By Ismail H. Warsame | Toronto A claim resurfaces periodically in Somali popular history: that an ancient Egyptian pharaoh was “of Somali origin.” It is a compelling story, but it is not what the historical or scientific record shows. The real story is more interesting — and more defensible.The Land of PuntFor over two thousand … Continue reading Did a Pharaoh Come From Somalia? What the Evidence Actually Says →
A WDM Editorial Sometimes history is recovered from archives. Sometimes it emerges from the mouth of a man who was actually in the room.Ambassador Hussein Ali Duale — better known as Ambassador Awil — has been both witness and participant in some extraordinary chapters of modern Somali political history. His extended Geed Fadhi interview therefore … Continue reading Ambassador Awil’s Testimony: When the Witness Becomes Part of the Evidence →
A WDM Editorial There is an old Mudugh expression fit for moments when yesterday has become too embarrassing to defend: “Let us be reborn again.” It is not an invitation to erase history. It means forgiving past wrongdoing, burying old quarrels, abandoning failed habits and starting afresh from today. Mudugh badly needs such a rebirth. … Continue reading Mudugh: “Let Us Be Reborn Again” →
An Expired Parliament Elects a Speaker While an Expired Presidency and Cabinet Carry On A WDM Editorial Somalia has apparently discovered a constitutional innovation unknown to political science: institutions can expire and still reproduce themselves. The Federal Parliament’s four-year mandate ran out on April 14, 2026. The President’s term followed a month later. Yet Parliament … Continue reading SOMALIA: WHEN EXPIRED INSTITUTIONS ELECT EACH OTHER →
Federalism, Confederation, and the Risks of Somalia’s Centralizing DriftBy Ismail H. Warsame, MSc, PhD CandidateWarsame Digital Media (WDM) Executive Summary Puntland’s constitutional relationship with Somalia has entered a critical phase. The debate is no longer confined to whether Puntland should remain within a federal Somalia. Three possible futures are increasingly visible: renewed and enforceable federalism, … Continue reading POLICY BRIEF: Puntland at the Constitutional Crossroads →
Everybody Owns the Conflict. Nobody Owns the City. A WDM Editorial Who owns Galkayo? The people who permanently live there, build houses, establish businesses, educate their children, pay taxes and invest their savings there? Or an unlimited clan constituency stretching across Mudug and into the Somali State of Ethiopia, ready to claim Galkayo whenever genealogy … Continue reading WHO OWNS GALKAYO? →
A WDM Editorial — Commentary and Critical Analysis The Leader of SSC-Khatumo, Abdulkadir Ahmed Aw-Ali Firdhiye, has reportedly travelled to Nairobi to meet representatives of the international community. There is nothing objectionable about that. He should go. He should explain the political aspirations of the communities he represents and seek development assistance, humanitarian support, security … Continue reading Firdhiye Goes to Nairobi: An Old Diplomatic Battlefield →
Federalism, Confederation, Separation, and the Consequences of Centralizing Somalia’s Federal CompactBy Ismail H. Warsame, MSc, PhD CandidateWarsame Digital Media (WDM)Executive SummaryPuntland State confronts an increasingly fundamental constitutional question: whether its future remains best protected inside the existing Somali federation, through a substantially looser confederation, or eventually through separation should the federal compact become incapable of … Continue reading PUNTLAND AT THE CONSTITUTIONAL CROSSROADS →
BBC WORLD SERVICE AT 1706 GMT. THIS IS RACHAEL AKIDI WITH FOCUS ON AFRICA The port town of Bosaso in the Somali region of Puntland has today fallen to forces loyal to Colonel Abdullahi Yussuf Ahmed. The fall of this economically important town follows two days of fierce fighting between colonel Abdullahi and forces loyal to … Continue reading HISTORY RECORD: BBC WORLD SERVICE AT 1706 GMT. THIS IS RACHAEL AKIDI WITH FOCUS ON AFRICA →
Two volumes. One political indictment. Somalia must learn to hold power accountable. A WDM editorial Somalia has never lacked politicians. It has lacked people willing to confront them while they still hold power. That is the space occupied by Ismail H. Warsame’s two-volume Talking Truth to Power in Undemocratic and Tribal Context: Articles of Impeachment, … Continue reading TALKING TRUTH TO POWER: THE BOOK THAT REFUSED TO KNEEL →
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