Axadle - Leading News from Somalia and the Horn of Africa

BY MARK VANCLEAVE AND ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, ASSOCIATED PRESSWednesday April 29, 2026 Federal investigators swept through multiple locations in Minnesota on Tuesday, carrying out searches and removing boxes of records and other material in what authorities described as an ongoing fraud probe into publicly funded programs for children. State and federal agents were seen at childcare centers in the Minneapolis area, though officials released no information about the suspected crimes. KSTP-TV reported that one team arrived with…

In a significant legislative move, the House of Representatives has granted approval for President Bola Tinubu's proposal to secure an external loan of $516.3 million aimed at constructing key segments of the Sokoto-Badagry superhighway. This ambitious project, spanning approximately 1,000 kilometers, is set to connect the states of Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos, commencing in Illela, Sokoto, and culminating in Badagry, Lagos. This green light comes on the heels of robust recommendations from various…

What happens when you stop eating added sugar Board-certified sports dietitian Tara Collingwood says your body doesn’t need a “sugar detox,” and changes after cutting added sugar can include steadier blood sugar, shifting cravings, and adjustments in energy and taste. According to Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a board-certified sports dietitian and co-author of Flat Belly Cookbook for Dummies, the idea of a “sugar detox” is unnecessary because the body already has a detox system. “What happens is your…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A string of hijackings off Somalia’s coast has revived one of the region’s most unsettling security threats, with three vessels seized in a single week and fresh concern rippling through the shipping world. The most recent incident involved the commercial vessel Sward, taken on April 26, just days after pirates captured the oil tanker Honour 25 on April 21. The tanker was carrying 18,000 barrels of oil, according to the Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean, the European Union’s naval monitoring center.…

Wednesday April 29, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia is poised to widen its seafood exports after China unveiled a zero-tariff policy for imports from 53 African countries, a move that could reshape the country’s fisheries sector and give a lift to economic growth. The policy, which takes effect on May 1, will allow Somali marine products to enter Chinese markets duty-free, removing a major obstacle that has long held back direct trade. Fisheries Minister Ahmed Hassan Aden said the arrangement opens a direct route to one of…

The United Arab Emirates has announced it will withdraw from the OPEC and OPEC+ oil alliances, a dramatic move that lands a significant blow on the producers' bloc as an extraordinary energy crisis sparked by the US-Israeli war on Iran lays bare growing rifts across the Gulf. The departure of the UAE, a longtime OPEC member, threatens to erode the group's influence. OPEC has typically worked to project unity even when disputes over geopolitics and output targets have simmered beneath the surface. UAE Energy Minister Suhail…

Wednesday April 29, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — South West State’s elections for the House of Representatives and local councils have been pushed back after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission granted political parties more time to complete candidate submissions. In a statement released Tuesday, the commission said parties had requested an extension on April 23 to finish the registration process for candidates. It added that it met with party leaders on April 25 at its headquarters to discuss the request. The…

A dispute over allegedly looted Ukrainian grain has pushed Kyiv and Israel into a sharp diplomatic clash, opening another front in the international fallout from Russia’s war. Ukraine, one of the world’s biggest grain exporters, has for months accused Russia of shipping out agricultural goods taken from occupied areas seized after Moscow’s February 2022 invasion. "Another vessel carrying such grain has arrived at a port in Israel and is preparing to unload," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a statement on…

A new indictment has thrust former FBI director James Comey back into the legal and political spotlight, accusing him of threatening US President Donald Trump’s life just five months after an earlier case against the longtime Trump critic was dismissed. Handed up by a grand jury in North Carolina, the indictment centers on an Instagram post Mr Comey, 65, shared in May last year showing the numbers "86 47" arranged in seashells. At the time, Mr Trump told Fox News that "86" was slang for kill and that "47" pointed to his…

Monday April 27, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — As tensions persist between Somalia’s federal government and opposition leaders, civil society groups are backing a familiar force in Somali politics: traditional elders. At a press conference in Mogadishu on Sunday, Osman Moalim Shatax, chairman of a coalition of non-state actors, said civil society supports appeals from both sides to bring elders into the mediation process. Shatax said the elders are in a strong position to help restore confidence and steer the country toward a…