Leaked draft sparks outrage as Trump White House plots radical State Department overhaul, Africa programs face existential threat.
A leaked draft suggesting the Trump administration plans to dismantle State Department Africa operations and human rights bureaus draws fierce denials from Marco Rubio and fears of U.S. diplomatic retreat. 

The Trump administration appears poised to deliver its most radical foreign policy shift yet—if a leaked executive order draft obtained by The New York Times is to be believed. The document, circulating among diplomats and defense analysts, outlines a sweeping demolition of the State Department as we know it—one that would erase Africa from Washington’s diplomatic map, terminate human rights bureaus, and gut long-standing refugee and democracy programs.

But in a typical 2025 twist, Secretary of State Marco Rubio took to X, dismissing it as “fake news,” accusing The New York Times of falling for another hoax. Yet what’s fueling the fire is not just the leak—it’s the silence from the White House. No clear denial. No press release. Just noise.

If enacted, the order would shut down embassies across sub-Saharan Africa, roll back Fulbright scholarships to only those studying “national security,” and eliminate fellowships designed to bring underrepresented groups into diplomacy. For Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, and others—it’s more than abandonment; it’s strategic blindness.

And for Somaliland? The timing couldn’t be clearer. As Hargeisa lobbies to become Washington’s anchor in the Horn, Trump’s pivot away from Africa would leave the region’s fate in the hands of adversaries—Turkey, China, and Russia. Closing American embassies creates power vacuums others are happy to fill.

Rubio’s comment sidesteps the real issue: this isn’t just about budget cuts—it’s about ideology. The leaked order frames the State Department as bloated, slow, and disloyal. It replaces diplomacy with artificial intelligence, seasoned career officers with politically-aligned operatives, and strategic engagement with extractive opportunism—especially on the continent.

Eliminating the Bureau of African Affairs and reducing it to a “special envoy” shows how Trump sees Africa: not as a partner, but as a battlefield for minerals and terrorism—not diplomacy or democracy.

Critics aren’t just reacting—they’re panicking. Foreign policy veterans are calling this a death knell for the U.S.’s global influence. Human rights advocates warn that it will embolden authoritarians. Lawmakers like Rep. Gregory Meeks are already sounding alarms.

What if Rubio’s tweet isn’t a denial—but a distraction?

The truth may be somewhere in between. But one thing is clear: America’s global posture is being rewritten—and Africa is on the chopping block.

U.S.-Africa Relations Under a Trump Return: Insights from Tibor Nagy

Somalia’s own soldiers are assassinating their commanders, selling Somalia’s energy blocks to the highest bidder. Somalia now faces its most dangerous turning point since 1991. Al-Shabaab is raising flags in major towns while the Somali government sinks deeper into chaos, selling off resources and scapegoating enemies.

Is the capital next? 

Somalia isn’t slipping. It’s spiraling. The once fragile federal experiment is now visibly shattering—under the weight of incompetence, corruption, and political betrayal.

Mogadishu’s leadership, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, is flailing at the helm. Al-Shabaab grows bolder by the day, releasing prisoners, raising flags, and walking through military bases unchallenged. In a horrifying echo of Afghanistan, Somalia’s own soldiers are assassinating their commanders, and U.S. diplomats are being evacuated. Even the president himself narrowly escaped an ambush. This is no longer counterinsurgency. This is collapse management.

Desperate for Western attention, Hassan Sheikh has chosen a tactic that reeks of neo-colonial pandering: selling Somalia’s energy blocks to the highest bidder, offering the country’s last resources to Trump-linked interests in the hope of buying security. His ambassador’s bizarre social media auction of Somalia’s oil was less diplomacy than a digital clearance sale of a broken state. The response? Silence in Washington. Chaos in the capital.

Meanwhile, Turkish boots are on Somali soil, drones fly overhead, and the African Union’s peacekeepers are now smeared as al-Shabaab sympathizers by Somali officials trying to dodge accountability. Puntland and Jubaland have already walked out of Hassan’s electoral circus. The remaining federal structure is now a skeleton of legitimacy—held together by the optics of registration drives and donor meetings.

And as al-Shabaab captures Aadan Yabaal—the president’s own hometown—Somalis wake up asking a question they hoped they’d never need to again: Can Mogadishu fall?

Somalia has failed at the elite level. Hassan’s government blames everyone—Egypt, Ethiopia, the AU, even UN diplomats—except itself. It ignores the internal rot, the patronage system, the militarized nepotism, and the utter lack of coherent national strategy.

The result? Al-Shabaab no longer hides. It governs. And the state no longer fights back. It tweets.

