Tuesday 24,June ,2025  {HMC} Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), in coordination with international partners, carried out a targeted operation in the Hiiraan region on Monday night, killing 13 al-Shabab militants, officials said.

The strike took place at Gaycad Junction in the Mabah area, where remnants of al-Shabab fighters and leaders had been previously targeted earlier in the week.

In a statement issued Tuesday, NISA said the operation was conducted in two consecutive phases and targeted militants who were plotting attacks against civilians. The agency confirmed that the fighters were killed and their weapons and equipment destroyed.

“The operation eliminated a group of militias who were organizing to harm the Somali people. Their plot ended there,” the statement said.

NISA emphasized its ongoing commitment to dismantling al-Shabab’s network, particularly in the Middle Shabelle and Hiiraan regions, where the group remains active.

Al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked militant group, continues to carry out deadly attacks across Somalia, targeting civilians, security forces, and government officials in its effort to topple the federal government.

Source Hiiraan online

Tuesday 24 June , 2025 {HMC}  The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has convened a high-level expert stakeholder meeting in Nairobi to validate the End-Term Review Report of its Regional Agricultural Investment Plan (RAIP) 2016–2020.

The validation marks a crucial moment in IGAD’s efforts to confront escalating food insecurity in the Horn of Africa and lay the foundation for a new regional agri-food systems investment strategy.

The meeting marks a crucial step in informing the formulation of the next phase, the Regional Agri-Food Systems Investment Plan (RASIP).

This plan is expected to respond to the growing threats to food security, climate shocks, and cross-border vulnerabilities that have plagued the IGAD region in recent years.

“This is a call to reinforce collaboration between ministries, sectors, and development actors,” said Dr Mohyeldeen Eltohami Taha Hamed, IGAD Director for Economic Cooperation and Regional Integration.

Between 2016 and 2020, the RAIP served as IGAD’s primary strategy for addressing agricultural transformation and food security under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

However, its implementation coincided with a period marked by severe droughts, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, desert locust invasions, and regional conflicts.

“These crises have compounded vulnerabilities in food production systems. As of 2024, over 62 million people across the region face food insecurity,” said Eltohami.

The RAIP was aligned to the Malabo Declaration of 2014, a continental framework that committed African countries to end hunger and halve poverty by 2025 through inclusive agricultural growth.

The review findings will now guide the development of RASIP in line with the new Kampala Declaration of 2025 and the post-Malabo CAADP agenda.

The RAIP focused on four investment priority areas: sustainable natural resource management, rural infrastructure for market access, increasing food production, and improving agricultural research and knowledge sharing.

Its objectives were to intensify sustainable production, enhance value chains, build institutions, and support capacity development of stakeholders across the agri-food system.

“The plan aimed to reach farmers directly by strengthening services and enabling local markets to function better,” said Dr. Senait Regassa, Project Coordinator of the IGAD Food System Resilience Project.

She emphasised that agriculture must remain central to IGAD’s development agenda, with national governments aligning their budgets and policies accordingly.

“The CAADP framework demands that countries allocate at least 10 per cent of their national budgets to agriculture. If that’s implemented, we will see tangible transformation on the ground,” Regassa added.

Dr. Regassa highlighted the complex relationship between food insecurity and regional instability.

“When people go hungry, they are more vulnerable to conflict and radicalisation. Conversely, conflict disrupts food systems, transport, and livelihoods. It’s a two-way street.” She stated.

She noted that advancing food security would inherently contribute to improving regional peace and stability, making investments in agriculture not just an economic imperative but a peace-building strategy.

While the RAIP laid an ambitious foundation, speakers acknowledged that implementation gaps remain particularly around financing, coordination, and data tracking.

“Few member states have met the 10 per cent agriculture budget threshold; therefore, we must improve our investment tracking systems and advocate more effectively by showing evidence of how agricultural investments improve lives.” Dr. Regassa noted.

The RAIP has benefited from coordination among IGAD’s internal divisions, including the Agriculture and Environment Division (AED), the Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), the Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD), and the Regional Centre for Drought Resilience (ECRID).

The validation meeting provided a platform to reinforce partnerships between IGAD, the African Union Commission, development partners, and civil society organisations.

The results of the End Term Review will directly shape the RASIP strategy, expected to guide the region’s agri-food investments over the next decade.

Delegates expressed optimism that with coordinated effort, better funding mechanisms, and robust monitoring, the region can move closer to achieving food security and resilience.

The outcomes of this three-day validation meeting, which runs until June 25, are expected to inform the finalisation of the RASIP.

The new plan will be aligned with the African Union’s post-Malabo agricultural development agenda and will serve as a roadmap for transforming agriculture into a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable engine of economic growth in the IGAD region.

By Kamau Daniel and Amina Bakari

Tuesday, June 24, 2025 {HMC}— Somali government has strongly condemned a missile attack carried out by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the State of Qatar on Monday night, calling the strike a blatant violation of international law and a serious threat to regional peace and stability.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs just hours after the incident, Somalia expressed full solidarity with the government and people of Qatar, reaffirming its unwavering support for the Gulf nation’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity.

“Somalia remains firmly committed to a rules-based international order, founded on respect for national sovereignty, the inviolability of borders, and the peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and mutual understanding,” the statement said.
The government urged all parties involved to exercise restraint and called on the international community to unite in upholding peace and respect for the sovereignty of nations.

Iran launched missile strikes on U.S. military bases in Qatar, in what it said was a retaliatory move. Details about the extent of the damage or casualties have not been independently confirmed.