Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

Europe’s leaders have received Donald Trump’s warning over the Iran war — and are now moving to answer it, NATO chief Mark Rutte said after Washington announced it would pull 5,000 troops out of Germany. "European leaders have gotten the message. They heard the message loud and clear," Mr Rutte said ahead of talks with European leaders in Armenia, as he pointed to what he described as frustration in Washington over European allies' reluctance to enter the war. "Europeans are stepping up," Mr Rutte insisted. "We have seen all…

By  JAMES ROBSONMonday May 4, 2026 Manchester United is back among Europe’s elite. Sunday’s 3-2 victory over Liverpool ensured United’s return to the Champions League after a two-year wait, sealing the club’s place in next season’s top-tier continental competition in dramatic fashion. Kobbie Mainoo delivered the decisive blow in a tense Premier League showdown at Old Trafford, firing first time from the edge of the area after defending champion Liverpool had clawed its way back from two goals down. The result also brought…

Monday May 4, 2026 Vinicius Junior struck twice on Sunday to lead Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory at Espanyol, a result that put Barcelona's La Liga title party on hold for at least another week. Barcelona would have been crowned champions with four matches left had Madrid failed to win at the RCDE Stadium, but the outcome leaves the destination of the trophy likely to be settled in next weekend's Clasico. Madrid are now 11 points behind Barcelona with 12 still available, so a draw for Barcelona at Camp Nou next week would be…

Nigerian authorities have announced that their recent discussions with Thamsanqa Mseleku, South Africa's High Commissioner to Nigeria, aimed to "officially express the Nigerian Government's deep concerns" regarding the reported "mistreatment of Nigerian nationals and their enterprises" amidst anti-immigrant demonstrations occurring in South Africa.

Tanzania and Rwanda have moved to tighten ties, with Presidents Samia Suluhu Hassan and Paul Kagame vowing to expand cooperation that prioritizes trade facilitation, infrastructure links, and broader regional integration. The initiative is intended to speed up Rwanda’s transit logistics through the Port of Dar es Salaam, a lifeline that handles about 70% of the landlocked country’s imports and exports—some 1.6 million tonnes of cargo each year. President Samia said Tanzania is ready to deepen relations by dismantling…

Zimbabwe will overhaul its assessment regime in 2027, compelling every school to use a single national examinations framework. Under the plan, all learners will be required to sit tests set by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC). Primary and Secondary Education Minister Torerayi Moyo said the reform targets the country’s entrenched dual track. For years, many of Zimbabwe’s elite private institutions have focused almost exclusively on Cambridge Assessment International Education, sidelining ZIMSEC. The new…

A bruising night awaits UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Labour, with the expected scale of Thursday’s losses already spawning its own grim shorthand: "Starmergeddon". The term captures both the depth of the setback forecast for Britain’s governing party and the pressure set to fall squarely on the prime minister. Voters are choosing members of the devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales, as well as filling about 5,000 local authority seats across England, and Labour is widely expected to come away wounded. The…

Monday May 4, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) has backed President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s call for talks with the Somali Future Council, adding fresh international weight to efforts to ease mounting political tensions as his term nears its end. In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday, the mission urged all sides to approach the May 10 meeting in Mogadishu with a spirit of compromise and mutual responsibility, saying Somalia’s national interests…

A fresh warning from Iran's military has raised the stakes in the Strait of Hormuz, after President Donald Trump said the United States would begin helping ships trapped in the Gulf by the US-Israeli war on Iran. Mr Trump offered few specifics on how Washington would assist vessels and crews that he said had been "locked up" in the strategic waterway, with many now short of food and other essential supplies more than two months into the conflict. "We have told these Countries that we will guide their Ships safely out of…

Monday May 4, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has said that former North Western State of Somalia President Muse Bihi Abdi was prepared, in principle, to discuss Somali unity during mediation efforts in 2020 led by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Speaking in an interview last week, Farmaajo described Abiy Ahmed as deeply involved in trying to bring Somali political figures together, even as Ethiopia’s role in Somali affairs continued to draw suspicion and criticism across the…