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

As Easter approaches, countries across Africa are ramping up plans for a weekend defined by faith, family, and heavy travel, with leaders using the moment to press safety and security messages nationwide. In Mozambique, immigration authorities expect close to 400,000 people to cross the nation’s borders during the Easter period—about 17,000 more than last year. To cope with the uptick, officials are tightening procedures and staffing to keep checkpoints moving smoothly. In Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu has arrived in…

Russia unleashed nearly 500 missiles and drones on Ukraine in a wave of attacks that officials said killed at least six people, as Moscow pressed ahead with a growing pattern of daytime strikes. Since the start of its invasion, Russia has pounded Ukraine from the air, with most barrages typically launched after dark. In recent weeks, however, those assaults have increasingly come in daylight hours. "Terrorist Russia strikes in broad daylight deliberately - to maximise civilian casualties and damage," Ukraine's Foreign…

Friday April 3, 2026 The African Union (AU) on Friday praised the China-Pakistan five-point initiative aimed at easing the current peace and stability crisis in the Gulf and Middle East. In a statement, AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said the plan “constitutes a timely and constructive contribution to ongoing international efforts to de-escalate tensions and advance a political and diplomatic pathway.” He said the initiative’s “emphasis on an immediate cessation of hostilities, the protection of civilians,…

Friday April 3, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud landed in Baidoa on Friday for his first trip to the Southwest regional capital since the installation of an interim administration and the latest political turmoil in the state. In a statement, Villa Somalia said the visit is intended to speed up the delivery of social services, push forward peace and reconciliation efforts, reinforce governance and support preparations for Somalia’s planned one-person, one-vote elections. The president is expected…

Five Guys, Whataburger and Other High-Calorie Cheeseburgers Five fast-food cheeseburgers are among the highest in calories, saturated fat and sodium based on company-provided nutrition information. Fast-food cheeseburgers can vary widely by chain and menu item, but several popular options clock in at high levels of calories, saturated fat and sodium in nutrition listings provided by the restaurants. Five Guys Five Guys’ customizable menu includes a cheeseburger with about 980 calories, 55g of fat, about 26g of…

One year after setting off sweeping trade fights around the world, US President Donald Trump has opened a new front: medicines and metals. In two fresh orders, he moved to tighten pressure on foreign-made pharmaceuticals and rework tariffs on industrial materials central to manufacturing. The twin measures are aimed at pushing drugmakers to expand production in the United States, while also taking aim at companies US officials say have been "artificially manipulating" metals prices. Under the revised metals policy, finished…

Friday April 3, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The Somali Future Council on Thursday came out forcefully against the federal government’s decision to name an interim leader for Southwest State, describing the move as unconstitutional and a direct challenge to Somalia’s federal arrangement. In a statement, the opposition-aligned council said the appointment runs counter to constitutional rules that govern transitions in federal member states, including the procedures that must be followed when a presidency becomes vacant and when…

EUCAP Somalia’s Environmental Adviser took an active role in shaping a shift toward prevention at the Country Humanitarian Forum in Mogadishu. The Somali Disaster Management Agency convened the gathering, which drew government officials, UN agencies, donors, NGOs and private-sector representatives to chart a course away from ad hoc aid and toward planned disaster risk management across the country. Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. Salah Ahmed Jama, chaired the forum, which carried the theme “From Response to…

A new chapter in humanity’s return to deep space began in Florida, where four astronauts launched on NASA’s Artemis II mission for a high-stakes, nearly ten-day journey around the Moon. The flight represents the United ⁠States’ clearest move yet toward putting humans back on the lunar surface this decade, with NASA aiming to get there before China mounts its first crewed landing. Just before sunset local time at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket thundered off the pad with the Orion…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — The United States has stepped up its air campaign in Somalia at a striking pace, carrying out nearly 50 strikes in just the first three months of 2026, according to U.S. Africa Command, a sign of expanding pressure on militant groups in the Horn of Africa. In its latest statement, AFRICOM said the most recent strike hit Al-Shabaab fighters roughly 80 miles northwest of Kismayo, pushing the year’s total to 49 airstrikes. The command said the operations were carried out in close coordination with the…