Quo vadis, Somalia?
Downward. Fast. Unless something radical, honest, and painfully overdue changes now.

Turkey Boots on the Ground: Is Mogadishu Being Outsourced?

Turkish boots on the ground in Mogadishu while Al-Shabaab silently takes over 4 districts. Somalia’s leaders play musical chairs—while militants walk into government offices unopposed. WARYATV exposes the ugly truth.

Erdogan’s Ottoman Hustle: How Turkey Is Playing Trump to Crush American Business in Africa

As Al-Shabaab quietly seizes control of districts, 2,500 Turkish soldiers land—who’s really in charge now?

As Turkish troops land in Mogadishu under a security agreement, Al-Shabaab expands its stealth control. WARYATV investigates the dangerous delusion gripping Somalia’s leadership.

Two Turkish military aircraft touched down in Mogadishu, unloading up to 500 troops—with expectations that number could balloon beyond 2,500. Turkey frames this as counterterrorism cooperation. The truth? Somalia’s so-called “sovereignty” is being subcontracted out while its own leadership collapses from within.

This isn’t partnership. It’s occupation through invitation. While Turkish warplanes bomb Al-Shabaab hideouts, militants are effortlessly patrolling four major Mogadishu districts without resistance—seizing government files, walking into local offices, and telling security guards, “Be back at your post tomorrow.”

Dayniile. Hilwa. Dharkaleey. Gubadleey.
All are now nocturnally governed by Al-Shabaab—without a single shot fired.

Sources within Western military intelligence confirm what the world refuses to admit: the capital is falling in slow motion, and it’s being covered up with press releases about international cooperation.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is already preparing to scapegoat his NISA director and army chief—rumored to be replaced by political loyalists with zero tactical credibility. It’s a page ripped straight from Kabul before the Taliban sweep. The same air of denial. The same security theatrics. The same doomed outcome.

And while Turkish troops march in to supposedly help, Prime Minister Hamse Barre diverts attention with a staged visit to Las Anod—reigniting internal tensions instead of addressing the slow-motion collapse in Mogadishu. It’s all a distraction from a grim truth: Al-Shabaab is winning not by firepower—but by strategy, infiltration, and the cowardice of Somalia’s leadership.

This is no longer a counterinsurgency.
This is Somalia outsourced, Somali leadership imploding, and Al-Shabaab adapting faster than its enemies.

After years of entrenchment, ISIS-Somalia’s last major bastion crumbles under Puntland’s offensive.

Puntland’s latest offensive in the Calmiskaad Mountains isn’t just a military success—it’s a symbolic decapitation of ISIS-Somalia’s regional ambitions. By seizing Togga Miraale, the crown jewel of ISIS’s mountain redoubts, Puntland security forces have dismantled what analysts long described as the terror group’s last command node in the region. The caliphate fantasy is over, at least in Puntland.

This wasn’t a victory won overnight. The month-long campaign through treacherous terrain and entrenched positions was a surgical war of attrition. ISIS fighters, once emboldened by their remote stronghold and a steady supply of weapons, were ground down. With captured stockpiles and dislodged militants, Puntland has dealt ISIS a blow from which it may never recover in northeastern Somalia.

This is more than just a win for Puntland. It’s a pivotal shift in the asymmetric war against jihadist movements in the Horn. While Al-Shabaab remains a dominant threat further south, ISIS-Somalia’s collapse exposes the vulnerability of jihadist splinter factions when faced with sustained, locally-led counterterrorism backed by strategic intelligence.

Moreover, this win couldn’t come at a more geopolitically significant time. As Somalia reels from recent setbacks—including the fall of Aadan Yabaal to Al-Shabaab—Puntland’s success highlights a stark contrast in governance, security, and military capability. It sends a potent message: decentralized Somali regions like Puntland can, and will, defend their territory where the federal government has failed.

Regional players like the UAE and the U.S., both of whom quietly supported this operation with air surveillance and intel, are taking note. So should Mogadishu. As the Somali government continues to lose ground to terrorists in the south, Puntland’s battlefield dominance is not just a local triumph—it’s a rebuke of Somalia’s fragile security architecture.

The caliphate in Somalia didn’t fall with fanfare—it collapsed under the pressure of a region that refused to yield. Puntland now owns the victory. And ISIS-Somalia? It’s a name soon to be remembered only in past tense.

