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

U.S. Military Presence in Nigeria: Training and Support The Nigerian military has confirmed the arrival of U.S. troops and equipment to train local forces amid ongoing terrorist threats. This collaboration follows a formal request from Nigeria for training, technical support, and intelligence-sharing. Approximately 100 U.S. troops are involved in the mission. The focus is on training, not combat or direct operational roles. The initiative represents a thaw in previous tensions between Nigeria and the U.S.…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s prime minister on Monday hailed Türkiye’s launch of a deep-sea drilling mission off the Horn of Africa nation’s coast as a historic step that could jump-start long-promised economic change. Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre welcomed the deployment of Türkiye’s drillship Cagri Bey, which has set sail for Mogadishu to begin Ankara’s first offshore oil and gas exploration outside its own maritime zone. Turkish officials say the vessel is scheduled to start drilling in April at the Curad-1 well.…

Jesse Jackson, the Baptist minister and civil rights leader who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and elevated Black political power for more than six decades, died peacefully this morning at 84, his family said in a statement. “Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the family said. “His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions, and we ask you to honor his memory by continuing the fight for the values he…

Saudi Arabia’s quiet power play in Somalia’s new military pact Somalia and Saudi Arabia have signed a defense cooperation agreement in Riyadh, a move that folds one of the Horn of Africa’s most fragile states deeper into an increasingly crowded contest for Red Sea influence. The memorandum of understanding, announced by Somalia’s defense minister, Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, on X, comes weeks after Israel said it would recognize North Western State of Somalia — the northern, breakaway region of Somalia — as an independent state, a…

Kenya and Ghana Launch Investigations into Russian Man's Alleged Non-Consensual Filming Authorities in Kenya and Ghana are set to investigate disturbing reports that a Russian man secretly filmed sexual encounters with women in both countries and subsequently posted the footage online without their consent. This alarming case has raised serious concerns about gender-based violence and cybercrime in both nations. The individual at the center of this controversy has been identified as a self-styled "pick-up artist." Media…

Zelensky says diplomacy needs ‘justice and strength’ as Russia, U.S., Ukraine open Geneva talks GENEVA — Trilateral talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year war in Ukraine were set to begin in Geneva on Monday as a Russian delegation led by nationalist historian and former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky arrived in the Swiss city around 6 a.m., according to a member of the Russian team. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky framed the diplomatic push as inseparable from sustained pressure on Moscow, saying talks would…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s foreign minister said the United Arab Emirates has halted its security assistance to the Horn of Africa nation after Mogadishu formally withdrew from bilateral agreements with Abu Dhabi. Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali told reporters the Emirati program had focused on Somalia’s military and security institutions and no longer had a legal or political framework after the government’s move to scrap the pacts. “Most of the support provided by the UAE was concentrated in the security sector. Since the…

HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia (AX) — A key community body in western North Western State of Somalia has rejected the interior minister’s claim that a peace deal ended recent inter-clan clashes, saying fresh fighting has erupted in Awdal and Salal and that casualties and destruction are mounting. In a statement issued late Monday, the Awdal Regional Tribal Cultural Committee said Interior Minister Abdalle Mohamed Arab’s Feb. 14 remarks declaring the conflict over were “misleading” and did not reflect the situation…

Trump says he’ll be ‘indirectly’ involved as U.S., Iran resume high-stakes nuclear talks in Geneva GENEVA — U.S. President Donald Trump said he will be “involved … indirectly” in talks set for today in Geneva aimed at containing Iran’s nuclear program, as Washington rushes additional military power to the Middle East and warns it is prepared for a sustained campaign if diplomacy fails. “I’ll be involved in those talks, indirectly. And they’ll be very important,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. He added he believes…

GENEVA — President Donald Trump said he will be “indirectly” involved in a second round of high-stakes U.S.-Iran nuclear talks opening Tuesday in Switzerland, as both sides signal urgency amid a military buildup that has stoked fears of a wider regional conflict. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday, Trump called the Geneva discussions “very important” and described Iran as “a very tough negotiator.” He suggested Tehran is now motivated to reach an agreement after last year’s escalation. “I don’t think they…