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

The United Nations says weapons looted during Libya’s 2011 conflict are now stoking violence across West Africa, turning up in the arsenals of extremist groups in Nigeria and throughout the Sahel. Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, told delegates at the UN headquarters in New York that the illicit arms trade fueled by that looting is amplifying insecurity in the region. Speaking on the proliferation of illicit arms, Nakamitsu warned that weapons diverted or…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has unveiled plans to send envoys across Africa and to other regions of the world, signalling a stepped-up diplomatic push as South Africa grapples with mounting migration pressures. Ramaphosa said the initiative is aimed at widening international cooperation on migration, arguing that countries must work in concert to confront the underlying drivers of population movement. He also rejected the characterisation of South Africa’s approach as xenophobic, framing the outreach as an effort to build…

Europe has thrown its weight behind Volodymyr Zelensky’s dramatic appeal to Vladimir Putin, with EU officials endorsing the Ukrainian president’s push for face-to-face talks as a possible way to halt a war now grinding through its fifth year. Mr Zelensky set out that offer in an open letter to the Russian leader, proposing a direct meeting to negotiate an end to the conflict while making clear that, failing that, Kyiv was prepared to continue the fight. "We welcome President Zelensky's call for direct negotiations and also…

Friday June 5, 2026 This handout photograph taken on January 30, 2024 and released by the Indian Navy shows an Iranian fishing vessel after it has been freed by the Indian Navy from Somali pirates, off the Somali coast, some 850 nautical miles (1,574 kilometres) west of the Indian city of Kochi. (AFP/ file) ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Thursday that efforts were still under way to win the release of ten Pakistani sailors held by Somali pirates since April, while warning that the vessel’s highly explosive cargo had narrowed…

by STEPHEN ASTARIKOFriday June 5, 2026 Garissa Governor Nathif Jama chairing the high-level security meeting./STEPHEN ASTARIKO Garissa’s standing as one of Kenya’s safest towns is facing a serious test after a wave of killings, muggings and violent break-ins jolted leaders into urgent action. Governor Nathif Jama said the county can no longer ignore the escalating insecurity that has left many residents afraid to move about freely. Shaken by the rise in crime, senior government officials, security agencies, religious…

In a fresh push to tighten their ties, South Africa and Kenya have signed six new Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) designed to broaden cooperation across key sectors, from trade and maritime transport to skills development, gender equality, arts and culture, and sport. The agreements were concluded during Kenyan President William Ruto's State Visit to South Africa, marking another step in what both governments describe as a deepening strategic partnership. The latest set of MoUs brings the total number of bilateral pacts…

Against the odds on the slopes of Mount Everest, a Nepali climbing guide missing for six days and feared dead has been found alive after dragging himself alone down toward Base Camp, officials said. By the time he was discovered, his wife said, she had already started last rite prayers. Speaking from a hospital in the capital Kathmandu, where he is now recovering, she described a family swinging from grief to disbelief. Mountaineer Dawa Sherpa - who is in his 50s, and is better known as "Hillary" after famed climber Edmund…

With Ebola still flaring in the Democratic Republic of Congo, frontline medics are straining to contain the disease while research teams worldwide sprint to produce a vaccine tailored to the specific strain driving the crisis. The epicentre lies in Ituri province in the country’s northeast, where ongoing conflict, mass displacement, a sizable migrant population, and underfunded clinics create a perfect storm that complicates efforts to halt transmission.

Friday June 5, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — A protest in Sheikh district in North Western State of Somalia’s Sahil region turned deadly on Thursday, leaving one person dead and another injured, according to residents and witnesses. The unrest followed the recent arrest of Sultan Qabile in Mandera district. Residents said anger over the detention quickly spilled into the streets of Sheikh, where crowds gathered before confrontations erupted between demonstrators and security forces. The woman killed was identified by residents as…

South Africa has begun rolling out a new line of defense against HIV: a six-monthly preventive injection that is now available free of charge at hundreds of public health facilities. The anti-HIV jab, which prevents HIV through sex, is currently stocked at 360 government clinics across six provinces, according to the health department’s list of clinics. The provinces included in the initial rollout are Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, North West and the Western Cape. The Northern Cape, Limpopo and the…