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Puntland Forces Hit Hard in Battle Against ISIS Stronghold

U.S. and UAE Joint Operation Kills 16 ISIS Militants in Puntland Stronghold

Puntland Airstrikes Devastate ISIS Strongholds, Killing Over 30 Fighters

ISIS Deploys Advanced Drones to Escalate War in Puntland

Puntland Claims it Uncovered ISIS Treatment Sites, Business Links in Somaliland

Telegram Shuts Down Key ISIS Propaganda Channel Amid Puntland Conflict

Puntland Forces Close in on ISIS Stronghold, Final Battle Nears

Puntland Seeks Global Aid to Crush ISIS Strongholds

Puntland Forces Crush ISIS Strongholds in Togga Jaceel Offensive

Airstrike Wipes Out Foreign ISIS Fighters in Puntland

Puntland Clerics Rally Support for Military Offensive Against ISIS in Al-Miskaat Mountains

Puntland Would be Happy to Host Gazan Refugees: Puntland Deputy Minister

In Puntland’s rugged mountains, ISIS builds a dangerous foothold

US AFRICOM Strikes ISIS Strongholds in Somalia

Senior ISIS Commander Captured in Puntland as U.S. Airstrikes Cripple Somalia’s Jihadist Network

Puntland Cracks Down on Illegal Foreign Nationals Amid Extremism Concerns

ISIS Drone Attack Kills Puntland Soldier

Landmine Explosion Kills 13 Puntland Soldiers in Counter-Terrorism Mission

Puntland Forces Strike Major Daesh Strongholds in Bari Region

Puntland Denies Amnesty to Foreign ISIS Fighters

Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Deadly Puntland Military Base Attack in Somalia

Puntland Deputy Speaker Survives ISIS Attack Amid Rising Threat

Puntland Forces Uncover Major Weapons Cache, Arrest Al-Shabaab and ISIS Suspects in Bosaso

High seas alert as armed boats pursue merchant ship near Aden, reigniting piracy fears and exposing regional maritime chaos.

A merchant bulk carrier is chased by armed boats near Yemen in a dramatic 2-hour incident, reigniting fears of piracy and Houthi insurgency in the Gulf of Aden.

A quiet shipping lane turned into a maritime standoff Tuesday evening when a bulk carrier traversing the Gulf of Aden was pursued for nearly two hours by multiple small, armed boats—an alarming sign that the waters off Yemen are once again boiling with threats.

UKMTO confirmed the incident occurred 100 nautical miles east of Aden, with gunfire reported and the vessel forced into evasive maneuvers toward the Yemeni coastline. Though no casualties were reported and the ship managed to continue its course, the confrontation has set off security alarms across the maritime world.

Who were these armed men? That’s the burning question. While some suspect traditional piracy, analysts at Neptune P2P Group argue the tactics were uncharacteristic—suggesting a more dangerous twist. Could this be a dry run for Houthi-aligned maritime militia? Or a rogue coastal faction flexing its muscle?

The Houthis, fresh off a ceasefire hiatus tied to Gaza, have recently threatened to resume attacks on shipping—especially those with Israeli links. While they’ve stayed silent about this specific incident, the implications are ominous.

What’s certain is this: piracy in the Gulf of Aden never truly died. The brief calm following the 2023 resurgence now seems like a prelude to a new wave of asymmetric sea warfare. The EU’s extension of Operation Atalanta through 2027 suddenly looks like a prophetic move.

And the danger isn’t isolated. From Somali pirates re-emerging to Houthi threats and rogue militias in war-torn Yemen, the Gulf of Aden is becoming a maritime minefield—one gunboat away from full-scale chaos.

The next incident may not end with a safe escape—but a ship taken hostage.

Chinese state media blasts Trump’s tariff war, accuses U.S. of freeloading on globalization while Xi strengthens Asian alliances.

China lashes out at Trump’s economic nationalism, accusing the U.S. of hypocrisy as global trade realigns. Rare earths, aircraft, and semiconductors are next in this economic war.

Beijing just turned up the heat—and made it personal.

China Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, has delivered a scathing editorial aimed squarely at Donald Trump, telling him to “stop whining” and stop pretending the U.S. is a victim of global trade. “The U.S. is not getting ripped off by anybody,” it declared. “It has been taking a free ride on globalization for decades.”

The insult isn’t just rhetorical—it’s strategic. Trump’s aggressive tariff campaign, which now includes up to 145% duties on Chinese imports, has sparked the fiercest economic duel in decades. But China isn’t retreating. Instead, it’s choking U.S. exporters and fueling regional alliances that sideline Washington altogether.

Xi Jinping’s surprise regional tour, now overlapping with this tariff escalation, is no coincidence. Xi is quietly building what he calls a “strategic alliance of destiny” with Malaysia and ASEAN countries. Translation: Beijing is done playing by Trump’s rules. While the U.S. ratchets up tariffs and threatens new probes into semiconductors, pharma, and rare earths, China is reinforcing control of critical global supply chains.

