This is the final report of a 5-part series.
The recent incident involving the Ever Given, the container ship that was lodged in the Suez Canal for six days, throwing world trade into a temporary crisis, served to remind the international community of the vital importance of the canal and stability in Egypt and the wider region.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made an in-person visit to the canal to watch the ship being dislodged and seized the opportunity to bring up the lingering tensions over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
He didn’t mince words: “No one can take a drop of Egypt’s water and if it happens there will be inconceivable instability in the region.”
Greater drought vulnerability and a new migrant crisis
As the seemingly never-ending crisis enters its final phase, just two scenarios remain on the table.
- The first involves Ethiopia taking the unilateral
There's more to this story
Get unlimited access to our exclusive journalism and features today. Our award-winning team of correspondents and editors report from over 54 African countries, from Cape Town to Cairo, from Abidjan to Abuja to Addis Ababa. Africa. Unlocked.
cancel anytime
Already a a subscriber Sign In
Also in this in Depth:
russian headache
BRICS ministers meeting leaves South Africa in choppy waters over Putin’s possible attendance The mystery over whether Russia’s Vladimir Putin will be present for the summit in August overshadowed the BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Cape Town last week, where they discussed a counter-currency to the USD and giving impetus to the BRICS bank.settling scores
Zimbabwe: New law to have ‘chilling effect’ on opposition A draconian new law in Zimbabwe further closes down space for the opposition.precarious position
DRC: Moïse Katumbi’s right-hand man accused of endangering state security Salomon Idi Kalonda is accused by military intelligence of colluding with the M23 and Rwanda with the intention of overthrowing President Félix Tshisekedi.Anglophone outlaw
Cameroon: Lucas Ayaba Cho, public enemy number one The fratricidal struggle for the independence of Ambazonia, a breakaway state in the two Anglophone regions of French-speaking Cameroon continues, as separatist Lucas Ayaba Cho, a “sworn enemy” of Yaoundé, continues to paralyse all attempts at mediation in Cameroon’s North-West and South-West.