Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

MOGADISHU — Brig. Gen. Elio Manes assumed command Friday of the European Union Training Mission in Somalia, a handover EU officials said keeps momentum behind Somalia’s push to take greater responsibility for its own security. Manes took over from Brig. Gen. Sofia Westermark during a formal ceremony at EUTM-S headquarters in Mogadishu. The transfer followed standard operational procedures to ensure continuity in a mission EU officials describe as central to Somalia’s long-term security reform and institution-building. In his…

Mass power outages swept across Ukraine on Saturday after a “technical malfunction” knocked out high-voltage lines linking Moldova and Romania with Ukraine, disrupting water supplies in Kyiv and forcing a complete shutdown of the capital’s metro, officials said. “Today at 10:42 am (0842 GMT), a technical malfunction occurred, causing a simultaneous shutdown of the 400-kilovolt line between the power grids of Romania and Moldova and the 750-kilovolt line between western and central Ukraine,” Ukraine’s energy minister Denys…

Iran accuses U.S., Israel and Europe of exploiting unrest as casualty claims mount Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States, Israel and European leaders of exploiting the country’s economic crisis to incite nationwide protests, as Iranian authorities and rights groups issued sharply conflicting death tolls from the two-week upheaval. In a live state television address, Pezeshkian said foreign actors “provoked, created division, and supplied resources,” drawing “some innocent people into this movement”…

JIGJIGA, Ethiopia — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud held talks Saturday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Djibouti President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh in Jigjiga, a meeting officials said was aimed at sharpening regional security coordination and expanding economic cooperation across the Horn of Africa. Mohamud was received at Garaad Wiil-Waal Airport before convening discussions centered on political and security challenges facing the region. Somali officials said the president emphasized diplomacy as the…

Jigjiga, Ethiopia (AX) — The leaders of Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti on Saturday jointly inaugurated Shabeely Resort, a 385-hectare tourism and development project in Ethiopia’s Somali Region, positioning it as a flagship for regional integration and economic cooperation in the Horn of Africa. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh presided over the ceremony, which Ethiopian officials framed as a catalytic moment for cross-border tourism, trade…

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France tightens safety limit for cereulide toxin in infant formula after global recalls France has lowered the safety threshold for cereulide toxin in infant formula, moving to fortify consumer protections after contamination in a widely used ingredient triggered recalls by major brands across dozens of countries. The agriculture ministry said the new limit is set at 0.014 micrograms of cereulide per kilogram of body mass, reduced from 0.03 micrograms per kilogram. The change follows a European Union meeting on Jan. 28 and…

WASHINGTON — The United States has approved $6.67 billion in arms sales to Israel, including 30 Apache attack helicopters and infantry assault vehicles, as a fragile cease-fire in the Gaza Strip faces repeated violations and international scrutiny. The State Department said Friday the package would bolster Israel’s “strong and ready self-defense capability,” a core U.S. policy priority. The approvals come as rights groups and United Nations experts intensify calls for Washington to halt military transfers they say risk…

China has agreed to lift sanctions on five British lawmakers and two members of the House of Lords, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said during a visit to the country, marking a thaw in a three-year dispute that began over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang. Starmer said he raised the issue directly with Chinese leaders and was told the restrictions “no longer apply,” adding that President Xi said “all parliamentarians are welcome.” The seven U.K. parliamentarians were sanctioned in 2021, barred from entering China and from…

Thousands of protesters filled downtown Minneapolis on Thursday as students across the United States staged coordinated walkouts, demanding that federal immigration agents withdraw from Minnesota amid mounting outrage over fatal shootings linked by demonstrators to a recent enforcement surge. The protests targeted a sweeping federal immigration operation in the Minneapolis area that has put heavily armed officers on neighborhood streets and prompted accusations of indiscriminate tactics. Organizers said the day of action…