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

Gulf Powers Call for Unified Front Against Rising Iranian ‘Aggression’ RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a joint warning Monday, condemning continued Iranian attacks against Gulf states as a “dangerous escalation” that threatens regional stability, and vowing that Gulf Cooperation Council member states would “spare no effort” to defend their territories. In a high-level call, the leaders pledged to mobilize “all available capabilities” to…

AL-MISKAD MOUNTAINS, Somalia — On a windswept ridge overlooking a maze of limestone caves, Puntland State Defence Forces soldiers huddle around a hand-held screen, tracking a lone figure sprinting through a chalky valley. “He has been to fetch water for his friends,” one says, as the dot moves toward a suspected hideout. Another adds: “He is running and carrying something on his back.” The suspected cave network below, commanders say, shelters 50 to 60 Islamic State group fighters. It is one node in a stubborn insurgency…

Police release tattoos details in bid to identify man found in wheelie bin at Coventry park Police in England have released details of “distinctive” tattoos in an urgent appeal to identify a man whose body was discovered in a council wheelie bin at a Coventry park late Friday afternoon. A member of the public found the man, believed to be between 40 and 50 years old, in Cash’s Park off Daimler Road at about 5 p.m. Friday, police said. The victim was inside a Coventry City Council-issued wheelie bin with a green lid.…

GALKAYO, Somalia — Security officials from Puntland State and Galmudug met Sunday in Galkayo to coordinate plans for stabilizing Somalia’s divided Mudug region, pledging closer cooperation and heightened vigilance ahead of Eid al-Fitr, officials said. The joint session brought together members of the two states’ security committees to assess the overall security picture, examine recurrent flashpoints along their shared boundary and align responses to threats that spill across administrative lines. The meeting, held in a city…

BAIDOA, Somalia — Southwest State’s information minister on Monday denied social media reports that fighting erupted overnight in Baidoa, insisting the regional capital remains calm despite unverified accounts of a mortar incident near a military installation. Minister says “no shooting” occurred and daily life is normal in Baidoa Unconfirmed online claims alleged a mortar round landed near a Southwest State base Officials accuse unnamed groups in Mogadishu of spreading misinformation Denial comes amid broader political…

PARIS — French voters headed to the polls Sunday to elect mayors and municipal councillors across 35,000 communes in a two-round contest seen as a crucial barometer of the nation’s political mood ahead of next year’s presidential race, when centrist President Emmanuel Macron is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term. The stakes are high for Marine Le Pen’s ascendant far-right National Rally (RN), which views 2027 as its strongest chance yet to take power. While nearly 90% of France’s communes are…

Japan and Australia said they are not planning to send naval vessels to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump called on allies to help reopen the vital waterway amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Trump, arguing that countries dependent on Gulf oil have a responsibility to protect the corridor through which about 20 percent of the world’s energy flows, said his administration has contacted seven nations to form a maritime coalition. He did not identify them, though over the weekend…

Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian couple and their two young children in the town of Tammun in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials said Saturday, as violence flared across the territory and in Gaza. The Palestinian health ministry said four members of one family — a 37-year-old man, a 35-year-old woman and two boys ages 5 and 7 — arrived at the Turkish Public Hospital in Tubas with gunshot wounds after troops opened fire on their vehicle. The Palestinian Red Crescent said its teams recovered the…

Puntland State forces clear Bosaso–Qardho highway after soldiers’ pay protest; at least one wounded BOSASO, Somalia — Puntland State security forces on Saturday dispersed soldiers protesting unpaid wages and reopened a key highway linking Bosaso and Qardho, ending a blockade that had halted traffic and stranded motorists for nearly a day. At least one protester was injured in a brief confrontation, authorities and preliminary reports said. The soldiers had sealed off the strategic route on Friday, choking movement on one of…

Sunday, March 15, 2026 BAIDOA, Somalia (AX) — Armed fighters aligned with opposition figures and clan leaders clashed Saturday with Southwest state security forces in the Qansahdhere district of Bay region, residents said, reporting hours of heavy gunfire and a tense, fast-moving situation. Local sources said both heavy and light weapons were used as the confrontation unfolded from early in the day and continued for several hours. Casualties were reported on both sides, though precise figures could not be independently…