The New York Times published on 4 June 2026 an article titled "What to Know About the Fighting in Somalia's Capital, Mogadishu" by Hussein Mohamed and Matthew Mpoke Bigg.
On 4 June, government forces began fighting militia groups loyal to two of the president's rivals in Mogadishu, resulting in the worst violence there in years. The clashes stemmed from Parliament's contentious decision to extend President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term of office for another year beyond its expiration date.
The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies published in June 2025 a document titled "Somalia's Post-Conflict Experience: Political Rifts, Security Challenges, and Social Crises."
It contains 6 conference papers by different authors from the December 2022 Annual Forum for Ideas held in Djibouti and hosted by the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies. The first section examines governance crises, security threats, political divisions and three key types of conflict that continue to shape the political and social realities of post-civil war Somalia. The second section presents viable solutions aimed at fostering reconciliation and social cohesion.
A key lesson to be drawn from this analysis is that the interplay between governance disputes, militant insurgencies, and social intolerance among the people demonstrates the complexity of Somalia's challenges.
The Westminster Foundation for Democracy published in 2025 a study titled "Parliamentary Oversight and Chinese Loans in Africa: The Case of Ghana and Nigeria" by Abdul-Gafar Tobi Oshodi, Lagos State University.
The study identifies party-centered responses in parliament, executive push, and dependence on Chinese development finance as the challenges of parliamentary oversight. It concludes that strengthening parliamentary oversight of Chinese loans will require the involvement of non-state actors.
World Politics Review published on 21 February 2025 an analysis titled "Sudan Isn't as Committed to a Russian Base as It Seems" by Elfadil Ibrahim, analyst of Sudanese politics.
The recent announcement by Sudan's foreign minister that there are "no obstacles" for a Russian naval base on Sudan's Red Sea coast was misleading. While a deal was reached in 2020, the agreement must be ratified by parliament, which has not functioned in Sudan for nearly six years. The situation is further complicated by Sudan's ongoing civil war.
Ethiopia Insight published on 8 August 2024 a commentary titled "The Addis-Washington Consensus and Its Democratic Deficit" by Fassil Hailu, a pen name for a columnist with Ethiopia Insight.
The $3.4 billion International Monetary Fund agreement with Ethiopia requires a number of economic reforms. The author believes that the Ethiopian government is captive to the IMF for the entire duration of the reform package and that the Fund enjoys undue influence.
NewsDay published on 27 October 2023 an article titled "China Hands Over New Parliament Building" by Harriet Chikandiwa.
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa received from China on 26 October 2023 a new $100 million National Assembly financed by China Aid. Mnangagwa said at the ceremony his ZANU-PF government "stands ready to strengthen synergies and to share experiences with the People's Republic of China and the Communist Party of China with regards to advancing rejuvenation and growing our economy."
The Associated Press published on 23 November 2022 an article titled "Zimbabwe's Imposing New Chinese-funded Parliament Opens" by Farai Mutsaka.
Mnangagwa hailed opening of the structure on this occasion. The article valued the building at $200 million.
Xinhua published on 27 November 2019 an article titled "Zimbabwean President Impressed by Progress on Chinese-funded New Parliament Building."
Mnangagwa toured the site, his third since construction began in 2018, of the new parliament building, expressing "gratitude to China for the magnificent gesture."
IOL published on 30 November 2018 an article titled "Zimbabwe Starts Building New Parliament Paid by China."
Mnangagwa laid the foundation stone for the new parliament building funded by China.
Comment: These articles do not even scratch the surface of the flood of publicity China received from this project beginning with the signing of what began as a loan in 2017.
The Associated Press published on 22 March 2022 an article titled "Ethiopian Lawmakers Remove Tigray Group from Terror List."
The Ethiopian Parliament voted on 22 March to remove its designation of the Tigray People's Liberation Front as a terrorist organization.
Aljazeera published on 14 October 2022 an article titled "Analysis: Does China's 'Palace Diplomacy' Benefit Africa or Beijing?" by Thomas O'Falk.
