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

Iran has not yet decided whether it will join a fresh round of peace talks with the United States, clouding efforts to prevent the Middle East war from flaring up again. US President Donald Trump said he was dispatching negotiators to Pakistan for discussions aimed at ending a conflict that has engulfed the region and shaken global markets, even as he renewed threats to strike Iran's infrastructure if no agreement is reached. An initial round of talks in Islamabad earlier this month ended without a breakthrough, and both…

Somalia: U.S. Military Hits ISIS Targets in Puntland State Airstrike BOSASO, Somalia – The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) says it conducted an airstrike in Somalia’s Puntland State state against Islamic State (ISIS) fighters, underscoring the continuing pace of U.S. military activity in the country. According to a statement issued Saturday, the strike was carried out on April 17 in a rugged mountainous area about 30 miles…

By BRUHAN MAKONGMonday April 20, 2026 The African Union has sharply criticised Israel’s appointment of a diplomatic envoy to North Western State of Somalia, saying the move risks stirring fresh instability in the Horn of Africa and does nothing to alter its view that the territory remains part of Somalia. The African Union has condemned reports that Israel has appointed a diplomatic envoy to the self-declared Republic of North Western State of Somalia, insisting that any unilateral recognition of the territory is “null and…

Monday April 20, 2026 Manchester City hauled themselves to within touching distance of the Premier League summit on Sunday, edging leaders Arsenal 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium in a match that swung on moments of quality and error. Rayan Cherki put Pep Guardiola's side ahead after 16 minutes and Erling Haaland struck again in the 65th minute, leaving City three points adrift of Arsenal but with a game in hand. Victory at second-from-bottom Burnley on Wednesday would send them top. Cherki produced the standout opener, weaving…

Volodymyr Zelensky has denounced the loosening of restrictions on Russian oil, warning that revenue from those sales feeds Moscow’s war machine just as Washington moves to ease pressure on energy markets rattled by the conflict in the Middle East. "Every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war" and is used for devastating strikes on Ukraine, Mr Zelensky said in a post on X. Without naming the United States directly, the Ukrainian president’s remarks came after President Donald Trump's administration on Friday…

Monday April 20, 2026 Addis Ababa (AX) — Ethiopia’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) says it has detained 138 people it believes were tied to terrorist and extremist networks, alleging the group was preparing violence ahead of the country’s 7th general elections. In a statement released Saturday, the agency said those arrested were helping organize and sustain armed cells designed to undermine peace and stability and interfere with the electoral process. The detentions, it said, came during coordinated…

The wreckage still held the signatures of everyday life: a bottle of washing-up liquid, a packet of cucumber and vitamin E wax strips, baby talc, a tube of La Roche-Posay face wash. This was one of the buildings hit in central Beirut on a Wednesday at lunchtime, without warning. It was among the targets of 100 Israeli strikes launched in just 10 minutes, part of what became the deadliest day of the conflict in Lebanon so far. But even amid those intimate traces of lives interrupted, something else stayed with me more…

The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Finance is refuting claims made by the World Bank regarding alleged undisclosed expenditures and the misallocation of federal revenue. Minister of State for Finance, Taiwo Oyedele, has characterized these allegations as a misunderstanding of the situation. He emphasized that media narratives indicating a substantial portion of federal earnings is being improperly channeled are not only incorrect but also misleading. This clarification comes as the ministry addresses interpretations of the…

Iran put two men to death on Monday after convicting them of ties to Israel’s spy service, according to the judiciary, in the latest executions carried out since the war with Israel and the United States began. "The death sentences of Mohammad Masoom-shahi and Hamed Validi were carried out at dawn today," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported. The report said the pair were "members of a spy network linked to Mossad," Israel's intelligence agency, but gave no details on when they were detained. Iranian authorities…

Monday April 20, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) – The United States Africa Command said it launched an airstrike in Puntland State on Friday, hitting Islamic State fighters in rugged terrain roughly 30 miles southeast of the port city of Bosaso in the Bari region. In a statement released Saturday, AFRICOM said the operation was carried out on April 17, underscoring the continued expansion of U.S. air activity in Somalia. The command gave no additional information about the strike, including casualty numbers or damage assessments,…