exit

Iran cast the United States as a power looking for a way out of a deepening conflict, as senior US envoys travelled to Pakistan for what Washington hopes will be a new push toward peace. "Our military power today is a dominant force, and the enemy is looking for a face-saving way to escape the war quagmire it has become trapped in," media outlet ISNA quoted a ministry spokesperson as saying. The remarks came as Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner headed for Islamabad, although Iranian state media said direct negotiations were…

Bulgarian ex-president Rumen Radev's political formation has emerged in first place in the country's eighth parliamentary election in five years, exit polls showed, though the result fell short of an outright majority. Mr Radev, who stepped down from the presidency in January, entered the race promising to tackle corruption after an anti-graft movement helped plunge Bulgaria into a prolonged period of political turmoil. The European Union's poorest member has cycled through a string of governments since 2021, when mass…

Wednesday March 25, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A senior Somali federal lawmaker has broken ranks with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s political camp, stepping down from a top party post in a move that underscores intensifying disputes over governance, constitutional changes and the path to elections. Abdirahman Mohamed Hussein Odawaa announced on March 25, 2026 that he is resigning as Secretary General of the Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP) and ending his membership in the party, which is led by President Mohamud. In a…

Wednesday March 25, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — A senior Somali lawmaker has broken publicly with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s ruling political camp, resigning from a top party post and warning that disputes over governance, constitutional changes and elections are pushing the country into deeper political strain. Somali federal MP Abdirahman Mohamed Hussein Odawaa stepped down as Secretary General of the Justice and Solidarity Party (JSP) and relinquished his membership, according to a statement he published on his official…

Ethiopia demands immediate withdrawal of Eritrean troops as border tensions spike ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia has formally ordered Eritrea to “immediately withdraw its troops” from Ethiopian territory, issuing a sharp diplomatic rebuke that underscores the most perilous turn in relations between the Horn of Africa neighbors since their 2018 peace deal. In a letter dated Feb. 7, 2026, addressed to Eritrean Foreign Minister Osman Saleh, Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos accused Asmara of “outright aggression,” detailing…

KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda plans to withdraw its troops from Somalia after nearly two decades on the front lines of African Union peacekeeping, a move that could reshape security calculations in the Horn of Africa and test hard-won gains against Al-Shabaab. Gen. Wilson Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, said in a post on X on Sunday that the country’s military mission in Somalia “has officially ended” and that preparations are underway for a full pullout. “After 19 years in Somalia, we plan…

The European Union will press ahead with global climate cooperation despite the United States moving to withdraw from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, the EU’s climate chief said, a day after President Donald Trump announced plans to exit dozens of international bodies. “The decision by the world’s largest economy and second-largest emitter to retreat from it is regrettable and unfortunate,” Wopke Hoekstra said in a post on LinkedIn, referring to the UNFCCC, widely described as the bedrock treaty underpinning…

The M23 armed group has announced its agreement to withdraw from the city of Uvira in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo following a request from the United States. This decision marks a significant moment in a region long troubled by conflict and political instability. Recently, the Rwanda-backed M23 militias seized control of Uvira, a strategic city located near the Burundian border. This takeover occurred just days after the Congolese and Rwandan governments signed a road map towards peace in Washington, D.C. The…

Shifting Sands: The Exit of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger from the ICC In an unprecedented move that echoes through the annals of international justice, the West African states of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have officially withdrawn from the International Criminal Court (ICC). This dramatic decision, announced by the military-led governments of these nations, underscores a growing sentiment in the region: a rejection of what they describe as "neocolonial repression" wielded by international bodies. The implications are…

Mogadishu (AX) — The gathering of Somalia's National Consultative Council (NCC), which kicked off in Mogadishu on October 2, 2024, hit a snag when attempts to coax Jubbaland's leader, Ahmed Madobe, back into the fold fizzled out.Madobe made an exit, insisting that Northeastern State and Khatumo's voices must be heard in the discussions. He claimed their omission would undermine the integrity of the elections across Somalia. With Northeastern State's head honcho, Said Abdullahi Deni, sticking to his guns on a no-show stance…