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

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has granted an amnesty that will free 4,305 inmates in a move the government says is designed to relieve severe prison overcrowding and promote rehabilitation. Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi announced the clemency order on Wednesday, saying the beneficiaries include women convicted of lesser offences, juveniles, elderly prisoners, terminally ill inmates and people with disabilities. The order also covers inmates housed in Open Prisons and prisoners who have served at least 20…

Rwanda Rejects U.S. Sanctions, Defends Its Actions Amid Eastern DRC Conflict The Rwandan government has firmly rejected sanctions imposed by the United States Department of the Treasury on the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four senior commanders, labeling the decision as an unjust targeting of a single party involved in the Washington Accords. Officials in Kigali argue that the sanctions misrepresent the complex realities of the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). On , the U.S. Treasury…

Rwanda Rejects U.S. Sanctions Over DR Congo Conflict The Rwandan government has unequivocally rejected recent sanctions imposed by the United States Department of the Treasury targeting the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and four senior commanders. Officials argued that this action is "targeting only one party" involved in the Washington Accords, stressing it misrepresents the complex conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The sanctions, announced by the U.S. Treasury, focus on the RDF as an institution as…

As U.S. strikes on Iran under Operation Epic Fury entered a new day, the White House appeared determined to project clarity and resolve. Instead, a flurry of public remarks from senior officials — led by President Donald Trump himself — yielded shifting timelines and evolving justifications that sharpened questions about the mission’s scope, strategy and endgame. The president moved aggressively to frame the narrative, calling news outlets throughout the weekend from Florida and returning to Washington to blanket morning TV.…

Kuwait and Bahrain expats describe sleepless nights as sirens sound, schools shift online Irish expatriates in Kuwait and Bahrain say nights of sirens and distant explosions have upended daily life this week, prompting schools and universities to move classes online as families weigh contingency plans but try to carry on. Jake McAllister, a school principal originally from Portstewart in Derry who has lived in Kuwait for more than seven years, said the atmosphere changed less than a day after he, his wife, Marlene, and their…

MOGADISHU — Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud held separate telephone calls with the King of Jordan and the Amir of Qatar as regional tensions spiked following Iranian missile strikes, the presidency said Monday. In statements issued by Villa Somalia, the president and his counterparts discussed the deteriorating security climate across the Middle East and stressed the need to reduce tensions and intensify diplomatic efforts to preserve stability. The Somali leader reaffirmed Mogadishu’s support for both Jordan and…

Ukraine expands war crimes probe as evidence mounts for future Hague tribunal KYIV — Ukrainian investigators are escalating a sweeping, years-long effort to document alleged Russian war crimes across the country, collecting vast troves of physical evidence, eyewitness testimony and digital records with an eye toward future prosecutions at a special tribunal in The Hague. Now into the fourth year of full-scale war, authorities say the scope of the investigations continues to widen. Teams are working case by case to capture…

Trump warns monthlong Iran campaign as drones hit U.S. embassy in Riyadh WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump warned Monday that the U.S. assault on Iran could extend beyond a month as Tehran’s retaliation rippled across the region, including drone strikes that hit the U.S. embassy compound in Saudi Arabia and missile-and-drone attacks that forced Qatar’s state-run energy firm to halt liquefied natural gas production. “From the beginning we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that,”…

First lady Melania Trump on Monday chaired a United Nations Security Council session on children and education in conflict, a first for a spouse of a sitting world leader and a striking display of the Trump administration’s hands-on approach to global diplomacy by family members. The meeting in New York came two days after U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel launched attacks on Iran, drawing warnings from the United Nations about the safety of children amid a broader military escalation. UNICEF said the flare-up “marks a…

AXADLE, Somalia — Iran’s state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to maritime traffic, warning commercial and oil tankers against attempting to transit the waterway as regional tensions escalate. According to Reuters, a senior IRGC commander said vessels that try to pass through the strait would face direct attack, adding that ships violating the order would be set ablaze. The remarks, carried by Iranian state outlets, immediately raised fears of energy-market…