The stakes? Massive. The Hong Kong postal service just banned packages to the U.S., Boeing deals are stalling, and Chinese firms are moving supply lines away from American manufacturers. Rare earth export bans are already shaking markets, and Beijing’s shadow diplomacy is redrawing global trade corridors.

Trump says, “The ball is in China’s court.” But Beijing just spiked it—with force.

Bottom line: This is not just a trade war. It’s a global economic realignment. And China’s message to the world? America’s time as the global economic sheriff is over—and it has only itself to blame.

As the UK pumps millions more into Somalia’s army, Somaliland faces heightened threats while UNSOS fuels an increasingly unstable regional arms race.

The British government just wired another $3.9 million to fuel Mogadishu’s militarization—and Somalilanders are asking: “Who is this war chest really aimed at?”

On Monday, the United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) confirmed the UK’s latest cash drop into the Somali Security Forces (SSF) Trust Fund, bringing British support to a staggering $50 million since 2021. The funds pay for food, fuel, medevac missions—and logistics for nearly 19,000 Somali troops, with expansion plans already in motion.

These aren’t peacekeepers. This is a foreign-funded, UN-managed fighting force—trained, equipped, and deployed at a time when Somalia is entrenching its hold on Las Anod, and threatening Somaliland’s borders. Where is this force going? And against whom?

The UK claims it’s backing the fight against “violent extremists.” But that same Somali government just welcomed Turkish military bases, offered Chinese-backed oil deals in disputed territory, and is building an army that doesn’t even control its capital without foreign troops.

The funding also helps facilitate frontline evacuations—a reminder that this isn’t just security. It’s active warfare.

British Ambassador Mike Nithavrianakis proudly called Somalia “a firm friend.” But whose security is being guaranteed? Somaliland’s sovereignty? No. In fact, the very funds flowing through UNSOS could end up emboldening Somalia’s push into contested lands, or worse—into Somaliland territory itself.

And while Somalia’s National Security Advisor promises “transparency and accountability,” the record shows militia infiltration, human rights violations, and chronic misuse of donor funds.

Somaliland’s silence in this equation is dangerous. The longer Hargeisa fails to demand a separate recognition in global security structures, the more millions will be funneled into the very force seeking to erase it from the map.

This isn’t a donation. It’s arming instability.

While Trump talks business, Erdogan snatches U.S. oil fields and military contracts in Somalia and Syria—turning allies into proxies and profits.

Trump wants to put America first. But Erdogan wants to put America in check.

As President Donald Trump moves to limit U.S. exposure abroad, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is running a global hustle—undercutting American firms, sponsoring proxies, and hijacking U.S. influence from Somalia to Syria.

The latest example? Las Anod—the town Somalia seized from Somaliland in 2023, with China’s blessing. Erdogan didn’t just nod; he sent his oil company. Just months after the offensive, Turkey’s state-owned petroleum giant signed rights to land blocks in Somalia, including the Holhol bloc—once explored by Houston-based ConocoPhillips.

And who’s facilitating the handover? Somalia’s PM Hamza Barre, Erdogan’s new pawn. Barre’s Las Anod visit wasn’t diplomacy—it was resource extraction theater, designed to reward Turkish firms for backing Mogadishu’s illegal annexation of Somaliland land.

This isn’t partnership. This is daylight robbery.

Erdogan has already entrenched himself inside Mogadishu’s airport, where U.S. diplomats operate under Turkish security. He built a naval base, trains Somali forces, and now wants the entire Horn of Africa oil patch—all while selling himself to Trump as a strongman “ally.”

He even married his drone empire into power—literally. Erdogan’s daughter is married to Selçuk Bayraktar, Turkey’s top defense tech mogul. Baykar drones are now exported to Somalia, Syria, and anywhere Turkey wants leverage.

Meanwhile in Syria, Erdogan props up puppet president Ahmed al-Sharaa, who funnels reconstruction contracts to Ankara—not Washington. And in the Eastern Mediterranean? Erdogan is expanding maritime claims, slashing through U.S.-backed gas corridors to grab more sea-based wealth.

Erdogan is not Trump’s partner. He’s his economic predator.

While Trump believes business is the best diplomacy—and he’s right—he’s being played. If America doesn’t wake up, Erdogan will gut U.S. influence across East Africa, the Levant, and the Mediterranean—all while laughing on the phone with Beijing and cashing checks in Ankara.

It’s time for the U.S. to stop the charade, shut down Turkey’s energy grabs in Africa, and back real partners—like Somaliland and Israel—who fight for security, not Ottoman revenge fantasies.