Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

Hospitals across Zimbabwe were thrown into turmoil as nurses walked off the job, leaving wards understaffed and patients without care, in a push for higher wages and allowances. At Parirenyatwa hospital, operations slowed to a near standstill, with student nurses drafted into critical units to keep services running. The walkout erupted just days after a similar action at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. Nurses said their frustrations have intensified following recent fuel price hikes that have sent transport costs soaring.…

OP-ED: A Federation at a Crossroads: Somalia’s Leap from Standoff to Settlement Somalia is staring down a constitutional and political rupture that exceeds the usual turbulence of fragile states. A high-stakes confrontation between the Federal Government in Mogadishu, headed by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and the South West State administration led by President Abdiaziz Laftagareen has emerged as one of the most serious tests of Somalia’s federalism since the system took shape. Beneath the surface lies an…

Tuesday March 24, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — After days of rising political and military strain between Mogadishu and Baidoa, traditional elders in Southwest State say they have brokered a key understanding aimed at stopping further escalation and preventing bloodshed, following three days of intensive consultations. Speaking at a press conference in Baidoa on Monday, Ugaas Shire Ugaas Warsame said the elders held separate meetings with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Speaker of the House of the People Aden Mohamed Nur (Madoobe),…

Slovenia faces immediate coalition negotiations after an election produced no clear victor in a contest that could reshape both domestic priorities and the country's foreign policy direction. With nearly all ballots tallied from Sunday's vote, Prime Minister Robert Golob’s liberal Freedom Movement (GS) and the right-leaning Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) of populist former premier Janez Jansa finished in a virtual tie. Neither party, as things stand, will reach the 46-seat threshold required for a majority in the 90-seat…

The Nigerian police have apprehended 15 individuals in connection with allegations of rape and sexual assault that emerged during the Alue-Do festival in Ozoro, Delta State. This investigative action comes in the wake of shocking footage that surfaced online, depicting women being chased, stripped, and assaulted in public spaces, igniting a wave of outrage on social media. The hashtag #StopRapingWomen swiftly gained traction, amplifying demands for accountability concerning gender-based violence. Authorities have refuted…

Tuesday March 24, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A coalition of 136 lawmakers from both chambers of Somalia’s Federal Parliament has thrown its weight behind Southwest State’s move to press ahead with elections and establish an electoral commission, setting up a fresh flashpoint in the widening dispute between regional leaders and Mogadishu. In a joint statement issued Monday, the MPs said Southwest’s election process should move forward transparently and inclusively, and must be conducted in line with the state constitution as well…

Iran fired multiple waves of missiles at Israel, the Israeli military said, after US President Donald Trump delayed a threatened strike on Iran's power grid, citing what he described as productive talks with Iranian officials. Air raid sirens sounded across parts of Israel, including in Tel Aviv, where the noise of interceptions — and the blasts that followed them — were clearly heard. In one instance, debris from an intercepted missile fell on homes in northern Israel, causing damage, though authorities reported no…

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A former NISA chief has urged the government to lift travel restrictions on lawmakers seeking to reach Baidoa, adding another layer of controversy to the political crisis in South West State. The appeal also carries implications for members of the House of the People, whose access to the region now intersects with wider questions about security power, parliamentary oversight, and political legitimacy. Sanbaloolshe called on the government to lift restrictions affecting federal lawmakers, naming MP…

A Colombian Air Force Lockheed Martin-built Hercules C-130 transport plane crashed just after takeoff in the country's southern Amazon, killing at least 34 of the 125 people on board, authorities said. "Unfortunately, the information is of 34 deaths," Luis Emilio Bustos, the mayor of the nearby ‌town of Puerto ⁠Leguizamo, told journalists. Jhon Gabriel Molina, governor of the Putumayo department, told local news outlet Caracol Noticias that 34 people had died and 21 remained unidentifed. The accident occurred as the aircraft…

Monday March 23, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — A sharp new dispute between Somalia’s federal government and Southwest State is spilling into the security arena, with regional authorities warning that fresh troop deployments could ignite wider conflict and compound an already precarious humanitarian situation. In a statement released Monday from Baidoa, Southwest State officials said the arrival of Somali National Army forces in the region amounts to a military escalation rooted in political disagreements—issues they argued should be…