Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

Wednesday May 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — U.S. forces struck Islamic State militants in northern Somalia on May 4 in an operation carried out with the backing of the Somali government, U.S. Africa Command said. According to AFRICOM, the airstrike hit fighters in the Golis Mountains, roughly 75 kilometers (47 miles) southeast of the port city of Bosaso, and was directed at members of the Islamic State group’s Somalia affiliate, ISIS-Somalia. AFRICOM said the mission was conducted in coordination with the Federal Government of…

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s low-key weekend trip to Zimbabwe carried a sharp warning for Emmerson Mnangagwa, according to former ally Rutendo Matinyarare: drop any plan to dismiss Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and rethink Constitutional Amendment Bill No.3, the measure seen as paving the way for Mnangagwa to stay beyond his two-term limit. Ramaphosa visited Mnangagwa at Precabe Farm in Kwekwe, where he was photographed alongside a tight circle of the Zimbabwean leader’s allies who back the proposed…

Panic tore through a school in northeast Brazil after a teenage boy opened fire, killing two staff members and wounding two others, including a student, as terrified pupils scrambled to flee by climbing over a wall, authorities and a witness said. A 13-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the attack at Sao Jose Institute in Rio Branco, the capital of Acre state, according to a statement from the local government. A witness said that as the gunfire erupted, some students tried to escape by scaling a wall that…

Wednesday May 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A three-day Somali Civil Society Conference on good governance and political stability wrapped up in Mogadishu on Wednesday, bringing together a wide spectrum of voices in a rare push for political calm and consensus. Held from May 3 to 5, the conference drew scholars, civil society umbrella organizations, women, youth, people with disabilities, media representatives, academics and traditional elders. Over the course of the sessions, participants examined Somalia’s political…

Just hours before Ukraine’s unilateral ceasefire was set to begin at midnight, officials in Kyiv said Russia had launched fresh attacks, following a wave of strikes that killed at least 28 people in cities across the war-scarred country. Russian authorities had not reported any Ukrainian attacks several hours after the proposed truce was due to start. In southern Ukraine, however, officials in the Zaporizhzhia region said early this morning that Russian forces had struck local infrastructure. Both Russia and Ukraine…

Wednesday May 6, 2026 The United States is preparing to lift sanctions on Eritrea, according to an internal US government document reviewed by Reuters, in a move that analysts say reflects the country's strategic value along the Red Sea corridor. The US has reportedly declared plans to lift sanctions imposed on Eritrea, led by President Isaias Afwerki, in 2021. / Public domain The United States is set to remove sanctions against Eritrea, according to an internal US government document seen by Reuters, a step that analysts…

Oil prices pulled back on Tuesday as traders weighed signs that shipping could resume through the Strait of Hormuz, even as fresh clashes between the United States and Iran kept a floor under the market and underscored the risk of wider disruption. Brent crude futures were down $4.18, or 3.6%, at $110.26 a barrel this evening, after closing 5.8% higher yesterday. US West Texas Intermediate crude dropped $4.34, or 4.1%, to $102.08, following a 4.4% rise in the previous session. Maersk said the Alliance Fairfax, a US-flagged…

As celebrities swept up the Met Gala’s red carpet in New York in towering looks and high drama last night, an Irish woman was quietly reshaping the evening from behind the scenes, helping make the event accessible for the first time. Sinéad Burke, chief executive and founder of the strategic accessibility consultancy Tilting the Lens, attended the invitation-only gala as an adviser to The Met's Costume Institute. Burke is already a familiar figure in fashion, having appeared among five disabled people featured across a…

Two foreign activists detained after a Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces will remain in custody until Sunday, according to the rights group representing them, as Israeli authorities press ahead with questioning. Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, and Thiago Avila, from Brazil, appeared in court in Ashkelon today for a second hearing after being taken to Israel for questioning last week. The pair are being held in the southern Israeli city and were among dozens of activists on a flotilla headed for Gaza…

By Mahad CamalTuesday May 5, 2026 Jurist and DirectorBackground in Conflict Studies Somalia’s political reality can be read most clearly when one looks not at slogans, but at how power is actually exercised. That is the lens used here, drawing on remarks made by four Somali traditional leaders during their April 27 meeting with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at Villa Somalia. Rather than treating those comments as routine expressions of support or criticism, they offer a useful window into the country’s institutional…