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

The Trump administration can, for now, keep transgender people from joining the US military, a federal appeals court has ruled, while stopping the government from removing those already in uniform as the legal fight continues. In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the 2025 policy was unlawfully driven "by the bare desire to harm a politically unpopular group". Still, the court said the Pentagon holds sweeping authority to decide who may enlist, allowing the military…

Guinea has taken a significant step towards re-establishing its constitutional framework, as legislative and municipal elections unfolded in the country following the presidential election on December 28, 2025. Despite the peaceful nature of the double ballot, the voter turnout was notably low. Just five months post-presidential vote, nearly 7 million Guinean citizens participated in the elections aimed at solidifying constitutional order. This pivotal moment follows a transition period initiated by General Mamadi…

Tuesday June 2, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Somalia’s Independent National Electoral and Boundaries Commission has set June 10 as the date for Southwest State’s presidential election, laying out a tight sequence of votes that will first determine the regional parliament’s leadership. Under the timetable released Monday, candidates for speaker and deputy speaker of the Southwest State House of Representatives will begin registering on June 2. The commission said the list of contenders for parliamentary leadership will be published on…

Confusion deepened around US-Iran diplomacy after President Donald Trump insisted negotiations were still moving ahead, even as an Iranian state-linked report said Tehran had put indirect talks with Washington on hold. "Talks are continuing, at a rapid pace, with the Islamic Republic of Iran," Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post. Earlier, Iran's state news agency Tasnim reported that Tehran was suspending indirect negotiations with the US after Israel ordered its forces to advance further ‌into Lebanon. Speaking by…

Russia unleashed air attacks on several of Ukraine’s biggest cities, including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 60, officials said, after days of warnings that Moscow was preparing a large-scale assault. The strikes came as the war, now more than four years old, continues to batter critical infrastructure on both sides. Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s power network and other vital facilities, while Ukraine has intensified attacks this year on Russian oil sites. Both sides…

Even before he arrived in Washington, Peter Mandelson was making a personal pledge: appoint him as Britain’s ambassador to the US, he wrote, and the government would “never regret” it. That assurance has now surfaced in a fresh cache of official papers released alongside thousands of documents about the controversial posting. The government published the second batch of records this afternoon, shedding more light on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to hand the high-profile Washington role to Mr Mandelson…

The threat of a wider war sharpened on Monday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had warned US President Donald Trump that Israel would hit Beirut if Hezbollah kept up attacks on Israeli communities. "I spoke with President Trump this evening and told him that if Hezbollah does not stop attacking our towns and our citizens, Israel will strike terrorist targets in Beirut," Mr Netanyahu said in a statement from his office. "Our position on this issue has not changed. At the same time, the IDF will continue…

Monday June 1, 2026 Ethiopians ready to vote in the general election to choose members of parliament, who will in turn select the next prime minister. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Ethiopians head to the polls on Monday for a general election that will shape the next parliament and, ultimately, the country’s next prime minister. The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) says 47 political parties and more than 10,900 candidates are competing, among them 2,198 hopefuls for the federal parliament, 8,736 for regional and city…

Russia has denounced France's seizure of an oil tanker in the Atlantic, calling the operation "illegal" and likening it to "piracy" after Paris said the ship was breaching sanctions. "We view these actions as illegal; they verge on international piracy," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that "Russia is taking measures to ensure the safety of its cargo." French prosecutors said the tanker's Russian captain refused to obey orders from the French navy, leaving authorities with no choice but to board and take control…

In a significant leadership shift, President Adama Barrow has named Major General Ousman Gomez as the Acting Chief of Defence Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces. This decision comes on the heels of Lieutenant General Mamat O. A. Cham's resignation, which was surrounded by serious allegations of misconduct. In his resignation letter, Cham cited his departure was prompted by "numerous allegations of misconduct and abuse of office inconsistent with the Office of Chief of Defence Staff." Prior to his new role, Gomez held the…