Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

An oil tanker was hijacked by unidentified assailants off Yemen’s coast in the Gulf of Aden and forced toward Somalia, according to Yemen’s coast guard. The agency said the tanker EUREKA was taken near Yemen’s Shabwa province by a group that “boarded, took control of it, then steered it ... in the direction of the Somali coast”. ]The coast guard, aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government, said it would investigate the assault. “The location of the tanker has been determined, and work is under way to monitor…

Saturday May 2, 2026 A Filipino pilgrim presents her paperwork at immigration at Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah late on Thursday. (SPA) MADINAH: The first Hajj flights from the Philippines, Algeria, Somalia and Morocco touched down on Thursday at Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, marking the start of inbound pilgrim arrivals as the kingdom steps up preparations for the annual pilgrimage, the Saudi Press Agency reported. According to SPA, the…

A US plan to pull 5,000 troops out of Germany is sharpening pressure on Europe to bolster its own military strength, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said, even as two senior Republicans warned the forces should stay on the continent. The ⁠Pentagon unveiled the reduction from Germany, the hub of America’s military presence in Europe, yesterday, deepening strains in the transatlantic relationship as disagreements over the Iran war and trade tariffs widen. Under the US move, Washington has also scrapped a Biden-era plan…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called the Somali Future Council to a meeting in Mogadishu on May 10, according to a statement released by the presidency on Saturday. The invitation comes after several weeks of consultations between the president and different sectors of Somali society, and the proposed session is expected to tackle some of the country’s most pressing political questions. In the statement, the presidency said the discussions will focus on speeding up state-building efforts,…

By Daniel Tari and News AgenciesSaturday May 2, 2026 Pirates appear to be exploiting a widening security gap in the region, with officials saying patrols in the Red Sea have been stretched by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the diversion of commercial shipping lanes. Somalia maritime police from PMPF patrol in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of semi-autonomous Puntland State State in Somalia Yemen’s Coast Guard said on Saturday that it is trying to track down an oil tanker seized off the country’s coast and now…

New UNICEF Child Alert warns violence, hunger, and displacement are once again defining childhood in one of Sudan's most conflict-affected regions PORT SUDAN/NEW YORK/GENEVA, 28 April 2026 - Two decades after Darfur first became a global humanitarian alarm, children in the region are once again engulfed by widespread violence, hunger and displacement — and international attention and aid remain far more limited, UNICEF warned in a new Child Alert released today. Titled "Darfur: 20 Years On,…

Saturday May 2, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s labour movement marked International Labour Day in Mogadishu on Saturday with a gathering of more than 1,000 people, turning the occasion into a public display of worker solidarity and shared purpose. The commemoration was hosted by the Federation of Somali Trade Unions, with backing from the International Labour Organization, and formed part of the National Conference on Employment-Intensive Investment and Decent Work. Senior government officials, labour representatives, and…

Meta is facing fresh scrutiny in Europe after the European Commission issued a preliminary finding this week alleging the company failed to stop children under 13 from using Instagram and Facebook. According to the commission, weaknesses in Meta's systems amount to a breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA). It said the safeguards in place did not sufficiently stop children under 13 from getting onto the services, or quickly detect and remove those who had already managed to sign up. Meta said it does not accept the…

NATO is reviewing the United States’s plan to pull roughly 5,000 troops out of Germany, as friction over the war in Iran deepens between Washington and its European allies. In a statement on Saturday, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said the alliance is “working with the US to understand the details of their decision on force posture in Germany”, with the Pentagon saying the process is expected to take six to 12 months. The proposed reduction lands against a backdrop of sharpened tensions between US President Donald Trump and…

By: OMAR M ELMI, EconomistSaturday May 2, 2026 North Western State of Somalia sits on one of the world’s most sensitive maritime corridors, along Somalia’s Gulf of Aden coast where the Bab el-Mandeb strait opens into the Red Sea. | Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images As tensions mount across the Red Sea, North Western State of Somalia is nearing a turning point that could reshape not only its diplomatic ambitions but also its security outlook. For more than 30 years, the self-declared republic has pressed for international…