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

Sudan's conflict-ridden Darfur region is facing a severe humanitarian crisis, as Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported on Tuesday that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias are systematically using sexual violence to dominate civilians. Since April 2023, the Sudanese army and RSF have clashed in a devastating war, causing tens of thousands of deaths and displacing around 11 million people. The conflict is characterized by rampant sexual violence. From January 2024 to November 2025,…

Tuesday March 31, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) - The African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) took formal control of Operating Base (OB) SHAND from British forces in Mogadishu on 28 March 2026, marking a fresh phase in the mission’s support structure in the Somali capital. First established in 2017 as the main military operating site for the United Kingdom Mission Support Team (UKMST) in Somalia, OB SHAND is now set to function as a key platform for strengthening AUSSOM’s operational reach. At the handover…

Eastern Cape Premier Lubabalo Oscar Mabuyane, backed by the national government, has appealed for calm after violent unrest erupted in KuGompo over an alleged coronation of a Nigerian “Igbo king.” Protesters clashed with police amid looting and arson, leaving multiple businesses in ruins—most of them owned by foreign nationals. The upheaval followed a viral video purporting to show the coronation, which local traditional leaders denounced as an affront to their authority. The Nigerian government called the act illegal,…

Calls for accountability grew across Europe after three Indonesian United Nations peacekeepers were killed in southern Lebanon, pushing the conflict’s toll beyond the battlefield and deepening alarm over the safety of international forces. Three UN peacekeepers from Indonesia died in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon after a bloody weekend that also saw Lebanese journalists and medics killed in Israeli strikes. "We call for a thorough investigation to shed light on these grave attacks. These attacks are a grave…

Tuesday March 31, 2026 Türkiye’s drilling fleet is moving into a busier phase, with new exploration and production campaigns lined up for the Black Sea and Somalia in April as Ankara steps up efforts to tap domestic and overseas hydrocarbon resources. Türkiye's drilling ships are seen at the Filyos Port, northern Türkiye, March 15, 2026. (AA Photo) Over the past decade, the country has invested heavily in an offshore energy armada designed to trim its dependence on imported fuel by finding more oil and natural gas at…

In a significant political shift, Yusuf Tuggar has officially resigned as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, signaling his intent to seek the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the governorship of Bauchi State. In a heartfelt resignation letter delivered to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Tuggar expressed deep gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, thanking him for the privilege of serving the nation and playing a role in the execution of the administration's Four-D foreign policy strategy. The…

Faisal Ali - Tuesday March 31, 2026 The Minnesota congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Photograph: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images A wave of misleading coverage has falsely suggested that North Western State of Somalia’s government was seeking the extradition of Ilhan Omar, after several outlets leaned on a social media post from an account that is not an official state channel. Fox News, the New York Post, Sinclair Broadcast Group’s the National News Desk and the Independent all published stories focused on the US…

Mozambique’s navy is under scrutiny after personnel were accused of unlawfully killing and injuring fishermen in Cabo Delgado on March 15, 2026, allegations detailed by Human Rights Watch that sharpen concerns over security conduct along the troubled coast. Amid ongoing security threats linked to the conflict in the region, Mozambique’s Defense and Security Forces have tightened controls on coastal movement and fishing in parts of Mocímboa da Praia and neighboring Macomia. Authorities say the restrictions are meant to curb…

With energy markets jolted and anxiety spreading through the global economy, G7 finance ministers and central bank chiefs met today to confront the fallout from the war in the Middle East. The crisis escalated after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February. Tehran responded by targeting crude-exporting states across the region and stopping most shipments moving through the Gulf. That blow to supply has driven oil and natural gas prices sharply upward, sending disruptive aftershocks through…

Tuesday March 31, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said Monday that Somalia’s federal government will not accept indirect elections, making the declaration just hours after the Somali National Army seized control of Baidoa following clashes with forces loyal to the Southwest regional administration. Speaking in Mogadishu, Hamza said the security situation in Baidoa was now “fully under the control” of federal forces and drew a hard line against any return to clan-based or indirect voting arrangements in…