Somalia

Somali football referee who was denied US entry says what happened was ‘fate’

Omar Abdulkadir Artan, Africa’s referee of the year in 2025, had been set to become the first Somali to officiate at the World Cup.

US denies Somali World Cup football referee entry because of ‘security threat’

Somalian referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan had been set to be the first from his country to officiate at the World Cup but he was denied entry to the United States on June 6.

Somali referee says his World Cup dream is dashed after US denies entry

Referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan from Somalia was questioned overnight upon arrival in Miami, before he was put on a flight back to Istanbul.

Iran says US revoked World Cup ticket allocation for supporters

Fans react as the Iranian national team arrives at the Tijuana International Airport, near Tijuana, Mexico.

Somali football referee denied entry into US, will miss World Cup debut

Somalian referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan had been set to be the first from his country to officiate at the World Cup but he was denied entry to the United States over the weekend.

UN warns of ‘unprecedented’ gaps in global food aid amid funding cuts

A Somali child is screened for malnutrition at a hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Somaliland says it will open an embassy in Jerusalem, Israel to reciprocate

Somaliland divisions remain as it marks independence day after Israel recognition

People hold the flag of Somaliland during the parade in Hargeisa, Somaliland, May 18, 2024.

Parts of Somalia face famine risk for first time since 2022

FILE PHOTO: A security officer stands guard as the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher (not in the picture) visits a camp for the internally displaced Somali people, as shortages of lifesaving therapeutic foods caused by shipping disruptions due to the Iran war have forced clinics treating severely malnourished children to turn away patients and ration supplies in drought-hit Somalia, in Baidoa, Somalia April 29, 2026. REUTERS/Feisal Omar/File Photo

Somalia faces severe malnutrition crisis as WFP warns of aid halt

Internally displaced people sit outside their makeshift shelters during a visit by World Food Programme’s Assistant Executive Director for Programme Operations, Matthew Hollingworth (not in the photo), to assess the knock on effects from the escalation in the Middle East, alongside drought and sharp cuts in humanitarian funding that are worsening hunger, in Kahda district of Mogadishu, Somalia May 7, 2026. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.