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

Osaka steel cylinder shoots from sewer site, snarls traffic as city probes cause Authorities in Osaka are investigating how a large steel cylinder suddenly thrust out of the ground at a sewer construction site, rising to roughly the height of a four-story building and forcing road closures near key routes into the city center. A city official said crews received an early Wednesday report that the object — a steel casing used for soil retention — was “jutting out of the ground” near highways in Osaka. “It was not there the…

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has announced an investigation into the March 6 missile attack on a Ghanaian peacekeeping base in Lebanon. This move comes in response to a formal complaint lodged by the Ghanaian government, which is demanding a thorough inquiry into the strike that injured four soldiers amidst the escalating conflict involving Israel, Iran, and the United States. The wounded peacekeepers received immediate medical treatment at a facility within the base before being evacuated to the UN Mission's…

Roadside bomb kills at least five Puntland State soldiers near Bosaso; ISIS-Somalia suspected BOSASO, Somalia — At least five Puntland State Defense Force soldiers were killed and several others wounded Friday when a roadside bomb struck a military vehicle on the highway linking Bosaso and Dhaadaar in the Al-Khalifa area, security officials said. Local authorities said they believe the attack was carried out by the Islamic State group’s Somalia affiliate, which operates in the mountainous terrain of the Bari region. The…

London weighs charges on large SUVs as TfL cites greater safety risks London Mayor Sadiq Khan is considering whether to introduce charges on large SUVs driven in the capital, according to a new Transport for London (TfL) document that warns bigger, heavier vehicles pose a heightened danger to people outside them. TfL’s latest Vision Zero action plan—part of the mayor’s effort to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on the city’s roads by 2041—says there is a “pressing need for targeted safety interventions” related to…

Rising Violence in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Puts Civilians at Risk The United Nations has raised the alarm over escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly in Ituri Province, warning that civilians face growing dangers and widespread displacement. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric noted that humanitarian agencies are "deeply concerned by the impact of continued violence on civilians." Recent clashes between armed groups have resulted in the deaths of at least 21 people…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali police arrested a well-known female auto rickshaw driver after she joined protests over soaring fuel prices that choked key roads in the capital, lawmakers and colleagues said Thursday. The driver, identified as Sacdiyo Moalim and widely known as “Sacdiyo Bajaj,” was detained following a demonstration by Bajaj operators who rallied against steep increases in fuel costs and worsening economic conditions in Mogadishu. Authorities have not publicly explained the basis for her detention or said how…

FBI probes Old Dominion University shooting as terrorism; suspect was ex-National Guard member previously jailed for aiding Islamic State Norfolk, Va. — The FBI is investigating a deadly shooting at Old Dominion University as an act of terrorism after identifying the gunman as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former National Guard member who previously pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group, authorities said. One person was killed and two others were wounded in the attack on the Norfolk…

Prosecutors have asked the Harare Regional Magistrates Court to compel prominent pastor Walter Magaya to enter a plea in a rape case, saying repeated pre‑trial motions have stalled the prosecution and risked harming witnesses and alleged victims. In papers filed at the court, the State described a series of what it called “frivolous and vexatious” applications lodged by Magaya’s defence that, prosecutors argue, were intended to frustrate the prosecution despite what they say is a prima facie case. The filings ask the…

Leaders in Iran, Israel and the United States vowed to press on as the Middle East war neared the two-week mark, with missile exchanges, mounting civilian deaths and fears of a prolonged shock to global energy supplies pushing oil to $100 a barrel. Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued his first remarks — read by a television presenter — pledging to keep the Strait of Hormuz shut and urging neighboring countries to close U.S. bases or risk being targeted. “I assure everyone that we will not neglect avenging the…

In Mogadishu’s tightening political season, former President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known as Farmaajo, has reemerged with a packed schedule: meetings with supporters, quiet conversations with media figures and political brokers, and visible outreach to segments of the opposition. His renewed profile is unmistakable. But it also reveals a telling split-screen in Somalia’s politics ahead of a potential 2026 presidential contest: the energy of a comeback bid versus the structural headwinds of coalition math, federal…