SOMALIA CRISIS DEEPENS

Somalia’s capital Mogadishu was hit by heavy armed clashes in June after political tensions escalated over a controversial constitutional amendment that extended President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term. The fighting involved state security forces, militias, and defected soldiers aligned with the opposition, making it one of the region’s most consequential political-security crises. In Sudan, North Kordofan remained a major battleground between the RSF and SAF, with drone strikes causing more than 110 reported deaths and showing how the war is evolving even as ground fighting pauses. For an Africa Edition front-page focus, the strongest single story is the widening political violence in Somalia, with Sudan’s drone war reinforcing the continent-wide conflict trend.