before a 2018 peace deal saw the pair form a government of national unity.

That power-sharing deal began unravelling earlier this year, when, in response to fighting since late February in the northeastern Upper Nile state, Kiir’s government detained several officials from Machar’s party, including the petroleum minister and the deputy head of the army.

Source Al-Jaziira

Saturday September 13, 2025 {HMC} Burkina Faso says it has removed visa fees for all African travellers, in an effort to facilitate the movement of people and goods into the country.

“From now on, any citizen from an African country wishing to go to Burkina Faso will not pay any amount to cover visa fees,” said Mahamadou Sana, the country’s security minister, following a cabinet meeting chaired by military leader Capt Ibrahim Traoré on Thursday.

African visitors will however be required to submit an online visa application, which will be reviewed for approval, the minister clarified.

The West African nation joins countries such as Ghana, Rwanda and Kenya, which have eased travel requirements for African visitors.

Citizens of West African countries can already travel to Burkina Faso without the need for visas, however this may change in the future because the country has pulled out of the regional bloc, Ecowas, along with its neighbours, Mali and Niger which are also under military rule.

Capt Traoré, a young soldier who seized power in a 2022 coup, portrays himself as a champion of Pan-Africanism, while often criticising the West and colonialism.

He is admired in the continent for his charismatic leadership. His popularity has been fuelled through social media, including many misleading posts intended to bolster his revolutionary image.

But Capt Traoré has also faced criticism for his authoritarian style of governance, his handling of dissent and the ongoing Islamist insurgency.

Like its Sahel neighbours, Burkina Faso has been battling armed jihadist groups, with an estimated 40% of the country under their control.

Despite promises by Capt Traoré’s military government to improve security and seeking new partnerships with Russia, the situation remains dire with frequent attacks.

The scrapping of visa fees for the continent’s nationals reflects Burkina Faso’s attachment to Pan-Africanist ideals and promotes regional integration, a statement from the junta’s information service said late on Thursday.

“This free visa system for African nationals will also help promote tourism and Burkinabe culture, and improve Burkina Faso’s visibility abroad,” it added.

Several African countries have tried to ease travel requirements for visitors from elsewhere on the continent in recent years, with studies showing it is often easier for citizens of Western countries to visit.

The move to facilitate travel within the continent is also being pushed by the African Union (AU).

Earlier this year, Ghana said all African passport holders would now be able to visit without needing a visa.

Last year, Kenya introduced a “visa-free” policy that required most visitors to apply online for authorisation before leaving their country.

African visitors to Rwanda also do not need a visa to enter the country.

Source BBC NEWS