Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

Trump threatens 100% tariff on Canada if Ottawa seals China trade deal, escalating feud with Prime Minister Mark Carney U.S. President Donald Trump warned he will impose a 100% tariff on all Canadian goods entering the United States if Canada signs a trade deal with China, an ultimatum that sharply raises the stakes in already fraying U.S.-Canada relations. “China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life,” Trump wrote on his Truth…

CAIRO — The Arab Parliament said it will pursue regional and international political measures to support the security, stability and sovereignty of Somalia and Yemen, and rejected any foreign interference in their internal affairs, in a statement issued Saturday at the opening of its second general assembly session of the second cycle at the Arab League’s headquarters. Framing respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity as a cornerstone of international relations, the body called for peaceful solutions to ongoing…

Syria’s government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have extended their truce by 15 days to support a U.S.-led effort to transfer Islamic State group detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq, both sides said Saturday. “The extension of the cease-fire comes in support of the American operation to transfer Islamic State detainees from SDF prisons to Iraq,” the Syrian defense ministry said in a statement. The SDF confirmed the extension, saying it was reached through international mediation and that dialogue with…

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal immigration agents shot and killed a 37-year-old U.S. citizen during an immigration operation in Minneapolis, officials said, igniting protests and a political showdown as bystander video reviewed by Reuters appeared to contradict the government’s account. The Department of Homeland Security said a Border Patrol agent fired in self-defense after a man with a handgun resisted efforts to disarm him. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the man, identified by authorities and relatives as Alex…

U.S. immigration agents fatally shoot Minneapolis man, igniting protests and political clash MINNEAPOLIS — A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed a 37-year-old U.S. citizen during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis on Saturday, officials said, sparking hours of street protests, emergency closures and a high-stakes confrontation between Minnesota leaders and the Trump administration over who controls the investigation. The Department of Homeland Security said an agent fired in self-defense after a man with a…

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, and KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine accused Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday of ordering massive missile and drone strikes as negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi for a second day to discuss a plan to end the nearly four-year war. "Peace efforts? Trilateral meeting in the UAE? Diplomacy? For Ukrainians, this was another night of Russian terror," Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on X. "Cynically, Putin ordered a brutal massive missile strike against…

Israel’s late-December decision to recognize North Western State of Somalia has collided with entrenched Arab and African interests in the Horn of Africa—and is unlikely to translate into lasting influence in Somalia, according to a prominent regional affairs scholar. Ali Bakr, professor of international affairs, security and defense at Qatar University, said Israel has sought to expand its presence in the Horn since 2023. He told the Novosti news agency that the recognition of North Western State of Somalia, a self-declared…

Prominent Somali cleric warns North Western State of Somalia against engagement with Israel HARGEISA, Somalia — One of Somalia’s leading religious scholars, Sheikh Mustafa Haji Ismail Harun, has sharply criticized reported steps by North Western State of Somalia toward engagement with Israel, warning that any move linked to a bid for recognition would be both morally and politically misguided. Speaking at a mosque in Hargeisa, the cleric urged the public and political leaders in North Western State of Somalia to distance…

QUEBEC CITY — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that “Canada lives because of the United States,” saying Canada “thrives because we are Canadian” and vowing to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and values amid rising geopolitical pressure. The exchange followed a tense week that began at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where Carney cautioned against great-power coercion of smaller countries without naming Trump. After Carney’s remarks…

Police in New Zealand say there will likely be no survivors from a landslide that struck a busy campground at Mount Maunganui on the North Island, after human remains were found overnight and the operation shifted from rescue to recovery. Six people, including two teenagers, remain unaccounted for following the collapse, which was triggered by heavy rains on Thursday on the country’s east coast in Tauranga. Authorities said the slip sent a mass of soil and rubble down onto a campsite crowded with families on summer holidays.…