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

A Spanish national evacuated from a cruise ship earlier this month and now quarantined at a military hospital in Madrid has tested positive for hantavirus, Spain's Health Ministry said, sharpening concern around an outbreak that began at sea. The case is the second positive result among 14 Spanish nationals flown to the Spanish island of Tenerife from the luxury liner MV Hondius. The ship was carrying about 150 passengers and crew from 23 countries when a cluster of severe respiratory illnesses was first reported to the…

Tuesday May 26, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia has stepped up its public health defenses and finalized a national Ebola prevention plan as reports of the virus emerge in parts of Africa, officials said Monday. The Ministry of Health said Somalia has not confirmed a single Ebola case. Still, authorities have tightened readiness, citing the steady flow of travelers and flights from nearby countries, particularly Uganda and Kenya. “The Ministry of Health confirms that no case of Ebola has been registered in the country so far.…

Windhoek residents who turned on their taps to find brownish water are seeing the effects of a sudden strain on the city’s supply system, officials say. The city has linked the discolouration to an interruption in water supply from the Namibia Water Corporation following damage to the pipeline that feeds water from the Von Bach Water Treatment Plant to Windhoek. The disruption has led reservoir levels across Windhoek to drop significantly, and the city says the lower levels allowed residue that had settled at the bottom of…

Alarm is spreading beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo as the Ebola outbreak gathers pace, with the head of the World Health Organization warning that neighbouring states face grave danger unless they move swiftly to contain the virus. "Countries bordering DRC are at especially high risk and should take immediate action," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who said he would travel to the DRC tomorrow, heading to the vast central African nation at the heart of the current outbreak. "The outbreak is…

Tuesday May 26, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Mogadishu Mayor Hassan Mohamed Hussein Muungaab on Monday accused Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni of stoking unrest and political violence in the capital, saying authorities would not allow any attempt to undermine security, traffic, or everyday life in the city. Addressing a public event in Mogadishu, Muungaab said residents are entitled to their political views under the constitution, but stressed that demonstrations and political activity must not put public safety…

Any hopes of a swift breakthrough with Iran dimmed on Tuesday after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal could still "take a few days," a day after US forces launched what Washington described as defensive strikes in ⁠southern Iran. Rubio, outlining the operation against targets that included boats allegedly trying to lay mines and missile launch sites, made clear the US position on the vital shipping lane. The Strait of Hormuz, he said, must remain open "one way or the other". "The straits have to be open, they're…

Tuesday May 26, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — In a meeting that underscored the enduring power of words in Somali public life, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday sat down with leading Somali poets and literary figures to discuss how arts and literature can help deepen public awareness, support state-building and reinforce national identity. Mohamud used the occasion to commend Somali poets for what he described as decades of service in defending national unity, safeguarding cultural heritage and delivering messages that…

Amid a climate of escalating community tension, Congolese authorities are grappling with a formidable health crisis as attacks on Ebola treatment centers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo intensify. These incidents are a stark reminder of the challenges in containing a global health emergency. On Sunday, officials reported that suspected Ebola cases in the country's east have exceeded 900, with Ituri Province emerging as the outbreak's focal point. In a troubling incident that night, a group of young men stormed…

Malawi’s power crunch is deepening, electricity officials have warned Parliament, as the national grid struggles to keep pace with soaring demand while being hobbled by frequent equipment failures, fuel shortfalls, and aging infrastructure. Representatives of the nation’s electricity company told lawmakers that Malawi is generating far less power than it requires, describing a system under strain from breakdowns and obsolete equipment even as consumption continues to climb.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Monday that efforts to halt the war between the United States and Iran are advancing, insisting that “things are moving in the right direction.” Speaking before his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, Sharif said Islamabad’s push to broker a negotiated settlement between the two sides had already made headway and that “things are moving in the right direction.” In footage broadcast by state-run Pakistan TV, he said Pakistan had played a “sincere role to mediate…