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

Ukraine says it will halt long-range strikes on Russian energy facilities if Moscow stops hitting its grid, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, after U.S. President Donald Trump raised hopes for a short pause in attacks on Kyiv and other cities amid a brutal cold snap. Zelensky welcomed Trump’s announcement and set a clear condition: “If Russia does not strike our energy infrastructure, generation facilities or any other energy assets, we will not strike theirs.” He said he is counting on Washington to help secure the pause,…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali National University has accused authorities of illegally demolishing parts of its land in Mogadishu’s Hodan district and says it is taking legal action to stop any further seizures and reclassification of its property. In a statement issued Thursday, the state university said demolitions in the Banadir region have affected facilities used for student services as well as the residence of the university’s chairperson. The administration said no competent authority had granted permission for the…

Drone and Artillery Attack at Niamey Airport Raises Security Concerns Heavy security has been deployed around the Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey following a suspected militia attack on Thursday. The incident, characterized by the use of drones and heavy artillery, has heightened tensions in a region already fraught with instability. Located approximately 10 kilometers from the presidential palace, the airport serves as a critical air force base and as the headquarters for the joint military force comprising…

U.S. eases some Venezuela oil sanctions, opening trade for American firms WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has lifted some sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry to make it easier for U.S. companies to move and process the country’s crude, even as broader restrictions on production remain in place, according to the Treasury Department. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a general license authorizing U.S. entities to buy, sell, transport, store and refine Venezuelan-origin oil. The measure is intended…

Syria’s government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have reached a sweeping agreement to fold Kurdish security units and their autonomous administration into the central state, capping weeks of clashes that culminated in a cease-fire, according to statements released today by both sides and broadcast on Syrian state television. The accord follows a period of fighting in which Kurdish forces lost control of swathes of territory to pro-government units, leaving them confined largely to Kurdish-majority pockets in…

Somalia court lifts arrest warrant for Jubbaland leader Ahmed Madobe, clearing path to Mogadishu talks MOGADISHU — A court in Mogadishu has annulled an arrest warrant for Jubbaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam Madobe, removing a key legal barrier ahead of a national political dialogue that the federal government plans to open on Feb. 1. In a decision finalized Jan. 29 and communicated in an official letter released Thursday, the Banadir Regional Court revoked all arrest and production orders tied to a criminal case…

Panama’s Supreme Court has annulled the concession framework underpinning Panama Ports Company’s long-running contracts at the Panama Canal’s Atlantic and Pacific gateways, casting immediate uncertainty over who will control the Balboa and Cristóbal container terminals and complicating CK Hutchison’s proposed $23 billion sale of its global ports business to a consortium led by BlackRock and Mediterranean Shipping Company. In a ruling issued after what it called “extensive deliberation,” the court found the laws and state…

Türkiye deploys F-16s to Mogadishu as offshore oil push gathers pace MOGADISHU, Somalia — Türkiye has deployed three F-16 fighter jets to Mogadishu, deepening its military footprint in Somalia as Ankara advances plans for offshore oil exploration and broader strategic investments in the Horn of Africa. The jets arrived Wednesday and are believed to be part of Türkiye’s expanding security support for the Somali National Army (SNA), as well as preparations for the expected deployment of a Turkish offshore drilling platform…

At least five illegal miners were killed when an artisanal mine collapsed during heavy rains in Guruè district, Zambézia province, Mozambican authorities said Tuesday, underscoring growing safety and security concerns around unregulated mining across the country. District administrator Felisberto Ponta Vida said the landslide occurred amid torrential rainfall that swept through the area. Local officials have not released the identities of the deceased or provided details on whether more people were missing. The collapse in…

ROME — Six members of Italy’s police and coastguard went on trial Tuesday over the 2023 shipwreck off the Calabrian coast that killed at least 94 migrants, including 35 children, in one of the country’s deadliest maritime disasters in a decade. The case, heard in the southern city of Crotone, centers on allegations that authorities failed to mount a timely search-and-rescue operation for a wooden boat that had sailed from Turkey carrying people from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Syria. Around 80 survived when the vessel…