Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

Raid on Northern Mozambican Mine Leaves Police Missing, Operations Halted An attack on a mining site in Mozambique’s volatile Cabo Delgado province has forced miners to flee, left equipment ablaze and an unspecified number of police officers missing, authorities and local sources said Friday. The assault — blamed on Islamist militants — interrupted operations at the site and prompted fear among communities already traumatised by years of violence. What happened Raiders struck the extraction site in the north of the…

Putin’s nuclear drills, a postponed summit and the widening war of attrition For two leaders who flirted with the idea of a quick, high-stakes meeting, the choreography of power this week looked less like summit diplomacy than a careful mutual stand-off. Moscow staged a large-scale training exercise that it said included intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking the United States, and Washington announced a pause in plans for a second Vladimir Putin–Donald Trump summit as diplomacy over Ukraine staggered back…

Somali businesses step in to turn displacement into livelihoods MOGADISHU — On a sun-baked morning in a sprawling camp on the outskirts of Mogadishu, the signs of lives interrupted are unmistakable: corrugated iron shelters clustered along dusty tracks, makeshift stalls selling tea and charcoal, children weaving between tents. For many inside, the question is no longer just where to sleep tonight but how to rebuild a future when formal jobs are scarce and public services thin. Into that breach this week stepped an alliance…

Somalia Mourns a Stalwart of the Bench: Abdullahi Dahir Bare, 1940–2024 In a city that has seen far too many funerals, Mogadishu paused on Wednesday night to honor a man who spent a lifetime in service to the law. The Office of the Attorney General confirmed the passing of Abdullahi Dahir Bare, a former attorney general and one of the country’s earliest judges. He was 84. In a statement, current Attorney General Sulayman Mohamed extended condolences to Bare’s family and to a public that knew him as a steady presence…

Champions League roundup: Barcelona crush Olympiakos after controversy; Man City too smooth for Villarreal; Arsenal blitzes Atletico On a night when Europe’s heavyweights reminded the continent why they are feared, Barcelona ran up a 6-1 scoreline against Olympiakos that hid a complicated, combustible middle act. Manchester City did what Manchester City does—two clinical strikes, then a long spell of control over Villarreal. And in London, Arsenal pressed the accelerator and didn’t let up, burying Atletico Madrid under four…

North Korea fires ballistic missile days before APEC leaders meet in South Korea North Korea launched at least one ballistic missile on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, in a stark reminder that Pyongyang’s weapons programme remains central to regional security even as world leaders prepare to gather in South Korea for an APEC summit next week. What happened South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff described the projectile as an “unidentified” missile that flew eastward, saying it was North Korea’s first such launch…

Somalia’s fragile federal compact faces a test as Mogadishu convenes regional leaders on 2026 elections MOGADISHU — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will host a carefully staged meeting in Mogadishu this week with leaders from three federal member states, a gathering that officials say is aimed at salvaging a badly strained process for the 2026 national elections. Expected to attend are Abdiasis Hassan Mohamed (Laftagareen) of South West, Ahmed Abdi Kariye (Qoorqoor) of Galmudug, and Ali Gudlawe Hussein of HirShabelle. But…

Analysis: In Ceerigaabo, a Local Truce Holds National Promise for North Western State of Somalia and Puntland State At first light in Ceerigaabo, the mountain air smells faintly of resin from the frankincense groves that have fed trade routes for centuries. Today, the conversation in this highland town in the Sanaag region is less about caravans and more about coexistence. Elders, clerics and businesspeople are trying to turn a fragile respite from clan tension into something sturdier—an agreement that could unlock security…

Struggle for Stability: The Ongoing Conflict in Nigeria's Borno State In the early hours of a recent morning, a deadly pre-dawn raid shook the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno, reminding the world of the ongoing turmoil that characterizes this region. Fighters affiliated with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched an audacious assault on army positions in two strategically important towns, a move that highlights both the vulnerability of state forces and the ever-present threat posed by these militants.…

Drone Strikes Near Khartoum Airport: An Ongoing Conflict Unfolds The early morning air in Khartoum was anything but serene as the familiar hum of drones pierced the pre-dawn sky on Tuesday. Another chapter in Sudan's ongoing conflict was being written, just ahead of the planned reopening of the capital’s main international airport, a key symbol of a war-torn nation’s struggle to normalize after over two years of brutal fighting. A City on Edge For the residents of Khartoum, Tuesday began with a stark reminder of their…