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

Saturday March 14, 2026 DJIBOUTI (AX) — Djibouti is deploying a new contingent of troops to Somalia under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), with the 13th “Hiil-Walaal” Brigade scheduled to arrive March 16 to reinforce security and stabilization efforts, officials said. The rotation will replace the 12th Brigade currently serving in Somalia and sustain Djibouti’s long-standing role in the Hirshabelle state, a central region where Djiboutian forces have helped hold key towns and secure…

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to keep up pressure on Russia’s war machine despite the United States temporarily easing curbs on Russian oil sales, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Paris amid rising global energy prices and fresh shocks from the Middle East war. Speaking alongside Zelensky after talks in Paris — the Ukrainian leader’s 12th visit to France since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 — Macron said there would be no “respite” for Moscow. “During a meeting of the Group of Seven…

Mogadishu — Somalia’s intelligence agency says at least 22 al-Shabab militants killed in coordinated strikes in Mudug and Hiiraan Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency said Saturday it killed at least 22 al-Shabab fighters, including several senior figures, in coordinated operations in the country’s central Mudug and Hiiraan regions. In a statement, the agency, known as NISA, said the operations were conducted with international partners and targeted militants allegedly planning attacks against civilians and…

Iran warns U.S. of ‘severe retaliation’ if it targets new supreme leader TEHRAN — Iran’s ambassador to Russia warned the United States that any move to target the country’s new supreme leader would invite “severe retaliation,” as hostilities among Iran, the U.S. and Israel entered a second week amid mounting casualties and regional disruption. Ambassador Kazem Jalali told Russia’s Sputnik news agency that Iranians demand revenge and that Washington would face severe consequences if it strikes at Tehran’s leadership. Iran…

Saturday March 14, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somalia’s federal government on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. state of West Virginia to develop the country’s critical mineral resources, officials said. The agreement, signed by Somalia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Dahir Shire Mohamed and West Virginia Senate Secretary Kris Warner, sets a framework for cooperation in the exploration, extraction and processing of minerals. Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama led Somalia’s delegation.…

Hargeisa, North Western State of Somalia — A cargo vessel carrying hundreds of livestock from North Western State of Somalia sank Friday off Yemen’s southern coast near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, raising urgent questions over the fate of its seven crew members and renewed concerns about the safety of the regional maritime livestock trade. The wooden vessel, which departed the Port of Berbera, went down near Ras al-Ara in Yemen’s Lahj province, according to local sources. It was reportedly transporting about 400 sheep and 150…

Gulf flight disruption is rippling across global travel, forcing families to reroute long-haul journeys and pushing up fares as airlines cut capacity and fuel costs surge. The uncertainty is especially acute for Irish passengers trying to reach Australia and New Zealand, routes that have long relied on the Middle East’s mega-hubs and are now being squeezed by war-related constraints and shifting safety perceptions. Dublin native Brian Sullivan was due to fly home with his wife and three children from Melbourne via Abu Dhabi…

President Donald Trump threatened new strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island oil hub unless Tehran halts attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, a warning that raised the stakes for global shipping and oil prices amid a war already disrupting energy supplies. Trump coupled the ultimatum with a social media post saying the United States had “totally obliterated” military targets on Kharg, which handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude exports and sits about 483 kilometers northwest of the strait. He said U.S. strikes did not hit oil…

To produce a publish-ready article at AP standards, please provide the raw source material for “As it happened: Strikes hit Tehran as war continues.” You can paste transcripts, wire copy, official statements, field notes, or bullet-pointed updates. Include time stamps and attribution for each key fact so I can verify chronology and sources. Essential details needed: • Exact date and local time of the strikes in Tehran; specify time zone. • Locations/neighborhoods or strategic sites affected; any satellite or on-the-ground…

Somalia warned Thursday that its territory cannot be used for foreign military operations, pushing back against reports that Israel is exploring an installation in North Western State of Somalia, the self-governing region across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen. “Somalia does not want to see its territory pulled into external confrontations or used in ways that could further destabilise an already sensitive region,” Ali Omar, Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera. The statement followed reports by…