Tag: red sea

Is Somaliland Slowly Becoming a New Cold War Battleground?

Is Somaliland Slowly Becoming a New Cold War Battleground?

Somaliland has recently grown more significant to regional and global powers due to its strategic location on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial maritime route connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Continue reading “Is Somaliland Slowly Becoming a New Cold War Battleground?”

PM Abiy Ahmed: “It Is Impossible For 150 Million People To Be Without Port”

PM Abiy Ahmed: “It Is Impossible For 150 Million People To Be Without Port”

“Zeila in Somaliland in historical context during the Ifat kingdom and proximity is an option”

In a televised speech addressed to Ethiopian law makers, and in what appears to be his first ever open comment on the issue of the Red sea, PM Abiy Ahmed said access to the port is an existential matter for Ethiopia and that Ethiopians should at least start discussing the red sea. Continue reading “PM Abiy Ahmed: “It Is Impossible For 150 Million People To Be Without Port””

1st Regional Conference On Red Sea Dynamics Underway in Addis Ababa

1st Regional Conference On Red Sea Dynamics Underway in Addis Ababa

The First Annual Regional Consultative Forum on “Red Sea Security Dynamics: the need for Regional Cooperation in a time of Entanglement”, kicked off today at Sheraton Addis Hotel, Addis Ababa. Continue reading “1st Regional Conference On Red Sea Dynamics Underway in Addis Ababa”

US East Africa’s Policy: Dismissing Somaliland’s Democracy, Sudan’s Failure, & Eritrea’s Threat

US East Africa’s Policy: Dismissing Somaliland’s Democracy, Sudan’s Failure, & Eritrea’s Threat

China and Russia have recently increased their engagement with Eritrea, a small but strategically located country in East Africa. Meanwhile, American influence in the region is amid a yearslong slide. Despite the obvious risks, the United States has failed to muster a committed response and has even taken some counterproductive measures that demonstrate a lack of strategic thinking. If these trends continue, a vital region may fall under the conclusive influence of Washington’s primary geopolitical competitors Continue reading “US East Africa’s Policy: Dismissing Somaliland’s Democracy, Sudan’s Failure, & Eritrea’s Threat”

Leveraging Somaliland’s Blue Economy

Leveraging Somaliland’s Blue Economy

Q1 2021 Op-Ed of Somaliland Professionals Association (SLPA Quarterly Op-Ed)

The blue economy is one of the least exploited sectors in Somaliland contributing 0.3% to GDP despite the fact that the Horn of Africa has the largest coast in mainland Africa. Somaliland has an 850 km long coastline that borders the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Currently there are more than 600 species present in Somaliland’s marine fisheries of which 400 could be leveraged commercially. However, less than 10% of these fish stocks are exploited leaving the blue economy completely untapped.  Continue reading “Leveraging Somaliland’s Blue Economy”

Suez Canal Blockage Highlights Importance of the Red Sea

Suez Canal Blockage Highlights Importance of the Red Sea

The grounding of the cargo ship Ever Given in the Suez Canal last week serves as a good opportunity to focus our minds on the future of the waterway and the wider Red Sea region. Continue reading “Suez Canal Blockage Highlights Importance of the Red Sea”

Somaliland: Unaware of the Potential in her Blue Economy

Looking at the efforts towards “Ocean- based Resources” or what has lately been known as “The Blue Economy” by African countries bordering oceans and having ports, Somaliland is blind to what is taking place around her, given her wide access to the Red Sea, that is vital and important for the global economy. Continue reading “Somaliland: Unaware of the Potential in her Blue Economy”