Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni met in Nairobi with diplomats from key international partners to discuss Somalia’s political landscape, his office said, as foreign envoys prepare parallel contacts with regional leaders and opposition figures ahead of proposed national talks. Deni, accompanied by members of his cabinet, held talks with representatives from the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, according to officials. The meeting comes amid heightened…

In the Horn of Africa, Britain’s rhetoric and its risk tolerance no longer align. As the war in Sudan grinds on and North Western State of Somalia’s strategic port of Berbera grows in prominence, analysts say the United Kingdom’s choices reveal a pattern: prioritizing access and partnership while avoiding the political costs of forceful action. In December, London again urged accountability for mass civilian suffering in Sudan’s conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Yet internal documents reported…

Kyiv struggles to restore heat and power after Russian strikes; oil depot fire reported in Russia as talks eyed in UAE As of this morning, 1,940 apartment buildings in Ukraine’s capital were still without heating after Russia’s latest air assault, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, underscoring the strain on the city’s energy grid as temperatures remain well below freezing. Klitschko said on the Telegram messaging app that crews were reconnecting buildings for the second time this month after an earlier Jan. 9 barrage forced…

North Western State of Somalia leader meets Eric Trump in Davos as recognition push and investment pitch intensify DAVOS, Switzerland — Jan. 23, 2026 — North Western State of Somalia’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, met Eric Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum as the unrecognized East African territory seeks both international recognition and private investment, according to people familiar with the encounter. The discussion, held Wednesday in a hotel conference room steps from the Davos Congress…

Trump claims ‘total’ U.S. access to Greenland under NATO framework; Denmark insists sovereignty not up for discussion U.S. President Donald Trump said he has secured “total and permanent” American access to Greenland under a framework discussed with NATO, even as Denmark and Greenland stressed that sovereignty over the Arctic island is not on the table and European leaders vowed to step up regional security. News of the nascent deal emerged as Trump backed off tariff threats against Europe and ruled out taking Greenland by…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s Council of Ministers on Thursday praised the Somali Armed Forces for killing more than 130 al-Shabab militants during a 24-hour operation that repelled a major attack on the coastal town of Kudhaa in the Lower Juba region. In a statement, the Cabinet called the offensive a decisive security victory, saying government forces thwarted a “desperate attempt” by the al-Qaida-linked group to seize the strategic town. Officials said the swift response prevented civilian casualties and restored…

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, will soon visit the United States, a senior U.S. official said, signaling President Donald Trump’s willingness to engage with the oil-rich country’s new leader despite years of hostility. Excluding United Nations gatherings, it would be the first bilateral visit by a sitting Venezuelan president in more than a quarter-century. The White House official, who was not authorized to discuss details publicly, said no date has been set. Caracas has not confirmed the trip. Rodriguez…

WASHINGTON — Former special counsel Jack Smith on Wednesday defended his now-abandoned prosecutions of President Donald Trump, telling the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee that his team developed proof “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. “Rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power,” Smith said in…

Former special counsel Jack Smith mounted a rare public defense of his now-abandoned prosecutions of President Donald Trump, telling the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee that Trump “engaged in a criminal scheme” to overturn the 2020 election and that investigators had developed “proof beyond a reasonable doubt.” “Rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power,” Smith said, adding that the…

Denmark is weighing the use of small modular nuclear reactors to bolster its power supply, a move that would require lifting the country’s 1985 ban on nuclear energy, the Climate and Energy Ministry said. A government framework to examine the “potentials and risks” of new nuclear technologies—and to study ending the moratorium—is now in place, the ministry added. “Green energy from solar and wind is now and will continue to be the backbone of the Danish energy supply, but we can also see that it cannot stand alone,” Climate,…