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

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday raised the prospect of a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio is handling contacts with Havana “at a very high level,” as tensions spike and reports surface of back-channel talks with a member of the Castro family. “The Cuban government is talking with us, and they’re in a big deal of trouble,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Texas. “They have no money. They have no anything right now, but they’re talking with us,…

In Kharkiv, school starts beneath the city. Since 2024, pupils in Ukraine’s second-largest urban center have attended classes underground, a wartime adaptation to relentless Russian missile and drone strikes that has turned metro stations and purpose-built shelters into classrooms. Kharkiv sits roughly 30 kilometers from the front line. At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the city was heavily bombed; today, air raid alerts still sound multiple times a day, sending a metronomic reminder of danger across a…

‘Ambulances are a target’: Irish volunteers detail peril and resolve in Ukraine’s east As the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, two volunteers from County Clare describe a battlefield transformed by drones, a frontline that stretches for hundreds of miles and a civilian life that continues in uneasy parallel with nightly air raids. For Oran McInerney of Doonbeg, the job is speed and nerve. An emergency medical technician who has traveled to Ukraine repeatedly over the past four years, he worked with a U.S.-based…

Türkiye Diyanet Foundation delivers Ramadan food aid to 8,250 Somali families amid deepening drought MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Turkish humanitarian organization has delivered food assistance to 8,250 families across drought-affected parts of Somalia during Ramadan, Turkish officials said Friday, as prolonged dry conditions continue to strain access to food and water in the Horn of Africa nation. Türkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) said it distributed aid to families in seven states and 13 regions under its Ramadan relief program,…

Israeli strikes kill eight in Gaza, medics say, as cease-fire violations mount GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli attacks killed eight people across Gaza on Monday, local health officials said, as the Israeli military reported it had targeted and killed a militant it said posed an immediate threat to its forces in the south of the enclave. Medics said an airstrike on a group of Palestinians in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood, in the north, killed two people and wounded several others. Later in the day, five people were killed…

One person was killed and about 40 were injured when a tram derailed in central Milan and slammed into a shopfront, a local firefighters’ spokesperson said, in one of the city’s most serious public transit accidents in recent years. One of the injured was in critical condition, according to a police source cited by AFP. The tram — described by firefighters as one of the newest models in operation — came off the tracks on Vittorio Veneto Street, a key downtown corridor just outside Milan’s historic center, spokesperson…

Pakistan strikes Kabul and Kandahar as border clashes with Taliban escalate ISLAMABAD — Pakistan launched airstrikes on targets in Kabul and Kandahar early Friday, officials in Islamabad said, after a night of heavy cross-border fighting with Afghanistan’s Taliban that shattered a fragile ceasefire and drove civilians to flee frontline towns. A spokesperson for the Afghan Taliban said on X that its forces responded with renewed attacks against Pakistani military positions along the frontier. The post was later deleted.…

Trapped in Conflict: South Sudan's Humanitarian Crisis The ongoing violence in South Sudan has left thousands displaced and vulnerable, with the fragile peace agreement under threat. Civilians face dire conditions as government and opposition forces continue to clash. Recent clashes have left 280,000 people displaced in Jonglei state. Humanitarian aid is restricted due to safety concerns and resource cuts. The peace process, established in 2018, is at risk of collapsing. Displacement and Loss: The Human Toll…

Sudan's War: Rising Civilian Deaths and Unchecked Brutality The humanitarian crisis in Sudan escalates as civilian casualties more than double in 2025. The UN rights chief highlights the severity of the ongoing conflict. Conflict between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claims tens of thousands of lives. Volker Turk condemns the brutality and urges diplomatic action. Displacement affects millions, increasing global humanitarian concerns. Conflict and Carnage Since April 2023, Sudan has been…

JERUSALEM — Israel’s Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a government move to shutter Gaza operations by dozens of international aid organizations after the groups petitioned against new rules requiring them to identify Palestinian staff. The High Court of Justice on Sunday issued a temporary injunction allowing the organizations to continue most of their work while it considers the petition, according to the groups involved. The order pauses enforcement of regulations that aid agencies say would have forced them to halt…