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

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency said Friday it arrested five alleged al-Shabab militants accused of plotting to infiltrate Mogadishu and carry out attacks aimed at destabilizing the capital. In a statement, the agency, known as NISA, said the suspects were detained following an intelligence-led operation that tracked the network’s movements and communications. Authorities said they seized explosives, weapons and vehicles believed to have been readied for use in attacks. NISA did not…

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Russia, Ukraine and the United States reconvened in Abu Dhabi for a second day of talks on a plan backed by President Donald Trump to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine, as fresh Russian strikes left thousands of Kyiv residents without heat in sub-zero temperatures. The meeting marks the first known direct contact between Ukrainian and Russian officials on the Trump proposal. Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said discussions focused “on the parameters for ending Russia’s war…

MOGADISHU — Somalia has canceled its defense and security agreements with the United Arab Emirates, a move the government said Friday was necessary to protect the country’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and public safety while keeping broader diplomatic ties intact. Information, Culture and Tourism Minister Daud Aweys Jama said the termination applies strictly to military and security cooperation frameworks between Mogadishu and Abu Dhabi. He argued the arrangements had become more harmful than helpful to Somalia’s…

Starmer condemns Trump’s Afghanistan comments as ‘insulting’ as UK, allies push back U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer denounced as “insulting” Donald Trump’s claim that British troops stayed off the front lines in Afghanistan, drawing cross-party anger in Britain and rebukes from allies and veterans’ groups. Trump, in a Fox News interview aired Monday, suggested NATO partners had not borne the brunt of combat, saying, “They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan. And they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the…

ABU DHABI — Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in the United Arab Emirates on Friday for a second day of talks on a plan backed by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the almost four-year war, even as Russian strikes left thousands in Kyiv without heat amid sub-zero temperatures. The UAE Foreign Ministry said the meetings in Abu Dhabi were scheduled to last two days and were “part of ongoing efforts to promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis.” The first known direct contact…

A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder accused of leading a major drug operation has been arrested in Mexico and is being brought to the United States to face cocaine trafficking and murder charges, FBI Director Kash Patel said. Ryan Wedding, 44, has been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, a designation reserved for the bureau’s highest-priority targets. The U.S. State Department recently offered a $15 million (€12.7 million) reward for information leading to his capture, underscoring the urgency of the search. In a…

Trump pulls Canada’s invite to ‘Board of Peace’ after Davos clash with Mark Carney U.S. President Donald Trump has withdrawn an invitation for Canada to join his “Board of Peace,” a new multinational body he launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos and framed as central to efforts to secure a Gaza ceasefire and broader conflict resolution. “Please let this Letter serve to represent that the Board of Peace is withdrawing its invitation to you regarding Canada’s joining, what will be, the most prestigious Board of Leaders…

US military says strike on suspected narco-trafficking boat in Eastern Pacific kills two; Coast Guard searches for survivor The US military said it killed two alleged drug traffickers in a strike on a boat in the Eastern Pacific, as the Coast Guard searched for a third person seen in video footage who survived the blast. US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a post on X that “intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking…

Investigators probing Spain’s deadly high-speed train collision say a cracked rail likely existed before the crash, a preliminary finding that could shift scrutiny toward infrastructure on one of the world’s busiest high-speed networks. A report released today by Spain’s CIAF rail accident investigation committee said an inspection of the Iryo train involved in Sunday evening’s collision in Andalusia found “notches in the tread of the right-sided wheels” on four carriages. Similar notches with a compatible geometric pattern…

Israel’s recognition of North Western State of Somalia has jolted Somalia’s public square, igniting protests in the streets, on social media and from mosque pulpits. The outrage is understandable: for many Somalis, it feels like a direct strike at sovereignty and territorial integrity. But the larger truth can’t be shouted down. This moment is less a bolt from the blue than the culmination of long-standing vulnerabilities Somalis have allowed to deepen at home. This opinion argues that the crisis is a mirror, not a…