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

Wednesday May 20, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia will administer its national secondary school examinations for the 2025-26 academic year from June 20 to June 25, the Ministry of Education announced Wednesday. Officials said close to 40,000 students from the federal member states and the Banadir region are set to take part in this year’s tests. Education officials said the national exams are a key part of efforts to strengthen Somalia’s education system and create a unified standard for assessing student performance across…

A US doctor infected with Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the country’s deadly current outbreak has been admitted to a high-security isolation unit at a hospital in Germany, health officials said. The patient, identified as medical missionary Dr Peter Stafford, reached Germany overnight after the United States asked Berlin to assist with his treatment. "I can confirm that the US citizen who was infected with the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been admitted to the…

By Abdirahman Roble UlayareWednesday May 20, 2026 Introduction For many informed Somalis, the answer to who has kept Somalia from becoming a fully sovereign state is painfully familiar. The pattern did not begin in the aftermath of the civil war or with the country’s collapse in the early 1990s; it stretches back to colonial rule and the damage left behind when foreign powers departed. In the view of many Somalis, outside actors, regional rivals, and local collaborators have all helped sustain a cycle of instability that…

Hundreds of jobs at Meta’s Irish operation are at risk, in the latest blow to the tech sector as the Facebook parent presses ahead with a sweeping global restructuring. The company employs about 1,800 people in Ireland. Meta began informing staff today about how they may be affected by plans to cut 8,000 jobs worldwide, equivalent to roughly 10% of its workforce. Employees based in Ireland received emails early this morning telling them whether they could be among those impacted by the proposed redundancies. Meta has not…

Wednesday May 20, 2026 Amin Abdullah, the security guard killed alongside two other people in Monday’s shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, is being remembered as a hero, with police saying "his actions were heroic and undoubtedly saved lives." The attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County, was reported shortly before noon local time, according to police. Watch the full video below       

AXADLE, Somalia — Puntland State has moved to calm fears while urging caution, issuing a public health alert after the World Health Organization reported an uptick in Ebola cases in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In a statement on Wednesday, the health ministry asked residents to stay alert and follow preventive steps to limit the chance of infection, stressing that no Ebola cases have been reported in Puntland State or anywhere else in Somalia. Officials described Ebola as a dangerous and fast-spreading viral…

Wednesday May 20, 2026 The daughter of mosque security guard Amin Abdullah is describing him as the “absolute best dad in the world,” as family and community members came together Tuesday to pay tribute to the man killed while facing gunmen during an attack on a San Diego mosque.

Rwandan opposition figure Victoire Ingabire is back in court for a second trial, this time accused of inciting public unrest and joining a criminal organization. She appears alongside nine co-defendants, most of whom are fellow members of her party, Development and Liberty for All (DALFA-Umurinzi). Ingabire was freed in September 2018 by a presidential pardon from President Paul Kagame after serving 8 years of a 15-year sentence.

Hundreds of jobs at Meta’s Irish operations are at risk, with around 350 roles understood to be under threat as the Facebook parent presses ahead with another major round of global cutbacks. Meta currently employs about 1,800 people in Ireland. The company began informing employees today about how they may be affected by its plan to eliminate 8,000 jobs worldwide, equivalent to roughly 10% of its total workforce. Staff based in Ireland received emails early this morning advising them whether they could be affected by the…

AXADLE, Somalia — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni on Wednesday hosted a senior United States delegation in Garowe for talks centered on Somalia’s political transition, security cooperation, and investment prospects in the northeastern federal state, officials said. The delegation was headed by Justin Davis and included U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) officers, among them Col. Shane Jones, who commands U.S. special operations activities in Africa, according to a statement from the Puntland State presidency. Deni,…