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

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Djibouti went to the polls on Friday in a presidential election that is all but certain to hand longtime leader Ismaïl Omar Guelleh a sixth term, after lawmakers removed presidential age limits last year. Guelleh, 78, has governed the Horn of Africa nation of roughly 1 million people for more than 20 years. In the 2021 vote, he won nearly 99% of the ballots cast. This time, he faces just one opponent, Mohamed Farah Samatar, a former member of the ruling party, in a contest analysts describe as lacking…

Friday April 10, 2026 Hargeisa (AX) — North Western State of Somalia moved on Thursday to stamp out the cycle of clan fighting in Salal and Awdal, announcing a set of measures that orders armed militias to withdraw and warns that anyone who obstructs the peace effort will face legal action. The plan was unveiled by North Western State of Somalia’s vice president, who said the government was “deeply saddened” by the repeated flare-ups of inter-clan violence and remains determined to secure a final, durable settlement. He…

Jubaland, one of Somalia’s federal member states in the south, has become a key political player in national debates over elections, security, and the balance of power between Mogadishu and regional administrations. At the center of this influence is Jubaland’s president, Ahmed Mohamed Islam—known as Ahmed Madobe—and his government in Kismayo.In recent years, Jubaland’s leadership has shaped how Somalia’s federal system operates in practice, especially as the country moves toward election reforms and faces ongoing militant…

Shielded from the freezing void outside their spacecraft, the Artemis II astronauts still face one of deep space travel’s most persistent threats: radiation. NASA is now waiting closely for data that could reveal how much exposure the crew endured and what it means for future missions. The four astronauts traveled farther into space than any humans before them, venturing more than 1,000 times farther from Earth than the International Space Station. In low Earth orbit, the planet’s magnetosphere helps blunt some of the…

Fresh uncertainty hung over planned peace talks in Pakistan after Iran said negotiations cannot begin unless blocked Iranian assets are released and a ceasefire in Lebanon is firmly in place. Iran's parliament ⁠speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said on X that both conditions had already been agreed with the US and said the talks would not go ahead until they are met. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi repeated that message and likewise demanded an end to Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon. Pakistani sources said both Mr Qalibaf and Mr…

Friday April 10, 2026 Djibouti heads to the polls on Friday in a presidential vote that is widely expected to hand incumbent Ismael Omar Guelleh another term, after lawmakers scrapped the age restrictions that could have blocked the 78-year-old from running again. Though tiny in size and home to fewer than 1 million people, the Horn of Africa nation sits in one of the world’s most strategic locations: the Gulf of Aden, at the mouth of the Red Sea. That positioning has drawn a rare concentration of foreign military…

By Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame | April 10, 2026 The arrival of the oil exploration vessel Çağrı Bey in Mogadishu marks a pivotal moment for Somalia’s ambitions to harness its offshore natural resources. It is a milestone laden with both opportunity and uncertainty—not only for Somalia, but also for Turkey, whose vessel is operating beyond its borders for the first time. Handled responsibly, this development could unlock a new chapter of economic growth and strategic cooperation between the two nations. Mismanaged, it…

The United States is urging its citizens to think twice before traveling to Nigeria, pointing to increasing threats of terrorism, kidnapping, and civil unrest. A recent update from the State Department has identified specific regions within Nigeria that pose heightened risks, placing them under a severe travel warning that advises against all travel to these areas. American citizens are cautioned that violent incidents can erupt suddenly in public venues such as markets, hotels, places of worship, educational institutions,…

President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah used her State of the Nation Address to unveil an ambitious plan to jump-start growth, anchoring it on targeted investment, energy stability, and a renewed push in agriculture. She outlined headline domestic commitments, notably the introduction of fully subsidised tertiary education for qualifying students, supported by broader access to financial aid. Calling the moment “decisive,” the president pressed Parliament to fast-track the petroleum amendment bill, cautioning against the…

Global development aid plunged by a record 23.1% in real terms last year, the OECD said, describing the drop as a historic setback driven largely by a sharp pullback in US support amid mounting budget pressures and geopolitical strain. Preliminary figures from the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development showed that official development assistance (ODA) from members of its Development Assistance Committee totaled $174.3 billion last year, marking a second straight annual decline. "This is the largest…