EXTERNAL MEDDLING SHARPENS HORN CRISIS

External powers are intensifying competition in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea by backing rival factions in Sudan and Somalia. Ethiopia’s deal with Somaliland has triggered a diplomatic backlash from Somalia and drawn in Egypt and Turkey, raising the risk of wider regional escalation. The article argues that Russia and several Middle Eastern countries are using local conflicts to expand military, political, and economic influence. The broader effect is to deepen instability and undermine the interests of local populations and the United States.