COMMENT | YUSUF MASABA | The Middle East stands once again at the edge of a dangerous precipice. What began as a targeted military strike on an airport runway has rapidly evolved into a wider regional confrontation, threatening global energy markets and exposing the vulnerability of economies far beyond the …
Read More »The battle for Bab al-Mandab in Yemen – why it matters globally
CAIRO | Xinhua | The latest escalation in Yemen has thrust the Bab al-Mandab Strait into the global spotlight as a new flashpoint, following the Houthis’ significant territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast and around the strategic waterway. Analysts say that, amid disruptions to shipping through the Strait …
Read More »How will the US-Iran war end?
The only stable solution to the impasse in the Gulf is one that involves China and increases economic integration in the region COMMENT | SIMON JOHNSON & AMIR KERMANI | On Aug.24, the US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, launched an “economic D-Day” programme, intended to cut Iran off from …
Read More »How EAC Central Banks are responding to geopolitical tensions
Kampala, Uganda | URN | The effects of the conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe have dominated the 29th Ordinary Meeting of the Monetary Affairs Committee of the East African Community, which just ended in Uganda. All seven governors of the central banks (minus DRC) decried the …
Read More »Uganda’s jet fuel gamble amid Middle East tensions
How Entebbe’s 16 million-litre fuel hydrant is navigating a spiralling crisis NEWS ANALYSIS | IAN KATUSIIME | When geopolitical tensions in the Middle East boil over into a fully fledged conflict, the repercussions are felt far and wide, particularly for countries that import oil from the Arabian Peninsula. …
Read More »Selling the Abraham Accords to a wary Middle East
Trump can’t sell the Abraham Accords on a Middle East that has lost trust in the US COMMENT | MICHELLE BURGIS-KASTHALA | As the US and Iran try to come to terms on a peace deal to end their months-long war, US President Donald Trump recently introduced a new …
Read More »U.S.-Iran standoff in Strait of Hormuz casts fresh shadow over peace prospects
CAIRO, EGYPT | Xinhua | As the United States and Iran tread a bumpy road toward a potential deal to end hostilities, both sides have traded fire over the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, turning the strategic waterway into a tinderbox. The recent tensions over the strait have exposed …
Read More »Middle East military sites damaged in war with Iran: report
WASHINGTON | Xinhua | Iran and its allies have damaged at least 16 U.S. military sites across eight Middle Eastern countries during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran starting on Feb. 28, rendering some of those positions virtually unusable, a CNN investigation has found. The damaged facilities constitute the majority of …
Read More »Kenya’s record fuel hike amid Middle East conflict squeezes livelihoods
NAIROBI, KENYA | Xinhua | At a busy bus stop on the outskirts of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, commuters wait in long queues as transport fares rise in response to surging fuel prices. “I paid 0.61 dollars this morning instead of the usual 0.38,” said Moses Kalondu, an office …
Read More »How Africa is paying the price for Iran-U.S war
Once again, Africa finds itself on the receiving end of global crises; paying the price in growth, stability, and livelihoods NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | When the so-called coordinated military strikes by the United States and Israel hit Iranian territory on Feb. 28, the escalation marked a decisive …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price