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

Wednesday May 20, 2026 The daughter of mosque security guard Amin Abdullah is describing him as the “absolute best dad in the world,” as family and community members came together Tuesday to pay tribute to the man killed while facing gunmen during an attack on a San Diego mosque.

Rwandan opposition figure Victoire Ingabire is back in court for a second trial, this time accused of inciting public unrest and joining a criminal organization. She appears alongside nine co-defendants, most of whom are fellow members of her party, Development and Liberty for All (DALFA-Umurinzi). Ingabire was freed in September 2018 by a presidential pardon from President Paul Kagame after serving 8 years of a 15-year sentence.

Hundreds of jobs at Meta’s Irish operations are at risk, with around 350 roles understood to be under threat as the Facebook parent presses ahead with another major round of global cutbacks. Meta currently employs about 1,800 people in Ireland. The company began informing employees today about how they may be affected by its plan to eliminate 8,000 jobs worldwide, equivalent to roughly 10% of its total workforce. Staff based in Ireland received emails early this morning advising them whether they could be affected by the…

AXADLE, Somalia — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni on Wednesday hosted a senior United States delegation in Garowe for talks centered on Somalia’s political transition, security cooperation, and investment prospects in the northeastern federal state, officials said. The delegation was headed by Justin Davis and included U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) officers, among them Col. Shane Jones, who commands U.S. special operations activities in Africa, according to a statement from the Puntland State presidency. Deni,…

By George Obulutsa and Vincent Mumo NzilaniWednesday May 20, 2026 People walk during a strike by public transport operators driven by rising fuel costs, linked to global supply pressures following the war in Iran, in Githurai area of Nairobi, Kenya May 19, 2026. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi Purchase Licensing Rights Kenya’s public transport strike, launched over fuel price increases tied to the war in Iran, was suspended on Tuesday after the government struck an interim deal with associations representing bus and minibus owners.…

A family feud has spilled into the courts: Wicknell Chivayo’s former mother-in-law, Tabitha Madzikanda, has been arrested on suspicion of fraud, accused of attempting to divert U.S.$1.4 million from a trust established for her grandchildren. Madzikanda, who works at FBC Bank, allegedly tried to recruit colleagues to remove Chivayo as a signatory on a US$5 million account, after which they purportedly sought to channel the funds into a property development project involving the construction of cluster houses. Her arrest…

Alarm over the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo intensified as the head of the World Health Organization warned that the epidemic’s reach and momentum are cause for serious concern. "Early on Sunday, I declared a public health emergency of international concern over an epidemic of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the World Health Assembly in Geneva. "I did not do this lightly... I'm deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic," he said. His remarks…

Wednesday May 20, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Interior Minister Ali Yusuf Ali Hosh has sharply rebuked a cultural delegation from Puntland State after its members appeared at North Western State of Somalia’s May 18 commemoration in Hargeisa. Hosh said it was inappropriate for representatives from Puntland State to take part in an event that celebrates North Western State of Somalia’s 1991 breakaway from Somalia, a move the federal government still views as a direct threat to the country’s unity and territorial…

After coordinated protests by the anti-immigrant group March and March targeting undocumented migrants in Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Durban, Human Rights Watch urged South African authorities to act decisively. South Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch Nomathamsanqa Masiko-Mpaka said authorities "should intensify efforts to address anti-immigrant sentiments and violence to ensure the safety and protection of at-risk foreign nationals in the country," calling for stronger measures to curb hostility and safeguard…

Hope of a near-term breakthrough in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran grew after two Chinese oil tankers made it out of the Strait of Hormuz, according to shipping data, while upbeat remarks from the ⁠US President and the Vice President pointed to possible movement toward a deal. President Donald Trump said yesterday that the war could end "very quickly", and Vice President JD Vance pointed to progress in talks with Tehran on an agreement to halt the fighting. "We're in a pretty good spot here," Mr Vance told a White House…