In March, Somalia’s parliament passed constitutional amendments to replace the old system—whereby clan elders choose the parliament, which then selects a president—and move to a direct vote. These also extended the mandates of both the president and parliament from four to five years, pushing back elections by a year.

Pakistan, June 11 -- Pakistan is intensifying efforts to secure the release of citizens held hostage by Somali pirates. The issue matters because the captives have spent nearly 50 days in detention. Pakistani nationals,

Gun battles erupted on Thursday, as armed groups loyal to rival politicians clashed. Residents said it was the worst fighting in years.

Omar Abdulkadir Artan “was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns,” the Trump administration said.