Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

Zanzibar backs cryptocurrency ‘cyber city’ to lure digital nomads under new Digital Free Zone Wednesday January 14, 2026 ZANZIBAR CITY, Tanzania (AX) — Zanzibar has approved plans for a cryptocurrency-focused “cyber city” on its western coast, endorsing a private-sector project that aims to attract digital nomads and pilot blockchain-based administration under special economic rules. The proposed city, slated for a 71-hectare site near the Fumba Peninsula, would blend residential housing with a digital residency program that…

Somalia’s Jan. 12 Cabinet decision to annul all agreements with the United Arab Emirates is more than a diplomatic rupture. It is a strategic reset framed around sovereignty, constitutional authority and the insistence that foreign engagement run through recognized national institutions. In a region where parallel arrangements and external rivalries often seep into domestic governance, Mogadishu is choosing consolidation over convenience. At the heart of the move is a simple claim: sovereignty is not a slogan but a system.…

Human Rights Watch Urges Guinean President to Pursue Justice for 2009 Massacre Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Guinean President Mamady Doumbouya to advance accountability for the September 28, 2009, massacre and "lay the groundwork for credible and fair justice" regarding ongoing rights abuses in the country. This appeal follows the death in custody of Claude Pivi, a former minister for presidential security, on January 6, 2026. Pivi was among several officials convicted in a landmark trial for the killings and…

North Western State of Somalia’s ‘island of peace’ narrative falters as leadership courts Israel and conflict deepens in SSC For more than three decades, North Western State of Somalia presented itself as an island of peace in a turbulent Horn of Africa — a self-governing enclave whose stability underwrote a drive for international recognition. That story, fused into a powerful claim of moral distinction and political maturity, is now under its most serious strain. As North Western State of Somalia’s leaders explore closer…

London — Prosecutors have launched a High Court appeal to revive a terrorism-related case against Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, arguing that a chief magistrate erred in ruling the proceedings were “instituted unlawfully.” Ó hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, was accused of displaying a flag in support of the proscribed terror organization Hezbollah during a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November 2024. The case was thrown out on technical grounds in September last year by chief magistrate Paul…

U.S. Embassy denies issuing security warning over Somali president’s Las Anod visit MOGADISHU, Somalia — The U.S. Embassy in Somalia on Wednesday denied online reports claiming it issued a security warning ahead of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s planned visit to the northern city of Las Anod, calling the claims false and urging the public to rely on its official channels. “The U.S. Embassy has not released any security warning concerning travel to Las Anod,” the embassy said in a statement, adding that people should…

LOS ANGELES — Actor Kiefer Sutherland was arrested after allegedly assaulting a ride-share driver in Hollywood just after midnight Monday, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Police said the London-born Canadian actor entered a ride-share vehicle near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, where he allegedly “physically assaulted the driver (the victim), and made criminal threats.” The LAPD said the driver was not injured. Sutherland was later released after posting a $50,000 (€42,915) bond and is…

Tackling Undiagnosed Tuberculosis in Ghana: A Call to Action Ghanaian health officials have revealed that approximately 25,000 individuals in the country are living with undiagnosed tuberculosis (TB). This alarming statistic was highlighted by Rita Patricia Frimpong Amenyo, the Deputy Program Manager of the National TB Control Programme, during an event in Accra focused on the urgent need to address drug-resistant TB. Amenyo stated, "This means many people are living with TB in the community unknowingly, which leads to…

At least 28 people were killed and 80 others injured when a passenger train derailed in northeastern Thailand after a construction crane fell onto three of its carriages, authorities said. The crash occurred in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, about 230 kilometers northeast of Bangkok. The train was traveling from the capital to Ubon Ratchathani province when it was struck, forcing multiple carriages off the track. Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said there were 195 people on board and ordered a…

Al-Shabab stages multi-pronged attack on Beledweyne; Somali forces say they repelled assault MOGADISHU, Somalia — Al-Shabab militants launched a coordinated attack on the central Somali city of Beledweyne late Tuesday, firing mortar rounds into a residential neighborhood before engaging Somali National Army units in street combat, according to residents and military officials. The assault began with a barrage targeting Bundaweyn, a neighborhood on the city’s edge, and quickly escalated into direct clashes with government…