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

Bulgaria will adopt the euro on Jan. 1, retiring the lev and joining the eurozone as its 21st member in a move that promises deeper integration with the European Union and a seat at the European Central Bank’s rate-setting table. The long-awaited shift, two years after Croatia’s entry, will extend the common currency to more than 350 million people. Authorities say Bulgaria met the formal entry criteria this year, including targets on inflation, budget deficit, long-term borrowing costs and exchange-rate stability. The…

MOGADISHU — Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi warned Monday that any Israeli presence in North Western State of Somalia would be treated as a military target, escalating tensions days after Israel announced it would recognize the self-declared republic in the Horn of Africa. “We consider any Israeli presence in North Western State of Somalia a military target for our armed forces, as it constitutes aggression against Somalia and Yemen, and a threat to the security of the region,” al-Houthi said, according to a…

China launches live-fire drills around Taiwan after U.S. arms sale, warns against “external” interference China has begun live-fire military exercises around Taiwan, hours after announcing “major” joint drills in surrounding waters and airspace, as Beijing steps up pressure on the self-governed island and warns foreign backers to stay out. The People’s Liberation Army said it is deploying destroyers, frigates, fighters, bombers and unmanned aerial vehicles for exercises that include live-fire training on maritime targets to…

Trump says Ukraine peace talks ‘very close’ as Donbas remains sticking point MAR-A-LAGO, Fla. — President Donald Trump said he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are “getting a lot closer, maybe very close” to a framework to end the war in Ukraine, while acknowledging the fate of the disputed Donbas region remains a key unresolved issue. Speaking at a joint news conference after talks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, both leaders reported progress on two of the most contentious items in negotiations — long-term security…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud convened leaders from several federal member states and the Banadir regional administration on Sunday in Mogadishu, following Israel’s steps toward recognizing North Western State of Somalia as an independent state, according to the president’s office. In a closed-door briefing, Hassan Sheikh told the assembled leaders that the Israeli move violated Somalia’s territorial integrity and statehood. He said the federal government was pursuing a coordinated response grounded in…

Central African Republic Election: President Touadera Seeks Third Term Amid Controversy Elections commenced in the Central African Republic (CAR) as President Faustin-Archange Touadera aims for a third term following a 2023 constitutional referendum that abolished term limits and extended presidential terms to seven years. Voters participated in a series of elections, including presidential, legislative, regional, and municipal contests. With seven candidates vying for the presidency, analysts predominantly view Touadera,…

Guinea's Presidential Election: A Troubling Path Ahead As Guinea approaches its presidential election, the atmosphere is charged with uncertainty and concern. Incumbent military leader General Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a coup in 2021, is poised to retain his position in what many observers believe will be a contested and potentially flawed electoral process. Former President Alpha Conde, once a fixture in Guinean politics, and long-time opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo remain in exile, having faced…

North Korea test-fired two “strategic” long-range cruise missiles into the sea, state media said, in a drill overseen by leader Kim Jong Un that he framed as part of an “unlimited and sustained” expansion of the country’s nuclear forces. The launches took place over the Yellow Sea and mark the first reported test of long-range cruise missiles since early November, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Cruise missiles labeled “strategic” by Pyongyang are typically understood by analysts to be designed to carry…

Somalia’s president has condemned Israel’s recognition of the breakaway region of North Western State of Somalia as a “naked invasion,” warning that Mogadishu will not allow its territory to be used as a base for Israel to pursue regional conflicts. Addressing an emergency joint session of parliament on Sunday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing the “greatest abuse” of Somalia’s sovereignty in the nation’s history and referred to Israel as an “enemy.” Lawmakers…

Bulgaria will adopt the euro on Thursday, becoming the 21st member of the currency union in a move supporters say will anchor the economy and deepen ties to the West — even as a skeptical public fears higher prices and fresh instability. The shift ends more than two decades of operating under a strict currency board, in which the lev was first pegged to the German mark and later to the euro after the single currency’s rollout in 2002. Joining now gives Sofia a seat at the table where monetary policy decisions are made, a…