Open Access E-Book on Red Sea Region

 The Doha, Qatar-based Middle East Council on Global Affairs published in February 2026 an open access E-book titled "The Red Sea: Divided by Water, United by Opportunities" edited by Dalia Ghanem, Mehari Taddele Maru, Luigi Narbone, and Carlo Palleschi.

This book provides a comprehensive analysis that breaks down the silos between Middle Eastern countries (MECs) and the Horn of Africa (HOA).  It argues that it is impossible to understand the region's trajectory by looking at one side of the Red Sea in isolation and examines interactions between the MECs and the HOA.  It seeks to align visions and identify concrete steps toward realizing the vision of a region that, though divided by waters, is united by opportunities.  

Tigray News Interview on Iran War and Horn of Africa

 Bisrat Kebede of Tigray News interviewed me on 9 March 2026; the title of the 50-minute video is "Iran Conflict: Sparking a Global Conflict." 

The first forty minutes dealt with the on-going war in Iran while the final ten minutes focused on the situation in the Horn of Africa.  I began my remarks on Iran with the caveat that this is not my area of specialization although I try to follow developments in the Middle East as well as the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region.  

Gulf States and Turkey Become Major Players in East Africa and Horn

 The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 8 July 2025 a survey titled "Mapping Gulf State Actors' Expanding Engagements in East Africa."

The Gulf States, especially the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are becoming increasingly important sources of investment and capital in the Horn of Africa and East Africa.

Gulf State Engagement in East Africa

 The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 8 July 2025 a study titled "Mapping Gulf State Actors' Expanding Engagements in East Africa."

The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have become the leading sources of capital, private sector engagement, and weapons flows into East Africa in recent years.  The UAE is by far the most engaged actor in East Africa with $47 billion in projects and about 60 percent of all Gulf region capital inflows. Saudi Arabia is second with an estimated $16 billion in investments across East Africa.

Djibouti Faces Debt Service Issues

 The China Global South Project published on 1 December 2022 an article titled "Djibouti Has a Very specific Debt Problem" by Cobus van Staden.  

Djibouti has reportedly suspended debt service to its two largest bilateral creditors: China and Kuwait.  Almost 90 percent of Djibouti's debt service is owed to China and 6 percent to Kuwait.  

Sudanese Land Grabs Contribute to Unrest

The Pulitzer Center posted on 30 May 2019 an article titled "Land Grabbing and Its Implications for Sudanese--Views from a Scholar" by Fredrick Mugira and Annika McGinnis. The article is based on an interview with Stefano Turrini, a scholar studying Sudanese dry lands agriculture as a PhD candidate at Padova University in Italy.

Since the beginning of this century, Sudan has significantly increased the number of long term leases it has granted to foreign companies for the purpose of growing and exporting food crops, animal feed such as alfalfa, and biofuels. These are often seen by Sudanese as land grabs and resulting in growing concerns. Most of the leases are obtained by companies from Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Syria.

South Sudan Increases Security in Oil Fields

Bloomberg published on 8 February 2017 an article titled "South Sudan beefs Up Security at Oil Fields" by Okech Francis. The article details efforts by South Sudan to increase oil production and, hence, revive the economy.

Sudan and the Gulf States

The Enough Project published in June 2015 a report titled "The Many Faces of al-Bashir: Sudan's Persian Gulf Power Games" by Omer Ismail. 

The author argues that Sudan's inclusion in the Arab coalition against the Houthis in Yemen, the recent agreement on a framework for a nuclear deal with Iran, and the rapprochement between Ethiopia and Egypt on Nile waters all dramatically alter Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's views of his opportunities.  Sudan's growing economic dependence on the Gulf States means, however, that those countries now have more leverage to press the NCP to agree to the political reforms and the negotiated compromises with the opposition that are needed to forge a lasting peace.