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

Mali’s army said it was fighting off attacks by "terrorist groups" after coordinated assaults struck parts of the west African country, where more than a decade of jihadist violence has battered security and shaken daily life. Witnesses described clashes in the capital, Bamako, as well as in other major urban centres in the landlocked nation, where the military took power in successive coups in 2020 and 2021. In a statement, the army said: "Terrorist groups, not yet identified, early this morning targeted certain points and…

Violence erupted early Saturday on the outskirts of Bamako, as well as in various regions throughout Mali, when the Malian army engaged in fierce clashes to counter large-scale, coordinated assaults from armed groups, multiple media sources have reported. A coalition of jihadist and separatist factions launched a significant offensive across the nation, targeting key military installations and urban areas, extending from the northern regions all the way to the capital. This marked one of the most notable escalations in…

An oil tanker has been hijacked off Somalia’s coast and forced into the country’s territorial waters, according to the British maritime security agency UKMTO, in a fresh sign of mounting danger for vessels moving through the region. The incident underscores the growing hazards facing ships in the Red Sea corridor, an increasingly vital supply route as Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz — the gateway to the Gulf on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula — tightens pressure on maritime traffic. UKMTO said the tanker was…

Somalia’s election plans for 2026 sit at the centre of a wider political transition, involving federal institutions, regional states, and a long list of external partners. Over the past year, international stakeholders have focused on one main goal: helping Somalia conduct elections that are credible, inclusive, and accepted by key domestic actors—while also supporting the security conditions needed for voting. Background: How Somalia’s election process is shaped Somalia’s political system is built on a federal model,…

Saturday April 25, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s push to shore up its digital defenses moved a step forward on Saturday when the National Communications Authority (NCA) brought together a wide range of stakeholders to discuss a proposed Cybersecurity Risk Management and Compliance Framework. The national consultation drew representatives from government institutions, the private sector, education, civil society, and the technical community, all tasked with helping shape a framework designed to strengthen the country’s…

Sundus AbdiSaturday April 25, 2026 Ifrah F Ahmed turned to Somali community members around the world to research her book, Soomaaliya: Food, Memory and Migration. Photograph: Khadija Farah On a video call from Brooklyn, with a book tour stretching between cities, Ifrah F Ahmed sips ginger-root tea. The aroma pulls her back to a childhood kitchen where her mother would often bake fragrant cardamom cake. “That’s a core childhood memory for me,” she said. For Ahmed, food has never been only about eating. It carries memory,…

A US military strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel killed two people, pushing the reported death toll from Washington’s campaign against what it calls “narco-terrorists” in Latin America to at least 182. In a post on X, US Southern Command, which oversees American forces in the region, said the military had "conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organisations." It said intelligence had determined the vessel was moving along established drug-smuggling routes in the Eastern…

Saturday April 25, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s push to tighten its digital defenses took a step forward as the National Communications Authority (NCA) brought together government agencies, private-sector representatives, educators, civil society actors, and technical specialists for a national consultation on a Cybersecurity Risk Management and Compliance Framework. The gathering was designed to collect feedback and deepen coordination around a framework intended to bolster the country’s cybersecurity posture, protect…

A war-triggered chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz has unleashed what the International Energy Agency describes as the most severe oil supply disruption the world has ever seen, after the US-Israeli attack on Iran sent shockwaves through global energy markets. And the turmoil is still unfolding. Analysts say the fallout from the energy shock could be felt for years - even decades, depending on how quickly the conflict ends - piling fresh pressure on economies and households already struggling to stay afloat. It’s only four…