Axadle - Breaking news and analysis from Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and across Africa.

UNIFIL to withdraw most peacekeepers by mid-2027 as mandate ends this year The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon will withdraw most of its troops by mid-2027, the mission said, laying out a timeline to wind down operations after its mandate expires on December 31, 2026, amid persistent tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border. “UNIFIL is planning to draw down and withdraw all, or substantially all, uniformed personnel by mid-year 2027,” spokesperson Kandice Ardiel said, adding the force intends to complete the pullout…

Narrow Escape in Somalia: All Aboard Safe After Fokker 50 Overruns Runway into the Sea MOGADISHU, Somalia — All 55 passengers and crew aboard a StarSky Fokker 50 were reported safe Tuesday after the aircraft overran the runway at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport and tumbled onto the shoreline during an emergency landing, authorities said. The twin-engine turboprop had departed Mogadishu on a scheduled flight to Galkayo when it experienced technical difficulties shortly after takeoff, according to airport…

Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026 MOGADISHU, Somalia — The presidents of Puntland State and Jubbaland are expected to arrive in Mogadishu within hours to join a national consultative conference on Somalia’s electoral process and constitutional reforms, signaling a tentative easing of tensions between the federal government and regional states. Officials said advance teams from the Puntland State and Jubbaland presidencies — largely composed of security personnel — landed Tuesday afternoon at Aden Adde International Airport and are…

U.S. military says two killed in strike on alleged drug-smuggling boat in eastern Pacific The U.S. military said it killed two people and left a third survivor in its latest strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific, expanding a campaign Washington has framed as a fight against “narco-terrorists” operating out of Venezuela. “Two narco-terrorists were killed and one survived the strike,” U.S. Southern Command said in a statement posted on X. It added that the U.S. Coast Guard was notified to “activate…

U.N. Warns of Repeated Atrocities in Sudan The U.N. rights chief has warned of potential repeated atrocities in Sudan, emphasizing the need for accountability and prevention. Recent violence has shown the urgent need for international attention. Volker Türk called the el-Fasher violence a "preventable human rights catastrophe." The atrocities involved mass killings, sexual violence, and the use of child soldiers. International community urged to prevent a similar crisis in Kordofan. Unfolding Tragedy:…

Tuesday February 10, 2026 Kenya’s deepening drought has left more than 2 million people facing hunger, with cattle-keeping communities in the northeast the hardest hit, according to the United Nations and other agencies. Stark images of emaciated livestock along the arid frontier near Somalia have shocked a region where climate extremes increasingly set the pace of daily life. For many families, the rains have grown shorter and more erratic in recent years, exposing entire districts to prolonged dry spells. In such cycles,…

Rubio to visit Hungary and Slovakia after Trump backs Orbán, amid EU tensions U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Hungary and Slovakia next week after President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of April elections, the State Department said, setting up a high-profile diplomatic swing as transatlantic tensions flare. Rubio will represent the United States at the Munich Security Conference before heading to Budapest and Bratislava. He is stepping in for Vice President JD…

Irish man detained by ICE says he fears for his life in Texas facility, as Irish politicians urge action An Irish man who has lived in the United States for nearly two decades says he is in fear for his life after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and transferred to a detention center in Texas, almost 4,000 kilometers from his home in Boston. Seamus Culleton, originally from Glenmore in Co Kilkenny, was taken into custody by ICE agents in September and later moved to a facility in El Paso, Texas, he…

Senegal Dismantles Paedophile Network Linking France In a significant crackdown on organized crime, Senegalese authorities have arrested 14 individuals in connection with a criminal network operating between Senegal and France. This group, composed primarily of Senegalese nationals, is accused of engaging in serious offences involving the exploitation of minors. According to police reports, the alleged crimes committed by this network include "organised paedophilia, pimping, rape of minors under 15, sodomy, and…

Ethiopia hosts secret camp to train Sudan’s RSF fighters, with alleged UAE backing, sources say Ethiopia is operating a clandestine training camp for thousands of fighters destined for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, according to an investigation drawing on satellite imagery, internal Ethiopian security documents and accounts from officials and diplomats reviewed by Reuters. The development would mark the first direct evidence of Ethiopian involvement in Sudan’s war and risks deepening a regional conflict already fed by…