Thursday 24, April -2025 {HMC}  Kenyan police who raided a national park guesthouse earlier this month aimed not to bust elephant tusk or rhino horn poachers but a more esoteric ring trading a much smaller, more lucrative item by weight – queen ants.

Two Belgian teenagers were arrested for wildlife trafficking at Jane Guesthouse in Naivasha on the edge of Hell’s Gate National Park. They, along with a Vietnamese man and a Kenyan national also accused of ant trafficking, pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on May 7, a magistrate said on Wednesday.

Kenyan prosecutors have valued the seizures of queens taken from giant African harvester ant colonies at about 1.2 million Kenyan shillings ($9,300).
Depending on the number and variety of each species found, however, Reuters calculated the haul would have been worth as much as $1 million if it had reached European shores.

“It’s like cocaine,” said Dino Martins, director of the Turkana Basin Institute and one of Kenya’s leading insect experts. “The price of cocaine in Colombia versus getting a kilogram in the European market is such a big value addition, that’s why people do it.”

Based on the average cost of giant African harvester ants at six retailers in Britain, each of the roughly 5,440 queens seized at Nairobi airport according to court documents is worth around £175 ($233).

Ant aficionados pay large sums to maintain ant colonies in large transparent vessels known as formicariums, which provide insights into their intricate social structures and behaviours.

But queen ants are vital for any colony as they are the only ones capable of laying eggs that grow into worker, soldier and future queen ants, meaning that trafficking can jeopardise colonies critical to Kenya’s wildlife ecosystem.

MASS DEATH IN TRANSIT

Martins said the retail value of the bug bust should be tempered by the expectation that as many as 90% of them would likely have died in transit by traffickers to Europe and Asia from disease, bacteria and freezing temperatures.

Nonetheless, the record seizures have raised questions about whether the attempted heist was a one-off by amateur enthusiasts, or a wider network of wildlife traffickers exploring new products and markets.
Ant exports are permitted from Kenya with licenses, though the regulations are difficult to navigate, Martins said.

“We are not criminals, we are 18 years old, we are naive, and I just want to go home to start my life,” one of the Belgian defendants, David Lornoy, said at the trial last week.

The Kenya Wildlife Service, however, said the case signals a landmark shift in biopiracy trends from iconic large mammals to lesser-known species that are no less ecologically critical.

“This case represents far more than insect smuggling,” said Erustus Kanga, director general of KWS.
“We’re seeing organised crime syndicates diversify from traditional ivory poaching to target our entire biodiversity – from medicinal plants, insects to micro-organisms,” he said in a statement.

Samuel Mutua, a wildlife crime expert at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said the ant case qualifies as organised crime. “Irrespective of their age, they were able to get a lot of ants,” he said.

For Martins, the furore over the case overlooks the greater threat to insects in East Africa posed by pesticides and habitat destruction that kill millions of ants every day.

Harvester ants, whose industriousness is mentioned by King Solomon in the Bible, keep Kenya’s iconic Rift Valley healthy by spreading and mixing grass seeds across the landscape, Martins said.

“If we were to lose all the elephants in Africa, we would be devastated, but the grassland would continue. If we were to lose all the harvester ants and termites, the savannah would collapse.”
($1 = 0.7472 pounds)

Reporting by Hereward Holland and Monicah Mwangi; Editing by Ammu Kannampilly and Mark Heinrich

Thursday 24, April -2025 {HMC}  Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday chaired the third Somalia–European Union Partnership Meeting in Mogadishu, reaffirming the strategic depth of Somalia-EU relations and advancing shared priorities under the Joint Operational Roadmap launched in May 2023.

The high-level meeting brought together EU ambassadors, Somali government officials, and international partners to assess progress and strengthen cooperation across political, security, and development sectors.

President Mohamud used the platform to outline the Federal Government’s roadmap for reconciliation, security stabilization, and governance reform — including efforts to institutionalize direct elections and phase out the long-standing clan-based political model.

“We are committed to building a democratic system rooted in inclusive dialogue and credible institutions. Our recent steps, including the National Dialogue Initiative, reflect our commitment to national unity and the defeat of the Al-Shabaab threat,” President Mohamud told attendees.

The meeting built on the momentum of earlier rounds of dialogue held in Mogadishu, reinforcing both sides’ dedication to Somalia’s stabilization, democratization, and economic development. A statement from Villa Somalia highlighted the importance of sustained EU support to Somalia’s state-building agenda and military reform.

“Somalia deeply values the European Union’s enduring partnership. Together, we remain committed to shaping a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous future for our people,” President Mohamud added.

The Joint Operational Roadmap remains the guiding framework for aligning Somalia’s national priorities with EU support across peacebuilding, security sector reform, economic recovery, and governance initiatives.

Thursday 24, April -2025 {HMC} Somalia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Abukar Osman Bale, met with his Yemeni counterpart, Ambassador Abdullah Al-Saadi, in New York on Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional developments.

The two diplomats focused on strengthening bilateral ties and coordinating positions on issues of mutual concern at the United Nations and other international forums.

The meeting included an exchange of views on the political, economic, and humanitarian situation in Yemen, and both sides reaffirmed the importance of regional stability and sustained diplomatic engagement.

The meeting comes amid a growing international focus on the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden regions, where Houthi attacks on commercial shipping have raised security concerns. U.S. defense officials have reportedly explored options to expand regional access, including the possibility of building or using military bases in Somalia or Djibouti to counter threats posed by Houthi forces.

While Djibouti has reportedly declined the U.S. initiative, Somalia is said to have offered the use of one of its northern ports for potential military operations, although no formal agreement has been announced. Neither Somalia nor Yemen officially commented on this development during Wednesday’s diplomatic engagement.

The ambassadors emphasized the need for increased coordination in light of regional challenges and pledged to continue working closely at multilateral levels to address common security, humanitarian, and development concerns.

Wednesday 23, April  2025 {HMC} H.E. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud today chaired the Somalia–European Union Partnership Meeting in Mogadishu, marking the third round of engagements since the launch of the Joint Operational Roadmap in May 2023.

The high-level dialogue reaffirmed the enduring strength and strategic importance of Somalia–EU relations.

The meeting built upon the momentum of the inaugural 2023 session held with EU ambassadors in Mogadishu, further consolidating mutual commitment to Somalia’s trajectory toward democratization, enhanced security, and inclusive socio-economic development.

President Mohamud emphasized the Federal Government’s unwavering determination to foster inclusive political dialogue — including the recently announced national dialogue — as part of the broader strategy to unify the nation and decisively defeat the threat posed by the Kharijites.

Somalia deeply values the EU’s consistent support throughout our state-building journey. Together, we remain committed to a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous future for our nation.