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

Thursday March 12, 2026 HARGEISA, North Western State of Somalia (AX) — Israel is weighing the establishment of a strategic base in North Western State of Somalia to help counter Yemen’s Houthi movement, according to a Bloomberg report published Wednesday that cites unnamed North Western State of Somalia officials and people familiar with the talks. The exploratory assessments have focused on sites along North Western State of Somalia’s northern coastline, including elevated terrain west of the port city of Berbera — about…

SHALANBOOD, Somalia — The sand moves like a tide here, swallowing lanes, schools and low-slung homes on the edge of the Indian Ocean. Among the dunes, hundreds of farming families who fled Lower Shabelle’s contested villages are piecing together life in makeshift shelters, rationing water by the cup as fighting and failed rains erase the certainty of the past. Families from Mushani, Garilow and Barire streamed into the outskirts of Shalanbood in November after government forces and African Union troops clashed with Al-Shabab…

Iran-linked attacks set two fuel tankers ablaze in Iraqi waters as Tehran escalated strikes on oil and transport infrastructure across the Middle East, warning the world to be “ready for oil to be 200 dollars a barrel.” The flare-up, coming as the joint U.S.-Israeli air campaign in Iran neared its second week, further rattled energy markets already reeling from disrupted Gulf shipping and a looming record release of strategic oil reserves. Port officials and maritime security firms said explosive-laden boats appeared to have…

Egypt, Turkey step up African security coordination in Cairo talks on Libya, Horn of Africa and Sahel CAIRO — Egypt and Turkey held new diplomatic consultations in Cairo on Wednesday focused on instability in Libya, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, deepening their coordination on regional security and political mediation amid mounting pressures across several African theaters. The meetings, organized by Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptian Expatriates, marked the third round of…

Iran lays mines in Strait of Hormuz; U.S. says it struck Iranian minelayers as oil prices whipsaw Iran has begun laying naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical energy chokepoint, according to two people familiar with U.S. intelligence. The move escalates a high-stakes standoff in a waterway that carries roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and has already been largely closed to commercial traffic amid the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. The mining remains limited for now — a few…

U.S.-Iran war widens with tanker strikes, Hormuz blockade and oil-price shock as allies weigh record reserve release The United States and Iran signaled no quick end to their war as suspected Iranian attacks on fuel tankers near the Strait of Hormuz and fresh strikes across the Middle East kept the world’s busiest oil chokepoint effectively shut and sent crude higher. Nearly two weeks into a joint U.S.-Israeli air campaign, about 2,000 people have been killed — mostly Iranians and Lebanese — and global shipping and energy…

Iran launches missiles and drones across Gulf as tankers struck near Hormuz; oil prices surge Iran fired missiles and drones at targets across the Gulf on Wednesday, including what it said were two missiles aimed at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, as regional militaries scrambled to intercept incoming threats and maritime authorities reported commercial ships hit near the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation, which Tehran described as the 37th wave of attacks on day 12 of the U.S.-Israel war “on Iran,” deepened fears over energy…

DOHA, Qatar — Iran launched missiles and drones across the Gulf on Wednesday, claiming strikes on U.S. forces in Kuwait, as several Gulf states reported intercepts and casualties and maritime authorities said two commercial ships were hit near the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation comes hours before a United Nations Security Council vote on a Gulf Cooperation Council-backed resolution demanding Tehran halt attacks on its Arab neighbors. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired four missiles at the headquarters of…

Kenya floods kill at least 49; Nairobi among hardest hit as Ruto orders multi-agency response Wednesday, March 11, 2026 NAIROBI, Kenya — At least 49 people have died and 2,624 families have been displaced after days of heavy rains triggered flooding across several parts of Kenya, with Nairobi among the hardest hit areas, authorities said Wednesday. The National Police Service (NPS) said officers are working alongside multi-agency emergency teams to carry out search and rescue operations, evacuate residents from high-risk…

Iran is shifting the battlefield to the global economy: oil routes and cloud giants in the crosshairs The United States holds a decisive edge in conventional firepower. Iran knows it cannot match that force head-to-head. Instead, it is probing the seams of a system that keeps the world running—energy flows and digital infrastructure—and betting that economic disruption will shape the outcome of this war as much as any clash on land, sea or air. In recent days, Iranian threats to target ships have played out despite stern…