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

Thursday May 14, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s federal government and opposition leaders left the table Wednesday without a deal after hours of hard-fought talks over the country’s contested electoral roadmap, according to sources familiar with the meeting. The negotiations took place within the tightly secured compound of Aden Abdulle Osman International Airport in Mogadishu, at a venue operated by the National Intelligence and Security Agency. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama…

South Africa’s political temperature rose sharply after the Constitutional Court ordered Parliament to relaunch impeachment proceedings against President Cyril Ramaphosa, reigniting the Phala Phala scandal and placing him under fresh legal and political scrutiny. Ramaphosa has dismissed demands that he step down and says he will fight the process in court. He intends to seek a judicial review of the 2022 Section 89 panel report, which concluded there was preliminary evidence he may have breached the Constitution or engaged…

Donald Trump said before landing in Beijing that he does not expect China to be crucial to ending the war in Iran or loosening Tehran's hold over the Strait of Hormuz, even as the conflict looms over his summit with President Xi Jinping. The war is set to dominate discussions between Mr Trump and Mr Xi over the next two days, yet the US president played down Beijing's importance in bringing it to a close. The fighting has already strangled traffic through a strategic passage that normally carries roughly one-fifth of global…

Thursday May 14, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali commandos freed nine civilians from al-Shabab captivity during a military operation in the Middle Shabelle region, the Ministry of Defense said Wednesday. According to the ministry, Danab special forces launched the planned raid Tuesday night in Gambole, where they killed five al-Shabab fighters, among them a local commander. The Defense Ministry said the civilians had been held hostage by the militant group. It did not immediately provide further details on their…

Excitement is building as the U.S. Department of State has revealed a significant update for international fans planning to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Visitors hailing from specific countries previously burdened by U.S. visa bond requirements will no longer have to pay those fees. This development traces back to 2025, when the Trump administration implemented a policy mandating visitors from select nations to submit bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 for tourist visas. Among the 50 nations affected by this…

A dramatic turn in one of America’s most closely watched murder cases has upended the conviction of a once-powerful lawyer who was serving life in prison for the killings of his wife and son. Alex Murdaugh, 57, heir to a prominent family of judges and attorneys, did not receive a fair trial because a court clerk improperly influenced jurors, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled. Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of fatally shooting his son, Paul, 22, with a shotgun and his wife, Maggie, 52, with an assault rifle on the…

Thursday May 14, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Britain has tightened its travel guidance for Somalia, urging its citizens to avoid nearly all travel to the country amid terrorism fears, armed clashes and an unsettled security climate. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office says against all travel to Somalia, including the eastern North Western State of Somalia regions of Togdheer, Sanaag and Sool. The department said violence has escalated in those areas in recent months and that conditions remain highly unstable. It…

Donald Trump opened high-stakes talks in Beijing by praising Xi Jinping as both “a great leader” and a friend, as the two presidents began two days of meetings expected to test a delicate trade truce and tackle flashpoints including the Iran war and US arms sales to Taiwan. With Mr Trump’s approval ratings weakened by conflict in the Middle East, his expected visit to China has taken on greater political and diplomatic weight. The trip is the first by a sitting US president to visit America’s main strategic rival since Mr…

By JEREMIAH WAKAYAThursday May 14, 2026 Ruto said Kenya had made significant progress toward reopening the frontier before clashes erupted between Somalia’s Federal Government and regional state forces near the Kenyan border/PCS/FILE President William Ruto has said the long-promised reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border collapsed because renewed violence and political turmoil in Somalia upended the plan. In an interview with France 24 on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Ruto said Kenya had been moving…

Israeli strikes killed 10 more people in southern Lebanon today, Lebanese authorities said, pushing the death toll for the day to at least 22 as violence persisted despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. According to the health ministry, six people — "including three children and two women" — were killed in the town of Arab Salim. Another child died in a strike on Harouf, while three more people — "including two children" — were killed in Roumin, all in south Lebanon. Earlier in the day, the ministry said 12 people…