Legal Analysts and Commentator

On December 26, 2025, Israel formally recognized the Republic of Somaliland , becoming the first country to grant official recognition to the self-declared state since it broke away from Somalia in 1991. The decision marked a dramatic shift in Somaliland’s decades-long quest for international legitimacy and immediately placed the territory at the center of a complex regional and geopolitical debate. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi signed a mutual recognition agreement that signaled intentions to cooperate in agriculture, health, technology, and trade, while echoing the logic of the Abraham Accords that reshaped Israel’s relations with parts of the Arab world after 2020 ( Reuters ). For Somaliland, the moment carried historical resonance. Israel had briefly recognized Somaliland in 1960, before the former British protectorate united with Italian Somaliland to form the Somali Republic . That recognition disappeared a...

Africa is a continent endowed with vast natural resources, cultural diversity, and an energetic youth population. From gold, diamonds, oil, cobalt , and uranium to fertile agricultural land, Africa holds some of the world’s most valuable commodities. Despite this wealth, the continent has struggled for decades with slow socio-economic development . The challenges are complex rooted in internal governance problems, historical exploitation, and modern geopolitical interests. Africa’s role as a global resource hub cannot be overstated. The Democratic Republic of Congo supplies a significant portion of the world’s cobalt, a critical component in electric car batteries and smartphones, while Nigeria and Angola stand among the continent’s leading oil producers. Ghana and South Africa contribute heavily to global gold production, and Côte d’Ivoire along with Ghana dominate the world’s cocoa supply. Overall, Africa holds an estimated 30 percent of global mineral reserves and possesse...

The recent case in Burao involving a Quranic teacher accused of raping two children has exposed a painful truth about our society: we are too quick to protect reputation, and too slow to protect the vulnerable. The tragedy is not only in the crimes reported, but in the community’s reaction, especially from some Quranic teachers who rushed to defend the accused long before understanding the depth of the evidence or the suffering of the victims. The Office of the Attorney General of Somaliland has released a detailed clarification regarding a rape case that occurred in Burco, Togdheer Region an incident that recently drew significant public attention following widespread media coverage. The case involves a man described as a schoolteacher, who is accused of committing two separate sexual assaults against minors: a nine-year-old boy and an eleven-year-old girl. According to official record, the first incident took place on 10 April 2025. On that day, the accused allegedly picked u...

Since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi , Libya has transformed into one of the most dangerous migration corridors in the world. For thousands of Africans hoping to reach Europe , the journey through Libya is marked by a litany of abuses: arbitrary detention, torture, forced labour, sexual violence, ransom kidnappings ( madax-furasho in Somali ), extortion, and, in some cases, literal slave sales. These violations are committed by an array of actors, human traffickers, smugglers, local militias, clan-based warlords, criminal networks, and, at times, state-linked forces such as coastguard units. The scale of the brutality has provoked international condemnation and raised urgent questions about legal responsibility under both global and African human-rights frameworks. For more than a decade, researchers, NGOs, and UN agencies have described Libya as a “black box” of migrant abuse, a chaotic territory where lawlessness and lucrative smuggling economies collide. Migrants arriving from...

Two rival forces, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti have plunged Sudan into chaos. What may seem like a straightforward power struggle between two generals is, in truth, the complete extrication of a fragile nation. Once uneasy partners, the SAF and RSF are now locked in a brutal contest that has shattered institutions, displaced millions, and reduced cities like Khartoum and El Geneina to ruins. The conflict exposes deep rot within Sudan’s political and military establishment fueled by regional rivalries, illicit gold networks, and an international community largely watching in silence. Within months, Sudan became the epicenter of one of the world’s worst displacement crises. More than 14 million people roughly 30 percent of the population have been forced from their homes since the fighting began. Entire urban centers, including Khartoum,...

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) remains deep-rooted in certain cultures, particularly in Somali regions, despite global human rights efforts to eradicate it. One of the most persistent arguments used to justify FGM is the claim that it is a religious obligation. However, this justification is rooted more in cultural misconceptions than religious doctrine. Another complex factor is the belief that men, including fathers, should not interfere in what is considered a "woman's affair," such as decisions about FGM for their daughters. These dynamics present significant challenges to efforts aimed at protecting girls from this harmful practice. The belief that FGM is a religious requirement, particularly within Islamic communities, is widespread but incorrect. Many argue that FGM, particularly the Sunna cut is mandated by Islam. The term "Sunna" refers to the practices of the Prophet Muhammad, leading to the misconception that this form of FGM is a religious obligat...