Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

Unity Schools Reopen Amid Enhanced Security Measures The government has announced the reopening of 47 unity schools that were closed in November following a surge in school abductions. With the implementation of strengthened security measures around affected campuses, academic activities have fully resumed. In a recent statement, the Ministry of Education explained that the closures had been prompted by mass abductions in Kebbi and Niger states. Notably, at least 25 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a school in Kebbi, while…

BORAMA, North Western State of Somalia — Nineteen people were killed and 214 injured in clashes between security forces and demonstrators during protests earlier this month in Borama, the capital of the Awdal region, North Western State of Somalia authorities said Friday. Abdirashid Hassan Mataan, the newly appointed governor of Awdal, said the dead included one woman. He detailed the toll after formally assuming office Thursday, adding that most of the wounded have been treated and released while those still hospitalized…

BRUSSELS — President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Thursday that Ukraine will have to significantly cut drone production next year — and halt long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure — if European Union leaders fail to unlock a first loan backed by frozen Russian assets at a summit in Brussels. Ukraine faces a foreign aid shortfall of €45–50 billion in 2025 and is due to run out of money early next year, Zelensky said. “Without it, there will be a big problem for Ukraine,” he told reporters, adding he would press EU…

EU leaders agreed to provide Ukraine a €90 billion loan to cover looming budget shortfalls after more than a day of talks in Brussels, but they failed to unite behind a plan to tap frozen Russian assets to finance the support. The deal offers Kyiv a financial lifeline as the government braces for a cash crunch expected to hit by April and as U.S. President Donald Trump urges a quick settlement to end Russia’s war. EU chief Antonio Costa announced the outcome on X, saying, “We have a deal. Decision to provide 90 billion euros…

House Democrats release 68 photos from Jeffrey Epstein estate ahead of DOJ disclosure deadline Democrats on the U.S. House Oversight Committee posted 68 images tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s estate on the eve of a federal deadline to release the so-called “Epstein files,” publishing photos that show public figures including Bill Gates, Noam Chomsky, Sergey Brin and Steve Bannon in Epstein’s orbit. The images, made public online, include Gates posing with women whose faces are redacted, and Chomsky seated alongside Epstein aboard…

WASHINGTON — The board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has voted to rename the institution the Trump-Kennedy Center, according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, a move that immediately sparked procedural questions and political backlash over altering the nation’s living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. It was not immediately clear how soon a change could take effect. A source with ties to the institution said Congress must approve any name alteration. US Representative Joyce Beatty, an…

Swedish aid to Somalia faces scrutiny: What the Ekot investigation reveals—and what we still don’t know Swedish public radio’s flagship news division, Ekot, has ignited a debate over how Swedish government funds were used in Somalia following cooperation arrangements between the two countries, raising sensitive questions about governance, transparency and the line between development aid and migration policy. The Office of the Somali Prime Minister has forcefully denied any impropriety and says Swedish support is implemented…

French anesthetist Frédéric Péchier sentenced to life for poisoning 30 patients in Besançon; 12 died A French court has sentenced anesthetist Frédéric Péchier to life in prison for poisoning 30 child and adult patients over nearly a decade, 12 of whom died, in a case that shocked France’s medical community and raised fresh questions about hospital oversight. Péchier, 53, worked at two private clinics in the eastern city of Besançon between 2008 and 2017, where multiple low-risk patients suffered sudden cardiac arrests under…

Puntland State leader warns Somalia could fracture amid political deadlock, urges dialogue with Mogadishu KISMAYO, Somalia — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni warned Thursday that Somalia risks breaking apart if political leaders fail to listen to one another and pursue consensus, as tensions mount over governance and the path to national elections. Speaking at a conference in the southern port city of Kismayo, Deni said division would be inevitable if dialogue, mutual respect and coexistence continue to erode.…

KISMAYO, Somalia — A high-stakes conference of the Somali Future Council opened Thursday in Kismayo, drawing more than 700 delegates and senior political figures to chart a path toward a consensus-based election model as Somalia nears pivotal votes. The gathering, hosted in the interim capital of Jubaland under heightened security, convenes amid plans to hold one person, one vote local council elections in Mogadishu’s Benadir region on Dec. 25. Organizers and participants say their goal is to avoid political conflict by…