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

BAIDOA, Somalia — Gunfire broke out on the outskirts of Baidoa on Friday after fighters loyal to the ousted South West State leader Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen moved against positions held by Somali federal government troops, according to security sources and local residents. The violence flared near the southwestern city at a moment of already sharp political strain, deepening concerns over security in a region long shaped by disputes over South West State’s leadership. Residents said the confrontation started when…

Mounting tensions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are likely to drive Ebola deeper into the country, an Irish doctor working with Médecins Sans Frontiéres (MSF) has warned. The warning followed an attack yesterday on an Ebola treatment centre in eastern Congo, which was set ablaze by people angered after they were stopped from recovering the body of a local man. About 600 suspected Ebola cases have been recorded in the DRC, along with more than 140 deaths, figures that led the World Health Organization to declare a…

Friday May 22, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s intelligence service says it and international partners have killed 26 al-Shabab fighters in a series of coordinated military operations in the Hiiraan region, striking what officials described as key militant hideouts and support sites. The National Intelligence and Security Agency said Friday that the operations hit al-Shabab positions in Mahaas, Mukayle and Shaw, areas where the group had been assembling fighters, stockpiling weapons and preparing attacks. NISA said the…

Supporters of President Joseph Boakai are heralding a proposed piece of legislation as a landmark move toward accountability in post-conflict Liberia. This crucial initiative, which includes the establishment of a War and Economic Crimes Court, aims to tackle the grave injustices faced during Liberia's tumultuous period of political instability and armed conflict from 1979 to 2003. In addition to addressing wartime offenses, the legislation outlines the creation of a dedicated national anti-corruption court that will focus…

In a significant twist to a long-running legal saga, Minister of Justice Mmamoloko Kubayi said Home Affairs would lift the five-year entry ban on Nigerian evangelist Pastor Timothy Omotoso if the National Prosecuting Authority succeeds in its attempt to appeal his acquittal on sexual offences charges. Omotoso was declared an undesirable person in South Africa and handed a five-year ban in May 2025, after which he left the country voluntarily. The move came on the heels of his acquittal following a seven-year trial on…

Britain’s police inquiry into former prince Andrew is expected to be lengthy and complicated, senior officers have said, following his arrest earlier this year on suspicion of misconduct in public office — an offence that can encompass sexual impropriety. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was questioned under caution for several hours by detectives after his arrest at his Norfolk home in February, which came after the US Department of Justice released millions of documents connected to the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.…

Seasoned political negotiator Roelf Meyer formally presented his credentials to President Donald Trump on Thursday, stepping in as South Africa’s new ambassador to the US at a moment when political relations between the two countries remain frosty.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has embraced President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to send 5,000 US troops to Poland, a move that reverses an earlier plan shelved as Washington pressed Europe to shoulder more of its own defence. "Of course, I welcome the announcement," Rutte told reporters before a meeting of alliance foreign ministers in Sweden, saying NATO's "military commanders are working through all the details". Trump caught allies off guard by unveiling the deployment only hours before Secretary of State Marco…

Friday May 22, 2026 Pretoria (AX) — Somalia’s Embassy in South Africa has warned Somali citizens to stay alert after fresh xenophobic attacks in parts of the country targeted African and Asian foreign nationals. In its advisory, the embassy urged Somalis to remain vigilant, steer clear of areas where violence or security threats have been reported, and avoid any gatherings that could escalate into unrest. It also advised Somali business owners to consider closing their shops during periods of heightened tension in order to…

Friday May 22, 2026 Photo courtesy of Egypt's ministry of foreign affairs. Egypt on Thursday sharply denounced the opening of what was described as an “embassy” for the self-declared “Republic of North Western State of Somalia” in occupied Jerusalem, saying the move violates international law and multiple resolutions tied to international legitimacy, the foreign ministry said. In a statement, the ministry described the step as “illegal and rejected,” adding that the mission’s inauguration in occupied Jerusalem amounted to “a…