Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

A digital lifeline for Somalia’s children: Inside Mogadishu’s experiment with an electronic immunization register On a bright morning in Kahda, a district on the southern edge of Mogadishu, a young mother stands at the immunization desk without the small, creased card that once governed her child’s medical future. For years, that paper card—easily misplaced during eviction, flood or displacement—was the only proof a child had been vaccinated. When it disappeared, health workers guessed which doses had been given, repeated…

Kinshasa — The Democratic Republic of Congo has signed a five-year, $1.2 billion health financing agreement with the United States, officials announced, joining neighboring Uganda in adopting Washington’s new government-to-government aid framework. Under the pact, the DRC will receive $900 million in U.S. assistance while committing to boost domestic health spending by $300 million. The arrangement targets a slate of priority interventions intended to strengthen disease control and maternal-child health services. Program…

On a bright morning in Kahda, a fast-growing district on the southern edge of Mogadishu, a young mother steps to the immunization desk without the small, creased card that once governed her child’s medical future. Nurse Naima Muse turns from a crying toddler, taps a number into a desktop computer and summons the child’s vaccination record in seconds. “Before, if a mother lost the card, we had nothing,” she says. “Now, we just search.” The change is powered by Somalia’s Electronic Immunization Register, or EIR, a digital…

Jeffrey Epstein's Connections with West African Elites Uncovered Newly released records from U.S. authorities have shed light on the extensive ties that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein forged with influential figures in West Africa. Noteworthy among these connections are Karim Wade, the son of former Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, and Nina Keita, the niece of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara. According to the documents, Epstein and Karim Wade first crossed paths in 2010, quickly building a rapport.…

Trump weighs strikes on Iran as Vance rules out long Middle East war WASHINGTON — Vice President J.D. Vance said Thursday that while the White House is considering targeted military strikes in Iran — focused on nuclear facilities and long-range missile sites — President Donald J. Trump and senior officials still prefer a diplomatic path to ease tensions. In an interview with The Washington Post, Vance stressed that even if the administration authorizes limited action, the United States will not be drawn into an open-ended…

Paediatric HIV cure research is yielding cautious optimism: very early antiretroviral therapy (ART) can, in some children, produce periods of ART-free remission — a state in which the virus remains undetectable without ongoing medication — but it has not delivered full viral eradication, researchers say. The long quest for a cure has been complicated by HIV’s capacity to mutate and hide in long-lived viral reservoirs, a challenge that has confounded scientists for more than four decades, reports Sethi Ncube for allAfrica.…

HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia — President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro urged Somalilanders to close ranks on Thursday as regional opposition intensifies to Israel’s recognition of the territory, calling unity essential to defend “nationhood and statehood” amid mounting diplomatic pressure across the Horn of Africa. “There are many conflicts going on around North Western State of Somalia. We have not harmed anyone, we have not taken anything from anyone,” Irro said in a speech in Hargeisa. “What is needed is…

Oman says U.S.-Iran nuclear talks make ‘significant progress’ as military buildup intensifies Technical talks planned in Vienna next week; move could avert threatened U.S. strikes, but gaps remain on missiles and sanctions Oman said the United States and Iran made significant progress in talks aimed at resolving a longstanding nuclear dispute and averting new U.S. strikes, as Washington expands its military footprint across the Middle East. Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X that the two sides…

GENEVA — Oman said the United States and Iran made “significant progress” in talks aimed at breaking a longstanding nuclear impasse and averting potential new U.S. strikes, as both sides agreed to reconvene within a week and send technical teams to Vienna. Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who is mediating the diplomacy, said on X, formerly Twitter, that negotiations in Switzerland ended with “creative and positive ideas” on the table and a plan to resume discussions soon after consultations in both capitals.…

Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 HARGEISA (AX) — North Western State of Somalia President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro on Thursday called for an immediate end to clan fighting in the Waqdaria and Shidan areas of Lasqoray district in the Sanaag region, urging all sides to respect the sanctity of Ramadan as casualties mounted in days of escalating tension. “I call on those who have been killing each other to stop the fighting, because the blood of Islam is forbidden,” Irro said, framing the appeal in religious terms and stressing…