Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud warned that Israel’s decision to recognize North Western State of Somalia could destabilize the Horn of Africa and carry implications for Palestinians in Gaza, calling the move “unexpected and strange” after three decades of nonrecognition by any country. In an interview with Al Jazeera from Istanbul, Türkiye, on Tuesday, Mohamud said Somali intelligence indicates North Western State of Somalia agreed to three Israeli conditions in exchange for recognition: accepting the resettlement of…

Guinea’s Election: Doumbouya’s Contested Victory General Mamadi Doumbouya has been declared the winner of Guinea’s presidential election. The contest marks the first vote since his 2021 coup. With significant support, it shows a shift in the country's political landscape. Doumbouya won 86.72% of the votes according to partial results. The election was anticipated to further entrench Doumbouya's power. Opposition parties faced severe restrictions and dissolutions. A Fragile Electoral Environment The election,…

Justice Department marshals 400 lawyers as 5.2 million Epstein pages remain, pushing release past congressional deadline The Justice Department said it still must review 5.2 million pages tied to Jeffrey Epstein and is mobilizing 400 lawyers to help, signaling the final release of files will slip well past a Dec. 19 deadline mandated by Congress, according to a government document reviewed by Reuters. The sweep of the task underscores the scale of the Epstein records and the political pressure surrounding them. The document…

Somalia reaffirms support for Yemen’s unity, backs Saudi role and regional security Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 MOGADISHU — Somalia has reiterated “firm and principled” support for the sovereignty, unity, security and territorial integrity of Yemen, rejecting any attempts or interventions that undermine the country’s constitutional legitimacy or state institutions, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Tuesday. In a statement, the government renewed its backing for Yemen’s internationally recognized authorities and emphasized that…

Mali and Burkina Faso said they will bar entry to U.S. citizens in direct response to a new Trump administration travel ban, invoking reciprocity after Washington expanded its list of restricted countries earlier this month. In separate statements from their foreign ministries, the two West African governments said the U.S. decision had left them no choice but to mirror the measure. The White House announced on Dec. 16 that President Donald Trump was adding Mali, Burkina Faso and five other countries to a list subject to a…

Türkiye begins building Somalia spaceport after completing feasibility, design work Türkiye has completed feasibility and design studies for a new spaceport in Somalia and begun the first phase of construction, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir said Tuesday, marking a strategic push to secure independent access to space and a foothold in the global launch market. The announcement followed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks at a joint news conference in Istanbul with Somali President Hassan Sheikh…

Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as New York City’s first Muslim mayor at midnight local time, taking his oath of office at an abandoned subway stop in a gesture he says underscores his commitment to working people and the city’s soaring cost-of-living crisis. Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democrat who was virtually unknown a year ago, campaigned on an ambitious agenda that includes a rent freeze, universal childcare and free public buses. His office said the understated venue reflects his governing priorities. New York Attorney…

Nigeria's Bold Tax Reforms: President Tinubu Stands Firm Amid Controversy President Bola Tinubu has announced that Nigeria will begin enforcing sweeping new tax laws from January 1, dismissing criticism over discrepancies between the gazetted text and the version passed by lawmakers. Tinubu described the reforms as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to establish a fair, competitive, and resilient fiscal framework for the country. He emphasized that all recently enacted tax reforms, including provisions that took effect…

MOGADISHU — On a wet September evening rare in Somalia’s arid northeast, Hawa Ahmed Ali set a dinner for her husband and waited. Minutes earlier, 13 September, clan elder Cumar Cabdullaahi had called to say he was on his way home to Badhan from a nearby town, where he had spent the day mediating a clan dispute — the kind of local peacemaking that had defined his public life. He never arrived. As his Toyota rolled across the outskirts of Badhan in Sanaag region, three missiles fired from a hovering drone struck the vehicle,…

Israel threatens to bar 37 aid groups from Gaza and West Bank over staff data dispute Israel has threatened to bar 37 international aid organizations from operating in Gaza and the occupied West Bank as early as tomorrow, saying they failed to submit personal details of staff under new registration rules. The move could force medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières to halt operations in Gaza, where it says deregistration would sever life-saving care for hundreds of thousands of people amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.…