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

Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is bracing for what the World Health Organization (WHO) calls a "catastrophic collision of disease and conflict," as a rapidly advancing Ebola outbreak outstrips efforts to contain it in a region already scarred by armed groups, displacement and severe hunger. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreak in Ituri province is unfolding in conditions that undermine basic public health measures, with insecurity, assaults on clinics and…

Ebola’s latest surge in the Democratic Republic of Congo is proving deadly, but early figures suggest it has so far killed a smaller share of patients than many previous outbreaks, according to a World Health Organization update. Since officials declared the outbreak in the DRC in mid-May, the World Health Organization has logged more than 1,000 suspected and confirmed Ebola cases across the central African nation. Of those, 10 deaths have been confirmed as caused by Ebola, while another 223 are suspected to have been linked…

Despite significant advancements, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) continue to fly under the radar of global health initiatives. To date, 61 nations have successfully eradicated at least one NTD, showcasing what sustained dedication can achieve. However, the fallout from neglecting these diseases is dire: children lose vital educational opportunities, while adults struggle to maintain employment, directly impacting household income and overall quality of life. Furthermore, stigma and discrimination thrust individuals into…

by Zach LebowitzThursday May 28, 2026 What begins as a rehearsal in a Minneapolis art space quickly opens into something larger: a celebration of Somali tradition, a meditation on diaspora, and a performance built to feel like a wedding afterparty brought to life. Nadira Hussein and Maryan Yusuf’s new work reimagines a Gaaf — the customary Somali celebration that follows a wedding — blending music, dance, cultural references, audience participation and newly invented twists. Members of the Saanta Collective perforn at the…

A swift response is crucial in battling an Ebola outbreak, yet efforts to contain the rapidly spreading epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo are severely delayed. Thousands exposed to the virus remain unlocated, posing a significant threat. An analysis of discussions from a World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa Centres for Disease Control meeting reveals just how far behind the response has fallen. The outbreak, attributed to the Bundibugyo strain, which currently lacks an approved vaccine or treatment,…

The man who served as Matthew Perry’s personal assistant — and who prosecutors said injected the actor with the ketamine dose that proved fatal — was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in federal prison, marking the end of the criminal case against five people who admitted roles in the Friends star’s death. U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Garnett handed down the sentence to Kenneth Iwamasa, who discovered Perry unresponsive, floating face down in a hot tub at the actor’s Los Angeles home in October 2023. Prosecutors said Iwamasa…

Thursday May 28, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro has accused Somalia and Djibouti of meddling in North Western State of Somalia’s internal affairs, saying Hargeisa will stand firm in defending its security and political choices as tensions mount over its ties with Israel. In Eid al-Adha remarks on Wednesday, Irro said North Western State of Somalia’s foreign policy is rooted in peaceful coexistence, cooperation and mutual respect. He added that some neighboring states had taken a hostile…

Onkod Radio (Mogadishu) Somalia has slipped into a tense and uncertain political phase after both the Somali Parliament and the Presidency extended their mandates by one year, a move that has inflamed divisions across the capital and the regions. The strain has been building for days, but yesterday’s sharp exchanges among Federal Government officials, opposition leaders, and the presidents of Galmudug and Jubbaland made one thing clear: heated rhetoric is widening the breach rather than creating a durable, mutually…

With residents of Tyre waking to fresh evacuation orders, the Israeli military said it had launched a new wave of strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure around the southern Lebanese city, opening another volatile chapter in a conflict that is again widening. A day earlier, Israel had designated all territory south of Lebanon's Zahrani River — an area about 40km from the border that includes Tyre — as "combat zones" and urged civilians to leave before attacks on the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. The broad warning, the first of…

Thursday May 28, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Saadiq Omar Hassan Joon, a Somali lawmaker and former Banadir police chief, has cautioned President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud against meddling in the coming election in Galmudug, as political tensions sharpen in Dhusamareb. Writing on Facebook on Wednesday, Saadiq Joon linked peace in Dhusamareb, the Galmudug capital, with calm in Mogadishu’s Wardhigley district, home to the presidential palace. “Oday Hassan, the peace in Dhusamareb and the peace in Wardhigley are interconnected, you…