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

Tuesday April 28, 2026 A cargo ship is seen in a port in central Mogadishu Suspected pirates have seized a cargo vessel off Somalia, according to officials and maritime security groups, in what appears to be the latest sign that insecurity is returning to waters once notorious for such attacks. The reported hijacking on Monday was the second off Somalia in less than a week. The target was the Sward, a St Kitts and Nevis-flagged ship carrying cement from Suez, Egypt, to the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. The incident comes at…

South Sudan is sliding deeper into a hunger emergency, with nearly two-thirds of the population — about 7.9 million people — facing acute food insecurity as fighting flares again between government and opposition forces. The heaviest violence has gripped Jonglei State, where troops loyal to President Salva Kiir have been fighting militias aligned with his longtime rival, Riek Machar, since December. The renewed clashes have uprooted hundreds of thousands of people in a nation already ranked among the poorest and most corrupt…

Somalia Unveils $35 Million World Bank-Funded “Bulsho” Project MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs, and Reconciliation has rolled out the “Bulsho” project, a wide-reaching program designed to improve public services in some of the country’s most isolated communities. The World Bank-backed initiative carries a budget of more than $35 million and is aimed at expanding infrastructure and delivering essential services to marginalized populations through a joint effort by the federal government…

By Margaret KalekyeTuesday April 28, 2026 A Somali national has been convicted and jailed for belonging to the terrorist group Al-Shabaab. Abdikarim Hassanow Hassan, also known as Ali, was sentenced on Monday by the Kahawa magistrates’ court after the Director of Public Prosecutions called four witnesses. The court handed Hassanow 10 years’ imprisonment for membership in Al-Shabaab, and a further 10 years for organising a meeting in support of a terrorist group. He was also given 10 years for radicalisation, another 10…

A courtroom fight with sweeping implications for the future of artificial intelligence gets underway today, as billionaires Elon Musk and Sam Altman face off over OpenAI’s transformation from a nonprofit venture into a profit-driven powerhouse valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Opening statements in Mr Musk's civil case against OpenAI and Mr Altman are set for federal court in Oakland, California, after nine jurors were selected yesterday. Mr Musk alleges that Mr Altman and Greg Brockman, OpenAI's chief executive…

AXADLE, Somalia — Puntland State’s president issued a stark warning Tuesday, saying Somalia’s fragile federal arrangement could unravel unless political rivals strike a broad agreement before the current federal leadership’s term ends next month. President Said Abdullahi Deni said the country faces a serious institutional crisis unless all sides reach a deal before President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s mandate expires on May 15. "If a political agreement accepted by all Somalis is not reached, there will be no functional federal…

Tuesday April 28, 2026 The third annual Somali Day at the Capitol drew together Somali community members, leaders and advocates in a show of unity at the State Capitol. The rally focused on major concerns facing Somali-Minnesotans, including education, access to healthcare, workforce development and civil rights, underscoring how those issues shape daily life across the community.

Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) has accused Israeli authorities of systematically denying Gaza’s population the water needed to survive, describing the policy as a form of “collective punishment” against Palestinians. The medical charity said the widespread destruction of civilian water systems across the enclave, combined with restrictions on access, forms “an integral part of Israel’s genocide”. In its report, "Water as a Weapon", MSF said this “engineered scarcity” is unfolding in parallel with the…

By Maha El DahanTuesday April 28, 2026 Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al Saud receives United Arab Emirates' Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan ahead of an exceptional meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the first in-person meeting of Gulf leaders since their states became a front in the Iran war two months ago, In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2026. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights The United Arab Emirates said on…

Teachers have thrown their weight behind civil servants’ demands for higher wages, giving the government 14 days to act or risk major disruptions to the upcoming school term. Their warning follows April salary adjustments that public sector workers have rejected as inadequate. "The current salary structure does not reflect the cost of living, which is largely indexed in USD. Our members' conclusion is clear: there was no meaningful increment in real terms," said Tapedza Zhou, Secretary General of the Educators Union of…