RED SEA MEDDLING FUELS HORN TENSIONS

External powers are deepening involvement in the Horn of Africa by backing rival factions and pursuing access to the Red Sea. The most immediate flashpoint is the Ethiopia-Somaliland port deal, which has sharpened tensions with Somalia and drawn in Egypt and Turkey. The wider pattern of meddling in Sudan and Somalia is increasing the risk of regional conflict while undermining local stability. This makes the Horn’s political and security crisis the most important Africa story in the briefing.