First Independent Mena Newspaper
Sudan has cancelled a $6 billion deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to develop a Red Sea port, in an apparent protest against Abu Dhabi’s alleged support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the paramilitary group engaged in the country’s ongoing bloody conflict. Sudan’s Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim said on Sunday (3 November) his […]
Sudan has dismissed all reports of Iran’s intention to establish a naval base on the country’s Red Sea coast, which comes at a time when the creation of the Russian Navy in the country has been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing fighting. Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Al-Sadiq Ali was quoted by Sputnik […]
The European Union has announced its plans to launch a naval mission in the Red Sea by mid-February aiming to protect commercial vessels against Iran-backed Houthi rebel attacks which are hampering international trade and driving prices up. It’s a purely defensive operation to protect ships from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the bloc’s top diplomat […]
Escalating attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea have not only unraveled a key global trade route, sending shipping and insurance costs soaring, but they are also threatening to again push up the cost of living in Africa that is already struggling with crippling debt. The Red Sea crisis and the […]
The US top diplomat’s tour of four African countries began on Monday (22 January) with a visit to Cape Verde, as the Biden administration seeks to prove the United States is a key partner on a continent where China and Russia have sought to expand their influence. In Cape Verde, US Secretary of State Antony […]
The Ethiopia-Somalia feud continues as Mogadishu has called on Addis Ababa to retract its deal with Somaliland, ruling out on Thursday (18 January) any possible mediation until a controversial agreement with the breakaway region is cancelled. Claiming its territorial integrity has been violated by the agreement, Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated there was […]
The United Nations has warned against escalation in the Red Sea following multiple airstrikes by US and UK forces targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen who have vowed fierce retaliation. “These developments in the Red Sea and the risk of exacerbating regional tensions are alarming,” the UN Assistant Secretary-General, Khaled Khiari, has said, calling for the […]
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has signed a law that “nullifies” the contentious memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and a breakaway Somaliland region in a largely symbolic move expressing his government’s displeasure over the deal to grant port access. As part of the deal that was announced on 1 January, the landlocked Ethiopia will gain […]
Somalia has vowed to defend its territorial integrity by “all legal means possible” after a destabilizing deal inked on Monday (1 January) that has seen its breakaway region of Somaliland gain Ethiopia’s recognition in exchange for the latter’s access to the Red Sea. Following an emergency meeting on Tuesday (2 January), the Somali cabinet said […]
East African countries have been hit hard by higher freight costs and longer cargo delivery time, as Yemen’s Houthi rebels step up attacks on ships traveling through the Red Sea to the western end of the Indian Ocean. Ports in Kenya and other East African ports should expect slower business in the immediate future as […]