Loading...
Loading...
Ethiopia's elections proceed amid exclusion of Tigray and rising tensions with Eritrea, while Somalia faces famine risk and renewed piracy off its coast, with multiple external actors including Egypt, Israel, and Türkiye shaping regional dynamics.
May 2026
Week of May 25, compared to 12-week average
Ethiopia pursues a dual economic strategy of attracting foreign investment and positioning as a tech hub, while a secret spillway at the Nile dam raises tensions with downstream states. Djibouti benefits from a China-funded water initiative, and Somalia awaits results from Türkiye-led offshore drilling.
Ethiopia holds national elections on May 29-31, with Tigray excluded and geopolitical rivalries among Egypt, Eritrea, and Somaliland intensifying. Somaliland shifts diplomatically toward Israel, drawing rejection from Arab and Islamic nations.
Piracy resurges off Somalia with a tanker hijacking and suspicious activity in the Gulf of Aden, while Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions escalate toward potential war over Tigray. A French carrier group enters the Red Sea to aid navigation freedom.
Somalia faces a severe hunger crisis with real risk of famine and worst-ever drought, compounded by lack of aid; Ethiopia ramps up Ebola preparedness amid regional outbreak fears.