Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

U.S. Judge Margaret Garnett on Thursday barred prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, the 27-year-old accused of gunning down United Healthcare chief executive Brian Thompson in New York in December 2024. In a ruling that reshapes the federal case, Garnett dismissed two death-eligible counts against Mangione — murder and using a gun with a silencer — effectively taking capital punishment off the table. Mangione still faces two federal counts of stalking, and he remains charged with murder at the…

Fela Kuti: A Posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for the Afrobeat Legend Legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is set to make history as the first African artist to receive a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, nearly three decades after his death. The Recording Academy announced that Fela is being honored for his significant contributions to modern Nigerian Afrobeats and for inspiring countless global artists. His radical blend of politics, performance, and pan-African groove continues to…

South Africa’s government says it has logged formal violations by Israel after what it described as a series of public affronts against President Cyril Ramaphosa and failures in diplomatic protocol. In a government statement released Tuesday, officials said the violations include the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to launch “insulting attacks” against Ramaphosa and a “deliberate failure” to inform the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) of purported visits by senior Israeli…

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s government accused Israel on Tuesday of multiple diplomatic violations, alleging that official Israeli channels launched “insulting attacks” against President Cyril Ramaphosa and that Israeli officials failed to inform the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) about visits by senior Israeli representatives. The allegations were set out in a government statement that cited two specific breaches: the repeated use of official Israeli social media platforms to attack…

Analysis: Blocked USAID cables on Gaza reveal a deeper struggle inside Biden’s policy apparatus In early 2024, a set of internal USAID cables describing northern Gaza as an “apocalyptic wasteland” collided with a diplomatic gate. The U.S. ambassador to Jerusalem, Jack Lew, and his deputy, Stephanie Hallett, blocked wider distribution, arguing the documents lacked balance, according to interviews with former officials and documents described to Reuters. The decision offers a rare window into how humanitarian warnings can be…

Ukraine says it will halt long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities if Moscow stops hitting its grid, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, after U.S. President Donald Trump raised hopes for a short pause in attacks on Kyiv and other cities amid a brutal cold snap. Zelensky welcomed Trump’s announcement and set a clear condition: “If Russia does not strike our energy infrastructure, generation facilities or any other energy assets, we will not strike theirs.” He said he is counting on Washington to help secure the pause,…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali National University has accused authorities of illegally demolishing parts of its land in Mogadishu’s Hodan district and says it is taking legal action to stop any further seizures and reclassification of its property. In a statement issued Thursday, the state university said demolitions in the Banadir region have affected facilities used for student services as well as the residence of the university’s chairperson. The administration said no competent authority had granted permission for the…

Drone and Artillery Attack at Niamey Airport Raises Security Concerns Heavy security has been deployed around the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey following a suspected militia attack on Thursday. The incident, characterized by the use of drones and heavy artillery, has heightened tensions in a region already fraught with instability. Located approximately 10 kilometers from the presidential palace, the airport serves as a critical air force base and as the headquarters for the joint military force comprising…

U.S. eases some Venezuela oil sanctions, opening trade for American firms WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has lifted some sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry to make it easier for U.S. companies to move and process the country’s crude, even as broader restrictions on production remain in place, according to the Treasury Department. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a general license authorizing U.S. entities to buy, sell, transport, store and refine Venezuelan-origin oil. The measure is intended…

Syria’s government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have reached a sweeping agreement to fold Kurdish security units and their autonomous administration into the central state, capping weeks of clashes that culminated in a cease-fire, according to statements released today by both sides and broadcast on Syrian state television. The accord follows a period of fighting in which Kurdish forces lost control of swathes of territory to pro-government units, leaving them confined largely to Kurdish-majority pockets in…