Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — Ryan Routh, the 59-year-old man found hiding in the bushes along a Florida golf course with a semi-automatic rifle during an attempt to assassinate Donald Trump less than two months before the 2024 election, was sentenced to life in prison in federal court. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon imposed the punishment after a jury in September convicted Routh on five counts, including attempted assassination. “It’s clear to me that you engaged in a premeditated, calculated plot to take a human life,” Cannon…

Analysis: How Somalia’s “family feud” shows sameness alone can’t secure peace Somalia appears, on paper, like a country built for cohesion. Nearly everyone is ethnically Somali, speaks Somali and practices Sunni Islam. Yet three decades after the state collapsed in 1991, the country remains trapped in fractious, often intimate violence. The paradox is instructive far beyond the Horn of Africa: shared identity does not guarantee stability. When institutions fail and rules disappear, homogeneity can magnify rivalries instead…

U.S. Deploys Troops to Nigeria for Counter-Terrorism Efforts The U.S. Command Africa (AFRICOM) commander, General Dagvin Anderson, has announced the deployment of a small team of U.S. soldiers to Nigeria. This move comes as part of a mutual agreement between the U.S. and Nigeria aimed at strengthening counter-terrorism efforts in the region. This development signifies the first official acknowledgment of U.S. troops on the ground in Nigeria since U.S. airstrikes last December. The decision follows President Donald Trump's…

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer accused Peter Mandelson of “betraying our country” by leaking information to Jeffrey Epstein and said the former Labour grandee “lied repeatedly” during the process that led to his appointment as U.K. ambassador to the United States. Mandelson, a former Cabinet minister and ex–EU trade commissioner, resigned from the House of Lords on Tuesday. Hours later, British police said they were investigating “misconduct in public office offences” linked to the matter. Starmer said he regretted…

OSLO — Marius Borg Hoiby, the 29-year-old son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, admitted in court to a yearslong life of excess fueled by “an extreme need for recognition” but denied raping a woman at the royal family’s Skaugum estate in 2018. He is on trial in Oslo District Court for 38 alleged offenses, including four rapes and multiple assaults against former partners. He has pleaded not guilty to the most serious charges and faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted. Breaking down in tears as he addressed the…

The government of Ghana has taken a significant step in redefining the identity of one of its most notable transport hubs. The Transport Minister is set to submit a bill to Parliament proposing the renaming of Kotoka International Airport, a key gateway in West Africa, to Accra International Airport. This initiative has stirred public interest and debate, especially considering the historical significance attached to the current name. According to a pro-government Member of Parliament (MP), the proposed change aims to…

MOGADISHU — Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamud formally assumed command of the Somali National Army on Wednesday in a handover ceremony at the Ministry of Defence, as Somalia’s government pledged to accelerate military reforms and intensify operations against al-Shabab. Maj. Gen. Odowaa Yusuf Raage, the outgoing chief of the army, transferred authority in the presence of Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, senior security chiefs and foreign diplomats, including Turkey’s ambassador. The…

Two opposition Members of Parliament were arrested while performing official committee duties, prompting accusations that the independence and safety of the legislature are under threat and a parliamentary boycott by the main opposition party. Opposition leaders said the arrests — of two MPs who serve on the Budget and Transport committees — took place during formal committee work and were made on allegations of corruption. They accused Speaker Sameer Suleman of failing to protect Parliament and urged him to press the…

The Breaking Siege of Kadugli: A Turning Point in Sudan's Conflict The Sudanese army has broken a paramilitary siege on the key southern city of Kadugli, signaling a significant shift in the war within the Kordofan region. This development marks a notable reversal of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces' (RSF) offensive strategies. The army's breakthrough was confirmed by Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Kadugli has been under siege for much of Sudan's nearly three-year conflict. The city, a focal…

North Western State of Somalia eyes trade deal with Israel after recognition HARGEISA, Somalia — North Western State of Somalia expects to sign a trade partnership with Israel after receiving formal recognition from the Middle Eastern nation and is prepared to offer access to key natural resources as part of the pact, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi told Reuters. Israel recognized North Western State of Somalia, a self-declared independent region in northern Somalia, in late December. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…