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

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopian marathon standout Yebrgual Melese, a multiple international race winner and one of the country’s respected distance runners, has died after collapsing during a training session, the national athletics federation said Wednesday. She was 36. The Ethiopian Athletics Federation said Melese suffered a sudden medical emergency on Tuesday while taking part in a routine workout in Addis Ababa. Local media reported that efforts to help her began immediately, but she could not be revived. Melese built…

Wednesday May 13, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The United States has pushed back against reports that it is serving as a direct mediator in talks between Somalia’s federal government and opposition leaders, even as political friction grows over elections and the country’s transition process. Acting U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Justin Davis said this week that Washington is not hosting or leading any mediation between Somali political parties. Davis said U.S. officials have held discussions with both sides to better assess the…

In a tragic incident in Nigeria's northwest Zamfara state, at least 100 civilians lost their lives due to a military airstrike targeting the bustling Tumfa market, Amnesty International reported on Tuesday. The organization has called for an urgent investigation into the incident. This devastating airstrike, which occurred Sunday in the remote Zurmi district, marks the second time in a month that a crowded market in northern Nigeria has been hit, resulting in numerous casualties. According to Amnesty, medical…

Andriy Yermak rejected corruption claims against him as “unfounded” after appearing in court, pushing back publicly as the high-profile case deepens scrutiny of Ukraine’s political elite. Once President Volodymyr Zelensky’s closest aide, Mr Yermak stepped down in November 2025 after investigators searched his home in a far-reaching corruption inquiry that sent shockwaves through the country as it continued to fight a full-scale war. “The notice of suspicion is unfounded,” Mr Yermak, 54, wrote on Telegram after the hearing,…

Wednesday May 13, 2026 The UAE has strongly denounced the hijacking of an oil tanker off the Yemeni coast, a vessel carrying several Egyptian sailors, and its later diversion into Somali territorial waters. In its statement, the UAE said the incident amounts to a direct threat to maritime security and to the safety of international shipping lanes. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed the UAE's full solidarity with Egypt and with the families of the kidnapped sailors, and its support for efforts aimed at…

Wednesday May 13, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — North Western State of Somalia police said Tuesday they had arrested several people accused of firing gunshots in Hargeisa amid protests surrounding the city council’s انتخاب of a new mayor and deputy mayor. Police spokesman Abdiaziz Sheikh Ismail said officers had already identified those suspected of opening fire in the capital on Monday night. He said some were in custody while others were still being tracked down. “Last night, shots were fired in the capital by suspects who have…

Hussien ElkabanyTuesday May 12, 2026 Egypt said Monday that an oil tanker carrying eight Egyptian sailors was seized off Yemen’s coast and transported to Somalia, deepening concerns over a renewed spike in maritime insecurity in the region. “Egypt is closely monitoring the hijacking of the tanker M/T Eureka from Yemeni territorial waters, which was taken to Somali territorial waters,” the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty had directed Egypt’s embassy in…

Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed 380 people since a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war took effect on 17 April, Lebanon's Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said at a press conference, underscoring how violence has continued despite the truce. Mr Nassereddine said the total number of people killed in Israeli strikes since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began on 2 March has climbed to 2,882, among them 279 women and 200 children. Since the ceasefire began, "380 people have been killed and 1,122 wounded," Mr…

Tuesday May 12, 2026 File Photo When Malyun Jama Nur was locked up in Galkayo in January over an unpaid $9,000 debt, her life did not just collapse — it took her four young children with it. Since then, the children have left school and slipped deeper into poverty and neglect. From prison, Malyun told Radio Ergo the burden of being separated from her family has been unbearable, especially knowing what her children are enduring outside. “My family has fallen apart. The children I left behind are not safe and could be harmed…

A UN official has warned that tens of millions of people could be pushed toward hunger and starvation unless fertilisers are allowed to move through the Strait of Hormuz in the coming weeks, underscoring the mounting risk of a global food crisis. Iran has effectively held the strategic waterway in a chokehold for months, after the war launched by the United States and Israel on 28 February, disrupting a corridor that normally carries a third of the world's fertilisers. The obstruction has rattled a supply chain farmers…