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

Baidoa, Somalia (Horn Observer) — A local reporter was detained in Baidoa on Thursday after posting about an alleged robbery of women who sell khat by security personnel, an arrest that has alarmed press freedom advocates. The journalist, identified as Abdirahman Jakataa and known to work with multiple outlets, shared the account on Facebook on May 25. Authorities summoned him to Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters yesterday in connection with the report he published on Gacal Media detailing the…

MOGADISHU — A widening political feud is taking shape inside Somalia’s federal leadership, with a struggle over Galmudug’s next president exposing fault lines around President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s inner circle. Sources familiar with the talks told Axadle that shortly after returning from Djibouti, where he attended the inauguration ceremony of President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, President Hassan Sheikh privately urged one of his close political allies — a businessman described as holding substantial influence over revenues…

Brazzaville is signaling it’s set to deliver. On Sunday, African Development Bank Group President Dr. Sidi Ould Tah assessed final arrangements by joint Congolese and other technical teams gearing up to host the institution’s 61st Annual Meetings, which kick off Monday in the Congolese capital. More on the AfDB AllAfrica page.

Ireland is moving to outlaw imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, but Taoiseach Micheál Martin has ruled out widening the measure to cover services, saying such a step is “not implementable”. The legislation, designed to ban the import of goods from those settlements, cleared Cabinet this morning and the Government intends to have it signed into law within weeks. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Cabinet meeting, Mr Martin said extending the bill to services could carry consequences for…

By Faisal AliWednesday May 27, 2026 A flower-decked swing at Lido Beach offered a cheerful backdrop for young women marking Eid in Mogadishu, where the holiday brought a rare, bright pause from the city’s harsher realities. Mogadishu, Somalia- Across the Muslim world, Eid al-Adha — the Festival of Sacrifice — was observed on Wednesday, closing out the Hajj pilgrimage season with prayer, family gatherings and acts of charity. The holiday is the second major celebration in the Islamic calendar, coming after Eid al-Fitr, which…

Israel says it has killed Hamas's newly installed armed wing commander in Gaza, only days after killing his predecessor, as it ramps up military pressure in the enclave and broadens its campaign in Lebanon. The Israeli military said Mohammad Odeh was killed in an operation in Gaza tomorrow. Hamas has not issued an official statement, though a message from Odeh's family said he was killed alongside his wife and son. Gaza health officials said six people were killed in the same Israeli strike, including at least one woman, and…

Wednesday May 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s political standoff has entered another waiting period, but mediators say the effort to bring the federal government and opposition back to the table is still alive. On Tuesday, traditional elders involved in the process met with leaders of the Somali Future Council, saying the talks have been slowed by logistical and procedural hurdles rather than derailed. Garaad Jamac Garaad Ali, who is part of the mediation team, said the main setback has been the incomplete formation of…

In a troubling revelation, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has reported that around 30,000 armed Fulani militants are currently active in Nigeria, exacerbating issues of insecurity and threatening religious freedoms throughout the nation. The USCIRF's latest report, titled "Nonstate Violators of Religious Freedom in Nigeria: Fulani Militants," characterizes these armed groups as among the most lethal non-state actors engaging in violent activities, particularly in the Middle Belt and…

Europe is sweltering through a punishing heatwave this week, with temperatures surging to levels rarely seen this early in the year. The continent is heating faster than any other on Earth, and its reach into the rapidly warming Arctic is helping drive the trend. Record May temperatures were shattered in Ireland, France and the UK on Monday and yesterday, and forecasters say the intense heat is far from over as even hotter conditions loom in the days ahead. At the center of the episode is a so-called "heat dome" — a mass of…

Wednesday May 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s National Independent Human Rights Commission has launched a preliminary probe into reports that civilians were killed in the Lower Juba region. In a statement issued Tuesday, the commission said the incident occurred on May 20 in the Diigta Margoos area of Kamjiroon, where armed men were reported to have killed civilians. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. “The commission is gathering information on what happened and the circumstances surrounding the…