Axadle - Breaking news and analysis from Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and across Africa.

Any hopes of a swift breakthrough with Iran dimmed on Tuesday after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal could still "take a few days," a day after US forces launched what Washington described as defensive strikes in ⁠southern Iran. Rubio, outlining the operation against targets that included boats allegedly trying to lay mines and missile launch sites, made clear the US position on the vital shipping lane. The Strait of Hormuz, he said, must remain open "one way or the other". "The straits have to be open, they're…

Tuesday May 26, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — In a meeting that underscored the enduring power of words in Somali public life, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday sat down with leading Somali poets and literary figures to discuss how arts and literature can help deepen public awareness, support state-building and reinforce national identity. Mohamud used the occasion to commend Somali poets for what he described as decades of service in defending national unity, safeguarding cultural heritage and delivering messages that…

Amid a climate of escalating community tension, Congolese authorities are grappling with a formidable health crisis as attacks on Ebola treatment centers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo intensify. These incidents are a stark reminder of the challenges in containing a global health emergency. On Sunday, officials reported that suspected Ebola cases in the country's east have exceeded 900, with Ituri Province emerging as the outbreak's focal point. In a troubling incident that night, a group of young men stormed…

Malawi’s power crunch is deepening, electricity officials have warned Parliament, as the national grid struggles to keep pace with soaring demand while being hobbled by frequent equipment failures, fuel shortfalls, and aging infrastructure. Representatives of the nation’s electricity company told lawmakers that Malawi is generating far less power than it requires, describing a system under strain from breakdowns and obsolete equipment even as consumption continues to climb.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Monday that efforts to halt the war between the United States and Iran are advancing, insisting that “things are moving in the right direction.” Speaking before his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, Sharif said Islamabad’s push to broker a negotiated settlement between the two sides had already made headway and that “things are moving in the right direction.” In footage broadcast by state-run Pakistan TV, he said Pakistan had played a “sincere role to mediate…

Monday May 25, 2026 Las Anod (AX) — Police in Somalia’s Northeastern State moved quickly on Sunday, arresting five suspects and launching a search for a sixth person in connection with the rape of a woman in Las Anod. Sool regional police said the assault occurred on May 23, 2026. After the case was reported, officers carried out a follow-up operation that led to the detention of the five suspects. Police said the victim is a woman from Northeastern Somalia. They did not release her name, in line with standard practice in…

Artificial intelligence has moved to the center of the Vatican’s moral agenda, with Pope Leo XIV releasing his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, or Magnificent Humanity, in a closely watched statement of intent from the new pontiff. The pope signed the document on 15 May, deliberately tying it to the 135th anniversary of the landmark encyclical issued by the last pope to take the name Leo - Pope Leo XIII. That document, Rerum Novarum, confronted the social and economic shocks unleashed by the Industrial Revolution in…

Monday May 25, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s intelligence service said at least five al-Shabab militants were killed in a carefully planned operation in Hiiraan region, where the group had reportedly gathered to prepare attacks. The National Intelligence and Security Agency said Sunday that the raid took place in the Tardo area, carried out alongside international partners after intelligence showed about 25 al-Shabab members, including fighters and officers, had convened there. NISA said the group was preparing activities…

A fragile sign of progress emerged in Garden Grove after authorities said they found a crack in a damaged tank holding toxic chemicals, a development that may be easing pressure as fears of an explosion have driven tens of thousands of people from their homes. Roughly 50,000 residents in the Garden Grove area of Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles, were ordered to evacuate on Friday after the tank began leaking and sent fumes across a densely populated area about 8km from Disneyland. Federal regulators sent in a team of…

Zimbabwe’s opposition politics and civil society circles are mourning the death of Linda Masarira, an outspoken human rights activist and party leader, who has died aged 43. Masarira founded and led the Labour Economists and African Democrats (LEAD) in 2019. Tributes have begun to pour in from those who worked alongside her. Close friend Abigale Mupambi remembered Masarira as a “comrade to many,” reflecting the breadth of her relationships across activism and political organising. Over the past decade, Masarira became…