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

Standing on the Normandy coast, where Allied troops once fought their way onto Europe’s shores, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth cast today’s immigration pressures as a new kind of threat, warning that dangerous ideologies were now arriving by sea. The comments fit squarely within the broader message from President Donald Trump’s administration, which has repeatedly argued that Europe is being weakened by inadequate defences, failure to confront immigration, excessive bureaucracy and what it describes as the "censorship" of…

Saturday June 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A fragile breakthrough emerged in Mogadishu on June 4 after Somali traditional elders and international representatives helped mediate a preliminary deal between the federal government and former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed’s Himilo Qaran party, following days of violence in the capital, the party said Saturday. According to a statement from Himilo Qaran, the agreement calls for an unconditional ceasefire, the withdrawal of troops, the restart of political talks, the return of…

An Irish journalist documenting the war in Ukraine has received one of the country’s official honours, with President Volodymyr Zelensky presenting Kilkenny reporter and social media figure Caolan Robertson with an Order of Merit. Robertson was among a group of Ukrainian and international journalists recognised for their reporting on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a message posted on social media, Mr Robertson said he was "completely blown away" by the recognition and called it a "profound honour". The Kilkenny native also…

Saturday June 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Former Somali security minister Abdullahi Mohamed Nur on Saturday accused federal forces of raiding and seizing his Elite Hotel in Mogadishu, describing the operation as a politically driven move against him. Abdullahi said troops arrived at the hotel around 11:30 a.m. with heavy weapons and explosives, then gathered the staff and guards inside before taking complete control of the property. He rejected the government’s account that the operation was a standard security inspection,…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Opposition leaders in Somalia accused security forces loyal to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Saturday of preparing operations aimed at former military chief General Odowaa Yusuf Rage and other prominent opposition figures, a claim that has sharpened fears of renewed unrest in the capital. The Somali Future Council, an opposition alliance, said it had obtained information suggesting that members of the Somali National Army and intelligence services were involved in plans directed at General Odowaa,…

Saturday June 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali security forces have moved into Mogadishu’s Abdiaziz district in a targeted sweep to recover illegal weapons allegedly used by armed groups in the capital’s recent clashes, police said Saturday. The Banadir Regional Police Command said the firearms were believed to be concealed in multiple locations across the district, and officers were carrying out searches as part of a broader push to restore calm in Mogadishu. “It will not be acceptable to store or hide illegal weapons in…

A morning dive off Western Australia turned deadly after a shark fatally attacked a man in waters near Perth, marking the country’s fourth lethal shark incident this year, police said. The victim, a man in his thirties, was attacked by a 4.5-metre shark near Michaelmas Island, southeast of Perth, according to ambulance services and the Western Australian government. Authorities said the incident was reported at about 11.25am local time. Police said the man had been spearfishing when the shark struck. He was brought back to…

Saturday June 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Fierce clashes in Somalia’s capital between federal government forces and an armed group aligned with the opposition have left at least 13 people dead, 189 injured and roughly 12,500 households displaced, according to a Protection of Civilians note compiled by the Protection Cluster and UNHCR Somalia. The June 4 report said the violence erupted on the evening of June 3 near Dabka junction and quickly widened into some of Mogadishu’s most crowded districts, including Hawlwadaag,…

Ireland has moved to bar two of Israel’s most outspoken ministers from entering the country, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin confirming that Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan has imposed travel bans on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Mr Ben-Gvir serves as Israel’s national security minister, while Mr Smotrich holds the finance portfolio. The Taoiseach was speaking at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat, Montenegro. Mr Martin said the ministers’ rhetoric and conduct "amount to a desire to see the elimination of…

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Mogadishu began to settle down on Saturday after two tense days of fighting and security stand-offs pitted federal government forces against troops aligned with opposition figures. By morning, residents said the capital looked noticeably quieter. Military convoys had thinned out, while traffic and ordinary street life slowly returned to major roads after security personnel and armed groups pulled back from several areas that had become flashpoints. Former Somali president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former…