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

Monday March 23, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — In a fresh escalation of its standoff with Mogadishu, Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen has moved to set up his own Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, a decision announced just one week after he cut ties with Somalia’s federal government. Under a presidential decree dated March 23, 2026, Laftagareen appointed a chairperson, deputy chairperson, secretary and additional members to the commission, which is expected to steer both the groundwork and…

Police have launched an investigation into an anti‑Semitic hate crime after four ambulances operated by the Jewish Community Ambulance service were apparently set alight in London, the Metropolitan Police said. Officers were dispatched to Highfield Road in Golders Green at about 1.45am today following reports of a fire, the force added. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the incident is being treated as an anti‑Semitic hate crime, and the London Fire Brigade said there were no reported injuries. Superintendent Sarah Jackson,…

Monday March 23, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — A fresh accusation from Baidoa is intensifying a growing rift with Mogadishu, as the speaker of Southwest State’s parliament claims the federal government is diverting Egyptian-supplied weapons—intended for national defense—into a volatile local power struggle in the Southwest region. In a post on X dated March 21, 2026, Dr. Ali Said Fiqi alleged that rifles provided by Egypt to help Somalia battle al-Shabab are instead being distributed to militias in the Burhakaba district. “These…

Torrential rains, causing severe flash floods across Kenya, have resulted in at least 81 deaths this month, officials reported on Sunday. The relentless downpours continue to wreak havoc in vast regions of the nation. “The cumulative number of fatalities has unfortunately risen to 81,” stated national police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga. The flash floods have ravaged numerous areas, displacing approximately 2,690 families and inflicting significant damage on infrastructure and property. Nairobi, the capital, has been the…

Explosions echoed across Tehran early Monday as Israel launched another wave of strikes on Iran, even as the Tehran government threatened retaliatory attacks on critical infrastructure across the Gulf — a confrontation that has pushed energy markets into their worst crisis in decades. Iranian media reported blasts in the capital, while authorities in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they intercepted incoming missiles and drones. International Energy Agency director Fatih Birol said at least 40 energy assets…

Monday March 23, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — A fresh rupture in Somalia’s fragile federal balance erupted in Bakool on Monday after Southwest State’s interior minister abruptly dissolved the Hudur district administration, sharpening an already tense standoff between Baidoa and Mogadishu over who holds legitimate authority at the local level and how elections should be managed. Southwest State’s Minister of Interior, Local Government and Reconciliation, Mohamed Isaq Osman Fanah, announced the dissolution in a letter dated March 21,…

Beginning tomorrow, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be reassigned to U.S. airports in a bid to ease mounting delays at security checkpoints, officials said, a rapid response to a budget impasse linked to President Donald Trump's mass deportation policy. Mr Trump announced the unusual deployment in a social media post early today, setting federal officials scrambling to finalize an implementation plan on short notice. Tom Homan, the president's senior border aide, told CNN that ICE personnel would be moved…

Somalia: Federal Government Declares Mandate of Southwest State President Expired Somalia: Federal Government Declares Mandate of Southwest State President Expired MOGADISHU, Somalia — The federal government on Sunday intensified a simmering dispute with Southwest State, announcing that the regional leadership’s tenure has lapsed and that a handover process will begin immediately. In a formal…

A major diplomatic and economic pivot is unfolding in Nairobi as France convenes more than 2,500 corporate leaders from 55 African countries for a two-day summit aimed at responding to the fallout from the United States-Israeli war and stabilizing a continent shaken by global shocks. The common goal: new perspectives on innovation, new business directions in the context of geopolitical threats. Based on Africa's untapped natural resources and human capital, communicating clearly with business executives and political…

Israel's strikes on Syrian army positions drew sharp rebukes from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, with Riyadh labeling the operations "aggression" and Ankara urging the international community to intervene to halt what it called a dangerous escalation. Israel's military said it carried out strikes in southern Syria on Thursday in response to what it described as attacks targeting the Druze community in Sweida province. This was not the first time Israel has struck inside Syria amid sectarian bloodshed; last year it launched…