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

An outbreak of meningitis in Kent has seen its confirmed case count fall as a mass vaccination and antibiotic campaign for young people entered a fourth day. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said confirmed infections have been revised down from 23 to 20 following additional laboratory testing announced this morning. Suspected cases currently under investigation also decreased, dropping from 11 to nine, bringing the combined total to 29 — down from 34 reported yesterday. Nineteen of the 20 confirmed infections have been…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — South West State Assembly Speaker Dr. Ali Said Fiqi on Sunday delivered a sharp rebuke over what he called the misuse of Egyptian military assistance, alleging that arms meant to protect the country are instead being turned against its own people. Dr. Fiqi said the consignment of small arms, provided by Egypt, was intended to strengthen Somalia’s national security and confront “the real enemies of the country.” He stressed the aid was never designed for deployment against Somali civilians or to…

Sunday March 22, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — A sharp new escalation in Somalia’s federal-regional tensions unfolded in Baidoa on Saturday, when Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen accused the federal government of what he called a “blatant invasion” of territories under his administration. Speaking to newly trained Southwest troops, Laftagareen said the central government is moving special forces into Southwest regions and using aircraft to transport militias and additional troops, a claim he framed as a…

Three weeks into the conflict, the human and material toll is already stark and sweeping. More than 2,000 people dead, 10,000 injured. More than 4 million people displaced in the region, a million of them in Lebanon. Oil prices above $100 a barrel. 45 million people at risk of acute hunger as food, fuel and shipping costs rise. 56 cultural heritage sites damaged or destroyed in Iran. Several more at risk in Lebanon. One of the clearest indicators of how this war is unfolding is the pace and scale of the bombardment. The…

Sunday March 22, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A group of Somali federal lawmakers say they were blocked from boarding outbound flights at Aden Adde International Airport during the current parliamentary recess, an episode that has reignited questions about political tensions in the capital and the freedom of movement of elected officials. Most of the MPs affected were elected from Southwest State. They told reporters they were stopped as they prepared to travel abroad for routine trips during the legislative break. The lawmakers…

More than 100 people were injured after Iranian missiles struck the southern Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona, medics said, in attacks that local air-defence systems failed to stop. The strikes produced direct hits that ripped open the fronts of apartment blocks and left deep craters in the terrain. Magen David Adom first responders reported 84 wounded in Arad, including ten in serious condition, following earlier reports that 33 people had been hurt in nearby Dimona. Iranian state television described the strike on Dimona —…

Somalia: Lawmakers stopped from leaving Mogadishu airport as political rift widens MOGADISHU, Somalia — Security officers at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport blocked several members of the Federal Parliament from traveling on Saturday, igniting a fresh political storm over freedom of movement and claims of selective enforcement. The MPs — most of them representing the South West State administration — were…

Sunday March 22, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — With their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) dream on the line, Somalia’s national football team, the Ocean Stars, left Mogadishu on Saturday for Mozambique ahead of a decisive preliminary-round meeting with Mauritius. The fixture represents a pivotal moment in Somalia’s push to move deeper into Africa’s flagship international tournament. Both Somalia and Mauritius head into the contest chasing the kind of result that can keep qualification ambitions intact and set the tone for the…

Robert Mueller, the former FBI director best known for documenting Russian efforts to influence the 2016 US presidential election and for investigating contacts between Russia and Donald Trump’s campaign, has died at the age of 81. The news of his death was first reported by MS NOW and confirmed when a New York Times reporter shared a family statement attributed to Mueller’s relatives. The family did not disclose a cause of death for Mr. Mueller, a decorated Vietnam War veteran who led the FBI during the turbulent years…

More than 100 people were wounded after Iranian missiles struck two southern Israeli towns when air defences failed to stop the incoming projectiles, medics and officials said. Two direct hits ripped open the fronts of residential buildings and left large craters in the ground. Magen David Adom first responders reported 84 wounded in Arad — 10 of them seriously — following an earlier wave of injuries in nearby Dimona, where 33 people were hurt. Iranian state television said the strike on Dimona, home to a nuclear facility,…