China has been financing and building parliaments across Africa, most recently in Zimbabwe. It has financed and built others in Mozambique, Lesotho, Guinea-Bissau, and Malawi. It is often not clear if the financing terms are commercial loans, interest-free loans or grants, but China's goal is to gain political influence through these projects (and make a profit if the financing is based on commercial loan terms).
The Mogadishu-based Heritage Institute published in July 2022 a study titled "Women and Politics: Overcoming Barriers of Political Representation in Somalia" by Ladan Affi, Zayed University in the UAE, and Zainab M. Hassan, executive director of the Somali Gender Equity Movement.
Women in Somali government positions remain under the 30 percent goal promised by the government of Somalia. The study examines the public perception of women's political participation as well as the opportunities and challenges they face in pursuit of political engagement.
The Heritage Institute for Policy Studies published in July 2022 a report titled "Women and Politics: Overcoming Barriers of Political Representation in Somalia" by Ladan Affi and Zainab M. Hassan.
This report examines the public perception of women's political participation as well as the opportunities and challenges they face in Somali politics.
South Africa's parliament published on 17 March 2022 a summary titled "National Assembly Debates Impact of Russia-Ukraine War on South African Economy."
This account offers a useful discussion of South Africa's position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While the official position of South Africa is neutrality, some members supported Russia's attack and others strongly opposed it.
The Associated Press published on 14 April 2022 an article titled "Somalia Swears In Lawmakers As UN Warns of Famine" by Omar Faruk.
Somalia swore in 290 new members of parliament while the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia warned that severe drought could lead to famine.
Agence France Presse published on 25 February 2022 an article titled "Somalia Extends Election Deadline to Next Month."
Somalia extended to March 15 its deadline to finish voting for the lower house of parliament following earlier delays of more than a year.
Reuters published on 15 February 2022 an article titled "Ethiopia's Parliament Lifts State of Emergency Early" by Dawit Endeshaw.
Ethiopia's parliament, with some dissent, agreed to lift the country's state of emergency. This may improve the chances for a negotiated solution to Ethiopia's internal conflict.
Agency France Press published on 9 January 2022 an article titled "Somalia's Leaders Agree to Have Delayed Elections by February 25."
The Somali president and prime minister have reached agreement to complete parliamentary elections by February 25 after repeated delays that have threatened the stability of the country.
The South African Broadcasting Company ran on 1 September 2021 a three and one-half minute news segment titled "Parties React to Claims that ANC MP Xiaomei Havard Is Spying for China."
An alleged leaked report from the South African State Security Agency noted that there is a "high likelihood" that the African National Congress member of parliament could be sharing classified information about South Africa with the Communist Party of China.
The Daily Maverick published on 1 September 2021 an article titled "How Seriously Should We Take the Claim of Possible Chinese Spy in Parliament?" by Rebecca Davis.
The author suggests that the Chinese-South African MP is too obvious of a choice to spy for China. The State Security Agency denied that it authored any report on the MP. The Daily Maverick says the bigger question is how did she even manage to become an ANC MP.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) published on 12 August 2021 an analysis titled "Building on Somaliland's Successful Elections."
Although long delayed, Somaliland held successful elections in May and August. The ICG argues, however, that there must be renewed efforts to include under-represented communities going forward.
The Conversation published on 17 June 2021 a commentary titled "Ethiopia's Election: The Stakes Are High Amid Fear, Mistrust and Violence" by Mohammed Girma, University of Roehampton.
The author identified the following weakness in Ethiopian politics: "The typical tactic for winning has been eliminating the competitor. Dialogue and compromises remain alien concepts."
The National Interest published on 20 June 2021 a statement titled "Ethiopia's Elections: A New Life for an Old Hope" by Birtukan Midekssa, Chair of the National Elections Board of Ethiopia.
The author acknowledges that Ethiopia's parliamentary election on 21 June is beset with serious challenges but says it still offers the best hope for Ethiopian democracy.
The US Institute of Peace published on 17 June 2021 an analysis titled "Why Ethiopia's 2021 Elections Matter" by Aly Verjee and Terence Lyons.
There are serious questions whether the 21 June elections in Ethiopia will advance democratization or lead to further political polarization. At least 76 of the 547 constituencies will not be voting.
