Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

Bamako, Mali’s sprawling capital and a West African commercial centre of more than three million people, is facing a tightening siege as Islamist militants step up a partial blockade days after the defence minister was assassinated there. "Our army isn't capable of protecting us. How are we going to get back home?" a mother-of-two told the BBC after being unable to return to Bamako following a visit to her parents outside the city. She was among dozens left stranded for nearly a day on the Bamako-Kéniéba highway, one…

By Ahmed Abdi Hussein Thursday April 30, 2026 Somalia has one of the strongest livestock sectors in the region, yet the country still sells much of that wealth through an outdated system that leaves producers with little power and limited returns. From the country’s wide rangelands come millions of goats and sheep raised under pastoral systems refined over generations. The animals are hardy, naturally grazed, and well matched to global demand. They have long supported livelihoods and played a central role in the…

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, declared that Tehran will defend its "nuclear and missile capabilities" as core national assets, striking a combative note as Washington presses for a broader agreement to shore up a fragile ceasefire. The intervention comes as US President Donald Trump pushes for an expanded deal aimed at reinforcing the uneasy truce that followed the war. Since assuming power after his father was killed at the outset of the conflict, Mr Khamenei has consistently projected defiance, and his…

by STEPHEN ASTARIKOThursday April 30, 2026 Somali football does not need more slogans. It needs the basics: a dependable calendar, a league that actually works and a structure that gives the sport some rhythm. By every outward sign, the game ought to be on the rise. A promising crop of young talent is breaking through, Somali referees are beginning to appear on continental and international assignments, and more coaches are collecting formal licences. Even the country’s youth sides have shown flashes of real potential. Yet…

Thursday April 30, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia on Wednesday brought together intelligence chiefs from East African Community member states for a two-day conference in Mogadishu aimed at deepening cooperation and confronting shared security threats across the region. The April 29–30 gathering was opened by Somali National Army Commander Ibrahim Mohamed Mahmoud, who underscored the need for tightly coordinated intelligence work in the face of shifting and interconnected challenges. Participants are reviewing the regional…

LIV Golf wasted little time charting its next move after confirmation that Saudi financial support for the breakaway circuit will come to an end, unveiling a new board and opening the door to fresh long-term investors. Reports earlier this week said Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) would stop its backing — worth more than $1bn a year since 2022 — after the league's 2026 season. Without naming PIF directly, LIV said on Thursday it was making a "transition from a foundational launch phase to a diversified,…

LONDON — Police in north London say a 45-year-old British man of Somali origin attacked two Jewish men with a knife on Thursday in what investigators are treating as a suspected terrorist assault aimed at the Jewish community. The violence unfolded in Golders Green, an area known for its large Jewish population. The victims, ages 76 and 34, were hospitalized and officials said both remained in stable condition. London’s Metropolitan Police said officers deployed a Taser to restrain and arrest the suspect after he allegedly…

Thursday April 30, 2026 Garacad (AX) — Fighting broke out in the Garacad area of Mudug region on Thursday morning after Puntland State security forces engaged suspected pirates, leaving several people feared dead and others wounded. Local residents said the confrontation began when Puntland State forces moved against armed men believed to be connected to recent piracy incidents along the coast. Among those injured is the commander of the Jariiban district police station, Abdullahi Abdi Elmi “Guray Dusaaye” (Booyaax),…

Oil prices pulled back after a dramatic surge to a four-year peak above $126 a barrel today, as traders weighed the risk that the US-Iran war could intensify into a longer conflict and choke Middle East supplies in a way that would threaten global economic growth. The rally gathered pace earlier after Axios, citing unidentified sources, reported overnight that US President Donald Trump was due to be briefed today on plans for a series of military strikes on Iran, an effort aimed at pressuring Tehran back into talks over its…

NAIROBI/GENEVA – Somalia’s most vulnerable children are being squeezed from every side: drought, deep aid cuts and now the fallout from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which has sent transport costs and fuel prices soaring and threatened the flow of lifesaving nutrition supplies. For families already living on the edge, the disruption is more than an economic headache. Aid workers say shortages of therapeutic food are forcing clinics to turn away children with severe acute malnutrition and to ration the stock that remains.…