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

Sunday May 31, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — An emergency security meeting was convened in Baidoa on Saturday by commanders of the Somali National Army’s 60th Division, hours after fierce clashes erupted between federal government forces and troops aligned with former Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen. The session was aimed at tightening security in the city, improving coordination among security agencies and forestalling any fresh attacks following the morning confrontation. Military officials said…

A dramatic cave rescue in Laos gathered pace this morning as Thai rescuers said four more men had been brought out alive after 10 days trapped in a semi-submerged cavern. The breakthrough came ‌hours ⁠after another man was pulled from the flooded cave last night, though two others are still missing. Lee Kian Lie, a Malaysian rescue diver, said the four were freed after crews pumped water out of the cavern. Video recorded by Mr Lee at the scene showed teams working beneath a makeshift tent as they tended to four people on…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A delegation of senior Somali politicians and former legislators has returned to Mogadishu after several days of closed-door talks in Dhuusamareeb with Galmudug President Ahmed Abdi Kaariye “Qoorqoor,” according to people familiar with the discussions. The group, made up largely of political figures from the Galmudug region, had been shuttling messages between regional and federal players as part of a wider effort to ease tensions and build a path toward agreement, the sources said. One of the central…

by STEPHEN ASTARIKOSunday May 31, 2026 Officials from the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) inspecting the Wajir Airport/STEPHEN ASTARIKO Work on major aviation upgrades in Garissa and Wajir is gathering pace, with the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) using a weekend inspection to take stock of projects meant to ease travel and boost commerce across Northern Kenya. KAA Managing Director Moses Wekesa led the tour on Saturday alongside General Manager for Operations and Safety Dr Simon Peter and General Manager for Engineering…

A sharper warning from Washington echoed through Singapore on Saturday as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called on Asian allies to spend more on their militaries, arguing that only a stronger regional front can check China’s rising power and stop any slide toward dominance. Addressing the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s leading gathering of defence ministers, military officials and diplomats, Mr Hegseth said the region needs a more capable and more self-reliant network of partners to deter aggression and keep the strategic…

By: Nima Dahir Saturday May 30, 2026 A new study by sociologist Nima Dahir explores how the press influences public ideas about belonging, identity and difference in Black neighborhoods. In “A Harlem Divided: Media, Blackness, and Difference in Le Petit Sénégal,” Dahir turns attention to Le Petit Sénégal, or Little Senegal, the West African enclave in Central Harlem. Dahir reviewed newspaper coverage spanning 1930 to 2025, drawing comparisons between mainstream publications and Black-owned media. The research shows…

Somalia’s federal government has floated a plan to channel an expected opposition protest into designated parts of Mogadishu, according to security sources, as tensions mount ahead of a major anti-government rally scheduled for next week. MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has proposed assigning specific locations in Mogadishu for opposition groups to hold demonstrations, according to security sources, as political tensions rise ahead of a planned anti-government rally next week. The proposal was recently…

A drone strike reported by Russia at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has revived fears around the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear facility, even as officials said critical equipment was not damaged. Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear energy company, said a Ukrainian drone hit the turbine hall of Power Unit No. 6 and exploded, leaving a hole in the wall but sparing the plant’s main systems. "This afternoon, a Ukrainian kamikaze combat drone struck the turbine hall building of Power Unit No. 6,…

Lebanon’s prime minister has sharply accused Israel of waging a “scorched-earth policy” in the country’s south, pressing for an end to the fighting as Israeli warplanes launched new strikes and the military ordered evacuations across more than a dozen areas. His warning came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops had pushed further into Lebanon. Responding in a televised address, Nawaf Salam described the intensifying campaign as a “dangerous” escalation and appealed for “a swift and real…

As Ebola tears through eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the head of the World Health Organization is urging the world not to look away. Arriving in the outbreak’s epicentre, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appealed for stronger international backing as authorities race to contain a virus spreading through one of the country’s most fragile regions. Speaking to reporters in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, the WHO director general said the international community was already assisting the DRC government in its response to…