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

Somalia’s federal government has floated a plan to channel an expected opposition protest into designated parts of Mogadishu, according to security sources, as tensions mount ahead of a major anti-government rally scheduled for next week. MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has proposed assigning specific locations in Mogadishu for opposition groups to hold demonstrations, according to security sources, as political tensions rise ahead of a planned anti-government rally next week. The proposal was recently…

A drone strike reported by Russia at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has revived fears around the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear facility, even as officials said critical equipment was not damaged. Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear energy company, said a Ukrainian drone hit the turbine hall of Power Unit No. 6 and exploded, leaving a hole in the wall but sparing the plant’s main systems. "This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6,…

Lebanon’s prime minister has sharply accused Israel of waging a “scorched-earth policy” in the country’s south, pressing for an end to the fighting as Israeli warplanes launched new strikes and the military ordered evacuations across more than a dozen areas. His warning came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops had pushed further into Lebanon. Responding in a televised address, Nawaf Salam described the intensifying campaign as a “dangerous” escalation and appealed for “a swift and real…

As Ebola tears through eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the head of the World Health Organization is urging the world not to look away. Arriving in the outbreak’s epicentre, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appealed for stronger international backing as authorities race to contain a virus spreading through one of the country’s most fragile regions. Speaking to reporters in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, the WHO director general said the international community was already assisting the DRC government in its response to…

Israel’s campaign in Lebanon has pushed beyond a key geographic line, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Israeli troops have crossed the Litani River and moved deeper into the country. During a visit to Division 36 on Israel’s northern frontier, Mr Netanyahu said Israeli forces were also active in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley as Israel widened its operations against Hezbollah across Lebanon. On 31 March, Mr Netanyahu said the zone under Israeli occupation in Lebanon would extend as far as the Litani River, roughly…

Garowe, Somalia, May 30, 2026 – Puntland State’s education minister has accused Somalia’s federal government of standing in the way of efforts to deepen cooperation in the education sector and win backing from international partners, underscoring fresh friction between the semi-autonomous region and Mogadishu. Addressing the launch of Puntland State’s 2025-2026 national certificate examinations, Education Minister Fuad Abshir Ahmed said the regional government had spent more than a year seeking dialogue with Somalia’s…

Wycliffe Muia and Akisa Wandera, NairobiSaturday May 30, 2026 With the Ebola outbreak raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo and cases now appearing in Uganda, a Kenyan court has stepped in to halt a US-backed quarantine plan that had stirred alarm over whether the country could become a staging ground for the virus. The court has suspended American plans to establish an Ebola isolation facility for US citizens in Kenya, a proposal that had already triggered widespread concern about the risk of cross-border transmission.…

Saturday May 30, 2026 Kenya Red Cross workers recover a body after Thursday’s blaze at Utumishi Girls Academy, May 28, 2026. Kenyan police said at least eight students have been taken into custody on suspicion of arson after a fire at a girls’ boarding school left 16 students dead and 79 others injured. The inferno erupted in the early hours of Thursday at Utumishi Girls Academy Senior School in Gilgil, in west-central Kenya. On Friday, the Directorate of Criminal Investigation said initial inquiries had singled out eight…

After more than a week in darkness and rising floodwater, one of seven men trapped in a semi-submerged cave in Laos was brought out alive, according to the rescue team leading the operation. The men had been stranded in the cavern since 20 May in a remote, mountainous part of central Xaysomboun province, where they were searching for gold when flash floods cut off their escape, according to early reports from state media. Rescuers found five of the men alive on Wednesday, sheltering together in a narrow shaft about 300m from…

Saturday May 30, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Intense fighting erupted early Saturday on the outskirts of Baidoa, where federal government troops clashed with fighters aligned with former Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, officials said. The confrontation took place near Baidoa, the interim capital of Southwest State. No independent casualty count has been verified, though social media videos appeared to show wounded soldiers. Bay regional police commander Sadiiq Duushisho told local media that the battle…