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

Oil and gas prices jumped Monday as escalating Iranian strikes across the Middle East snarled shipping lanes, hit energy infrastructure and stoked fresh inflation fears in global markets. European natural gas futures spiked as much as 50% intraday before closing 39% higher after QatarEnergy halted liquefied natural gas production following drone attacks on facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City, according to the country’s defense ministry. Brent crude briefly touched $82 a barrel after at least three ships were attacked…

Sirens warning of possible missile strikes have jolted daily life in Kuwait and Bahrain, prompting schools and universities to switch to remote learning as residents describe sleepless nights, booming interceptions and a surge of community support. Jake McAllister, originally from Portstewart in Derry, has lived in Kuwait for more than seven years and is now principal of an international school. He said he had “never felt unsafe” since arriving in 2018 — until the past several days. McAllister had just returned from a…

Jubbaland police arrest officer after journalist Abshir Khalif Shide Omar is shot dead in Kismayo MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Jubbaland state police officer has been arrested after fatally shooting broadcast journalist Abshir Khalif Shide Omar in Kismayo, authorities and media representatives said Tuesday. The killing occurred Monday evening in the interim administrative capital of Jubbaland after what police and colleagues described as a brief altercation between the journalist and the officer. The motive remains unclear, and…

Irish troops in south Lebanon safe, on alert as Israel pushes deeper across border Irish troops serving with the United Nations in south Lebanon are safe, accounted for and prepared for “this period of heightened intensity,” a Defence Forces spokesman said Monday, as Israeli forces advanced into border areas and the United Nations reported at least 30,000 people displaced in Lebanon. Commandant Alex Quigley told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that operations remain ongoing, with force-protection measures in place that can be scaled…

KISMAYO, Somalia — A broadcast journalist was shot dead Monday night in the southern port city of Kismayo after an altercation with a police officer, according to the National Union of Somali Journalists. Authorities say the officer has been arrested and an investigation is underway. Abshir Khalif Shide Omar was killed at about 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 2, 2026, following a brief dispute with a police officer, NUSOJ said, citing initial inquiries. The union said the motive remains unclear and the full circumstances have yet to…

NAIROBI, Kenya — Iran’s ambassador to Kenya sought to calm fears on Tuesday, saying Nairobi is not at risk of retaliation as Tehran and its adversaries exchange fire across the Middle East and regional airspace closures ripple through airline schedules. At a press briefing in Nairobi, Iranian Ambassador Dr. Ali Gholampour said Kenya does not host a U.S. military installation of sufficient strategic value to draw Iranian fire. “This country does not provide a US military facility with a magnitude to attack Iran,” he said,…

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has granted an amnesty that will free 4,305 inmates in a move the government says is designed to relieve severe prison overcrowding and promote rehabilitation. Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi announced the clemency order on Wednesday, saying the beneficiaries include women convicted of lesser offences, juveniles, elderly prisoners, terminally ill inmates and people with disabilities. The order also covers inmates housed in Open Prisons and prisoners who have served at least 20…

Rwanda Rejects U.S. Sanctions, Defends Its Actions Amid Eastern DRC Conflict The Rwandan government has firmly rejected sanctions imposed by the United States Department of the Treasury on the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four senior commanders, labeling the decision as an unjust targeting of a single party involved in the Washington Accords. Officials in Kigali argue that the sanctions misrepresent the complex realities of the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). On , the U.S. Treasury…

Rwanda Rejects U.S. Sanctions Over DR Congo Conflict The Rwandan government has unequivocally rejected recent sanctions imposed by the United States Department of the Treasury targeting the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four senior commanders. Officials argued that this action is "targeting only one party" involved in the Washington Accords, stressing it misrepresents the complex conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The sanctions, announced by the U.S. Treasury, focus on the RDF as an institution as…

As U.S. strikes on Iran under Operation Epic Fury entered a new day, the White House appeared determined to project clarity and resolve. Instead, a flurry of public remarks from senior officials — led by President Donald Trump himself — yielded shifting timelines and evolving justifications that sharpened questions about the mission’s scope, strategy and endgame. The president moved aggressively to frame the narrative, calling news outlets throughout the weekend from Florida and returning to Washington to blanket morning TV.…