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

Donald Trump said a face-to-face meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin would be “great,” throwing his weight behind the prospect of direct talks while insisting that any breakthrough would require concessions from both Ukraine and Russia. “I’m glad that they’re maybe talking about meeting. I think we had a lot to do with it,” Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I think it would be great if they met. They should - get it done,” he added. Mr Trump, who has drawn criticism for berating Mr Zelensky in…

At just 20, Seán Dunne from Laragh, Co Wicklow has carved out a place in sheep shearing history, becoming New Zealand’s top junior shearer. His victory also marks a first: no non-New Zealander had previously claimed the title. Dunne said the achievement had been his target for the season, and reaching it left him feeling “pretty good now alright, to get over there and become the top ranked”. Only three years into the trade, Seán reckons he has already shorn 70,000 sheep. “I travelled to New Zealand twice, and I've shorn in…

Mohamed DhaysaneWednesday June 3, 2026 Somali forces, working with international partners, killed 28 al-Shabaab militants in coordinated operations in the Hiran and Middle Shabelle regions, according to an official statement released Tuesday. Among those killed in the airstrikes was Abdirahman Abdi Mudallib, identified as a senior terrorist figure in Hiran, along with five other militants. The Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency said Mudallib had played a direct role in organizing and plotting attacks in the…

AXADLE, Somalia — Puntland State on Thursday mounted a sharp attack on Somalia’s federal leadership, accusing it of creating a "constitutional vacuum" and blaming President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for armed raids carried out against former state leaders in Mogadishu. The rebuke came after a cabinet session in Garowe led by Puntland State’s Acting President and Vice President, Ilyaas Lugatoor. In a strongly framed statement, the cabinet denounced "armed confrontations targeting civilians and former senior leaders" in the…

Thursday June 4, 2026 Smoke billowed above Mogadishu’s Howl Wadaag neighbourhood on Thursday after reports of mortar fire, as the Somali capital endured some of its most intense fighting in years. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images Government troops and opposition-aligned militias have clashed violently in Somalia’s capital, leaving property damaged and forcing some residents to abandon their homes. As the confrontation gathered pace from Wednesday afternoon, opposition figures who had joined with militias were reported to have…

June 4, 2026 (DJIBOUTI, Djibouti) — As political tensions escalate in Somalia, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) warned Friday that recent violence in Mogadishu threatens the country’s fragile progress and urged swift steps to prevent further bloodshed. IGAD condemned all acts of violence and urged every party involved to show maximum restraint, work to reduce tensions, and seek resolution through peaceful, inclusive, and constructive dialogue. "At this critical moment, preserving peace, stability,…

A fresh round of strikes in Crimea left four people dead, Kremlin-installed officials said, underscoring how the war’s reach continues to widen a day after Moscow and Kyiv exchanged attacks on each other’s cities. Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-appointed head of Crimea, said Ukrainian forces struck a non-residential area of Simferopol, the peninsula’s main administrative centre, killing three people and wounding seven. He later said on Telegram that a separate Ukrainian drone attack hit a commuter train in eastern Crimea,…

ADDIS ABABA — The African Union Commission said Thursday it was deeply alarmed by the latest security developments in Mogadishu, where armed clashes have broken out in civilian neighborhoods, and it called on political actors to end the violence at once. In a statement released from its headquarters in Addis Ababa, the Commission urged "all parties to immediately stop the fighting and exercise maximum restraint, protect civilians, and refrain from actions that could further escalate tensions." The warning comes amid…

Thursday June 4, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The African Union and the United Nations on Thursday demanded an immediate end to fighting in Mogadishu after government forces and opposition-aligned militias traded gunfire in civilian neighborhoods, a flare-up that has intensified concerns Somalia’s political standoff could tip into broader unrest. The African Union Commission said it was alarmed by the reported security situation in the capital, including armed clashes in residential areas. It called on all sides to stop the…

Anger over a luxury tourism scheme tied to Jared Kushner has spilled into the streets of Tirana, where thousands of Albanians have marched in recent days against a project planned for one of the Adriatic coast’s most environmentally fragile areas. The €1.4bn resort is being pursued by Mr Kushner's investment firm Affinity Partners on an island off Albania and along an undeveloped coastal strip near the Vjosa-Narta protected landscape, a wetland that shelters flamingos, seals and sea turtle nesting sites. Environmental groups…