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

A high-level show of coordination unfolded in Baidoa this week as Somalia’s defence minister pressed home the need for tighter military cooperation in the long-running campaign against insurgents. During the visit, Minister Fiqi met with Brigadier General Teklu Hurisa Janka, the Sector 3 Commander, and received a detailed briefing on the sector’s activities, operational progress, and the cooperation between the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF) and AUSSOM forces in the South West State. Minister Fiqi commended AUSSOM’s…

A major shift in UK welfare policy takes effect as the two-child cap on benefits is formally abolished, a move expected to lift an estimated 450,000 children out of poverty. Introduced by the Conservatives in 2017, the measure limited child tax credit and universal credit payments to the first two children in most households. Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed in her November budget that the cap would be removed on 6 April, following months of sustained pressure from Labour backbenchers. The end of the two-child cap comes…

Monday April 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali government forces, supported by international partners, killed 12 al-Shabab fighters in a planned operation near Baidoa and Daynuunay in the Bay region, the Ministry of Defense said Monday. According to the ministry, the strike targeted militant positions around the vital corridor that connects Mogadishu and Baidoa. Several other fighters were wounded in the assault, though officials did not release additional details. The ministry said the mission was part of a wider push to…

Another blast inside a UN position has underscored just how perilous southern Lebanon has become, with three peacekeepers injured on Friday in what a UN spokesperson called “a difficult week” for troops operating in the heart of UNIFIL’s area. The latest incident came after two separate attacks earlier in the week killed three Indonesian soldiers and wounded three others. Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the violence as a “shocking escalation”. Even as the Blue Helmets insist they will hold their ground, conditions on the…

By Edna Mohamed, Reuters and The Associated PressMonday April 6, 2026 Migrants deported last year by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown arrive at Simon Bolivar International Airport, in Maiquetia, Venezuela, July 18, 2025 The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) says it is set to take in “third-country” nationals deported from the United States under a new arrangement with the administration of US President Donald Trump. According to a statement released Sunday by the…

Mogadishu — A formal handover at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Mogadishu marked a seamless change of command as Somalia’s labour ministry welcomed a new director general in a ceremony that underscored continuity and a call for strengthened public service. At the event, outgoing Director General Yusuf Hassan Isack formally transferred his duties to the newly appointed Director General, Mohamed Saney Dalmar. The ceremony, led by Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Salim Alio Ibrow, drew senior ministry…

Humanity’s next chapter in deep space is edging into view as the four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission cross into the Moon's gravitational sphere of influence, riding a trajectory that will soon carry them above the shadowed lunar far side and place them farther from Earth than any people have ever travelled. The Artemis II crew, aboard their Orion capsule since lifting off from Florida last week, are expected to wake at about 10.50am ET (3.05pm Irish time) for the mission’s sixth day in flight. At 7:05pm ET (12.05am…

Monday April 6, 2026 Türkiye's Çağrı Bey drillship is seen at a port, Mersin, southern Türkiye, Feb. 14, 2026. (AA Photo) Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia is on the cusp of a historic first in its offshore energy sector, with Türkiye’s drillship Çağrı Bey due to arrive on April 10 to begin the country’s first deep-sea drilling campaign, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said. Bayraktar, speaking at a gathering in Trabzon on April 4, said he plans to travel to Somalia before the vessel docks. “With the…

At least two people have been confirmed dead and dozens remain unaccounted for after a migrant vessel capsized in the Mediterranean, rescuers said, as survivors and witnesses described a desperate scramble at sea. The small craft, which set off from Libya, overturned inside a search-and-rescue area that is officially the responsibility of Libyan authorities. German NGO Sea-Watch reported that two merchant ships passing nearby pulled 32 people from the water and transported them to Lampedusa, the Italian island that serves…

After more than 40 years in power, President Paul Biya is poised to install a vice-president for the first time in his rule, following parliament’s approval of contentious constitutional changes. The move revives a position that was abolished in 1972. The amendment hands the aging leader sweeping control over the vice president’s office: Biya can appoint and dismiss the deputy at his discretion, and the vice president may exercise only those authorities the president delegates. In the event of the president’s death,…