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

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia plans to recruit 12,000 government-employed teachers by the end of 2026, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said Saturday, framing the effort as the centerpiece of a drive to rebuild a long-fragile education system and place it on a domestically financed footing. Barre said his administration has already recruited and deployed 6,000 trained teachers in less than two years, a dramatic shift from the roughly 900 teachers on the federal payroll when the government took office. “In just two years, we…

Analysis: Four years into Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine faces its hardest winter as U.S.-brokered talks inch forward and Moscow hardens demands Four years after Russia launched its full-scale assault by land, sea and air, Ukraine enters a fifth year of war under punishing pressure: nightly missile and drone attacks on power stations, a slow-moving battlefield that chews through men and machines, and a diplomatic track that shows glimmers of structure but scant substance. A U.S.-led initiative that began a year ago…

Somalia government-opposition talks stall over election agenda dispute MOGADISHU, Somalia — A high-level meeting between leaders of the Federal Government of Somalia and the Somali Future Council was suspended on its second day after both sides failed to agree on which electoral issues should take priority, officials and participants said. The talks, convened to ease political tensions and set a clear path for Somalia’s next elections, broke down over the agenda itself. Government representatives pressed to advance their…

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called for calm ahead of nationwide rallies planned in memory of Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old far-right activist whose killing last week has jolted France and inflamed already raw political tensions. Authorities are bracing for potential clashes between extremist groups, particularly in Lyon, where a large march is set to proceed under heavy security despite the city’s Green mayor urging the state to ban it. Police expect 2,000 to 3,000 participants and anticipate…

Where do talks between the Future Council and the Federal Government stand? MOGADISHU — Somalia’s election negotiations have entered a decisive phase as members of the Future Council agreed to attend a unified session at Villa Somalia on Sunday, moving the standoff with the Federal Government into direct, high-level talks over the country’s electoral path. The shift comes after weeks of committee-level engagements and separate consultative meetings failed to unlock compromises on how to conduct the next polls. With the…

U.S. forces carried out an airstrike against an alleged narco‑trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific on Feb. 20, killing three people, U.S. Southern Command said in a statement posted on X the following day. “Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations” transiting “along known narco‑trafficking routes,” the command said. The post added that “three male narco‑terrorists were killed during this action.” Black‑and‑white video released with the…

Somalia to recruit 10,000 teachers, shift salaries to domestic revenue in education overhaul MOGADISHU — Somalia will hire 10,000 teachers over the next 45 months and pay their salaries entirely from domestic revenue, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre announced Friday, framing the move as a cornerstone of state-building and economic independence. “For the first time in Somalia’s history, teachers’ salaries will be paid entirely from domestic revenue rather than external support,” Barre wrote on X. “This is not just politics,…

Viral photo shows Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leaving police custody after questioning over Epstein documents Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of Britain’s King Charles, was released from police custody after a day of questioning over allegations he sent confidential government documents to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. A stark photograph of the former prince slumped in the back of a Range Rover as he left Aylsham police station in Norfolk went viral after it was published late yesterday. Thames…

Lisa Phillips, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein, has called for a thorough investigation into any Irish links to the convicted U.S. sex offender’s network, telling RTÉ’s The Late Late Show that she is in Ireland to meet “some powerful leaders” and press for action. Phillips’ appeal comes a week after the Dáil was told that a witness statement contained in the so‑called Epstein files alleged a young girl was trafficked through Ireland “for politicians and notable men for the purposes of sex.” “There needs to be a thorough…

WFP warns Somalia food aid could halt by April without new funds, putting millions at risk The U.N. World Food Program warned Friday that its life-saving food and nutrition assistance in Somalia could grind to a halt as early as April unless fresh funding arrives, threatening to push millions deeper into hunger after years of failed rains and conflict. The agency said an estimated 4.4 million people in Somalia face crisis-level food insecurity, with nearly 1 million already enduring severe hunger. A sharp drop in…