Region and Topics
Somalia: The Return of Piracy
The News: Since April 20, 2026, four vessels have been seized in Somali and Yemeni waters: the fishing vessel Al-Khairi 2, the tanker Honor 25 carrying approximately 18,000 barrels of oil, the fuel tanker Soward on April…
Algeria and the Sahel — A Return to Influence or a Mediation Trap?
The security order Mali’s military council had built since 2020 collapsed within 72 hours. On April 25, a coalition of the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the Tuareg Azawad Liberation…
UAE Withdrawal from Yemen and AQAP’s Return
News: In a serious security development, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has re-emerged publicly in Abyan governorate in southern Yemen — the first clear indication of its activity since Saudi-backed forces took…
Mali: When Jihad Speaks the Language of Diplomacy
The News On April 25, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), al-Qaeda’s Sahel affiliate, issued a lengthy “victory statement” describing the fighters of the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) — a non-Islamist Tuareg…
Mali and the Sahel: Multi-Dimensional Regional Threat
Since April 25, 2026, Mali has been experiencing the largest coordinated attack in its modern history since the 2012 rebellion, launched jointly by al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and the…
UAE Withdraws from OPEC and OPEC+
The News: The United Arab Emirates announced through its state news agency WAM its formal withdrawal from OPEC and the OPEC+ alliance, effective May 1, 2026. The announcement came on the same day OPEC was preparing to…
Mali Situation Report
In the early hours of Saturday, April 25, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), al-Qaeda’s Sahel affiliate, carried out a series of simultaneous attacks across Mali in coordination with the Tuareg-led Azawad…
Assessing the Egyptian Pound: Risk Factors and Economic Outlook
The Bab al-Mandab Lesson Was Never Learned… and Hormuz Is Repeating It at Twice the Scale The figures coming out of Cairo are not routine economic indicators — they are early warning signals of a compounding crisis…
Iran and Hormuz: A Map of Gulf Divisions
When Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in direct retaliation for the American-Israeli strikes on its territory that began on February 28, 2026, it did not merely shut down a maritime corridor — it laid bare a deep…
Iran-Port Sudan Military Coordination, and the Channels It Operates Through
The News Federal authorities arrested Shamim Mafi, 44, an Iranian national and lawful permanent resident of California since 2016, at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday, April 18, 2026. She is charged with…
The Iran War and Egypt’s IMF Dilemma
The Story Egypt’s independent outlet Al Manassa reported that Cairo is exploring an emergency IMF loan of $1.5–$3 billion in the wake of the Iran war’s economic fallout. The report surfaced days after President Abdel…
Libya: Political Deadlock on the Edge of Ignition
The News Three contradictory developments paint Libya’s current picture: On the positive side, the House of Representatives approved a unified national budget for the first time in 13 years under American sponsorship…