… According to the Watson School of International and Public Affairs at Brown University, since 2001 “at least 800 000 people have been killed by direct war violence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Pakistan”. …
… Iran supplied arms to Russia in its war on Ukraine, launched a massive drone and missile attack on Israel, and continued arming proxy groups in the Middle East, such as Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
LISA BARRINGTON and AZIZ EL YAAKOUBIAt a weapons exhibition in July in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, military officials whipped silken sheets off what they said were newly developed drones and missiles. …
… However, demand for rhino horn in traditional Chinese medicine and dagger handles in Yemen fuelled a poaching crisis in the 1970s and 1980s that largely wiped out the northern white rhino population in Uganda, Central African Republic, Sudan and Chad. …
US President Donald Trump said he does not think the Iran war will end until after November's midterm elections, adding that oil prices will not come down until then. Trump told reporters that "right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward," and claimed Iran is "desperate to try and affect the election."
US President Donald Trump said he does not think the Iran war will end until after November's midterm elections, adding that oil prices will not come down until then. Trump told reporters that "right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward," and claimed Iran is "desperate to try and affect the election."
Iran says it has reached an agreement with Oman on a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, though details remain undisclosed. The Iranian foreign ministry cautioned that a deal would not guarantee safe passage, citing the US blockade of Iranian ports as a security threat.
Saudi Arabia, after months of attempting neutrality in the US-Iran conflict, has begun striking Iranian proxy militias in Iraq following attacks it attributes to those groups. The Kingdom now faces a choice between continued deterrent strikes or de-escalation efforts.
Yemen's Houthi fighters have attacked shipping in the Red Sea, forcing vessels to divert from the narrow Bab El Mandeb strait that connects Europe to Asia. The attacks occur amid ongoing US-Iran strikes and fears of a broader regional conflict, with two Saudi vessels hit by missiles this week and the Houthis claiming to have turned back ten others.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was absent from his father's funeral on Sunday, with other senior regime figures and three of his brothers in attendance. Mojtaba has not appeared in public since his appointment in early March, amid speculation about his condition following alleged wounds from US-Israel air strikes that killed his father in February.
The United Arab Emirates has announced it will leave the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and Opec+ effective 1 May to pursue its own energy strategies and "national interests", a move the UAE says reflects its "long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile."
Ismail Omar Guelleh, who has ruled Djibouti since 1999, is poised to extend his control of the strategically important Horn of Africa nation in a presidential election widely dismissed as uncompetitive, with the opposition divided and a human rights monitor calling it a "masquerade."
Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the United States of plotting a ground attack despite diplomatic rhetoric, following the arrival of a US amphibious assault ship carrying 3,500 military personnel in the Middle East. The escalating regional conflict has involved aerial bombardment, Iranian retaliatory strikes on Gulf states, attacks on aluminium plants, and involvement by Houthi forces and Iraq, threatening global energy markets and shipping routes.
The number of migrants who died on the "Eastern Route" from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula doubled to 922 in 2025, according to the UN's International Organisation for Migration. The majority of victims were from Ethiopia, with tens of thousands crossing the Red Sea annually from Djibouti to Yemen in search of work in Gulf countries.
Iran has threatened to target desalination plants in the region after claiming damage to its own water and energy infrastructure in conflict with Israel and the US, with experts warning that attacks on such facilities in the Middle East—where desalination supplies most of the region's drinking water—could trigger catastrophic humanitarian and economic consequences.
Oil prices surged above US$106 a barrel as conflict in the region disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the International Energy Agency to coordinate the release of strategic oil reserves across Asia, Europe, and North America. Global energy ministers are meeting to address soaring prices and discuss measures including price caps and military operations to reopen critical shipping routes.
The war in the Middle East and closure of the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted global container shipping, with fuel surcharges rising and transit costs nearly doubling as commercial vessels face attacks and alternative routes grow longer. Importers worldwide, including those bringing goods to Namibia via global supply chains, face pressure to absorb costs or pass them to consumers.
Namibia's ambassador to Egypt says more than 100 Namibians are in the Middle East as the Iran-US-Israel conflict intensifies, and the embassy is facilitating voluntary evacuation efforts while prioritizing citizen safety. Some evacuees have criticised the Namibian consulate in Dubai for lack of communication and assistance during the crisis.
Almost three years into Sudan's conflict between the military-led government and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, a recent commercial flight to Khartoum signals potential normalcy, but the underlying causes of the war remain unresolved. Both sides view the conflict as existential, foreign powers continue supplying weapons, and analysts warn that without comprehensive mediation addressing root causes—including demilitarisation, constitutional reform, and accountability for war crimes—the conflict could drag on for decades and potentially splinter the nation.
The breakaway Somaliland region, seeking international recognition after Israel's December recognition, has offered the United States exclusive access to its mineral resources and the ability to establish military bases, according to a minister interviewed by AFP.
Somalia's defence minister and his Saudi counterpart signed a military cooperation agreement in Riyadh on Monday, part of broader strategic competition in the Horn of Africa between Gulf monarchies Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Senior US and Iranian officials are meeting in Oman for direct negotiations as military tension rises following Iran's violent suppression of anti-government protests and a significant US military buildup in the Middle East. The talks, brokered by regional mediators, aim to de-escalate conflict, though the two countries remain divided on key issues including Iran's nuclear programme, ballistic missiles, and regional proxies.
The UN Security Council voted on Tuesday to terminate UNMHA, a mission that enforced a ceasefire in Yemen's port city of Hodeida, with the mandate ending by 31 March after six years. The US cited Houthi obstructionism as the reason, while Denmark noted that the Houthis' arbitrary detention of UN personnel had narrowed the operating environment, though the mission had previously served as a stabilising presence in the conflict between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition-backed government.
Somalia's federal government announced the cancellation of all port management and security cooperation agreements with the UAE, accusing it of undermining the country's sovereignty after Israel recognised the breakaway region of Somaliland as independent. The deterioration stems from Somalia's belief that the UAE played a behind-the-scenes role in supporting Somaliland's recognition and allegations that UAE helped Yemeni separatist leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi flee the country.
Somaliland's foreign ministry rejected accusations from Somalia's president that it agreed to host Israeli military facilities and resettle Palestinians in exchange for Israeli recognition. Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland as independent last week, and the region is set to join the Abraham Accords, though Somaliland denied allegations of agreements beyond diplomatic engagement.