Work set to begin on Red Sea spill threat from oil-laden vessel

Work set to begin on Red Sea spill threat from oil-laden vessel

The end may be in sight for preventing a Red Sea oil spill from a long-abandoned vessel off Yemen’s coast, with a new deal announced between the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Boskalis, a maritime services company that will lead the $148 million cleanup. Work on the FSO Safer,…

Laureen Fagan

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

Saudi Aramco attacks: Where we are now, implications for Africa

Saudi Aramco attacks: Where we are now, implications for Africa

The heightened rhetoric following Saturday’s attack on Saudi Aramco oil infrastructure seemed more heat than light, as the United States accused Iran of being responsible – which Iran denies – and threatened retaliation in keeping with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s wishes. It’s still uncertain how much structural damage was…

HRW: Ethiopian migrants to Gulf face perilous conditions

While much attention is rightly focused on the perils of Mediterranean Sea crossings, the Human Rights Watch organization is calling attention to the conditions faced by Ethiopian migrants as they take other routes across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. “A combination of factors, including unemployment and other economic…

Aid agencies in Yemen work to evacuate Somali, Ethiopian refugees

Humanitarian workers say they’re working to repatriate Somali and Ethiopian refugees who are trapped in Yemen, but problems with the flight permissions necessary to evacuate them were hampering the effort. “The flight delays are putting thousands of migrants’ lives at further risk,” said Mohammed Abdiker of the International Organization for…

Ethiopian migrants head home from Yemen

More than 400 Ethiopian migrants who have been stranded in Yemen are headed home, as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) begins flights to take them to Addis Ababa. The first group of 102 Ethiopians landed in Addis Ababa on Monday, with another 316 arriving by Thursday through a Voluntary…

UN report on Somalia piracy highlights illegal fishing link

Somali pirate gangs are holding 39 hostages, five of them from Kenya, according to a United Nations Security Council report that highlights the continued role of illegal fishing and its links to piracy risks. The annual update on piracy and security interventions off the coast of Somalia listed the Kenyan hostages…

Djibouti overwhelmed by migrants from Yemen

Deported migrants arriving from Yemen are swelling the population of Djibouti camps, as officials with the International Organization for Migration warn that 3,000 more may arrive in the next few days. Djibouti has become “the epicenter,” says IOM official Jeffrey Labovitz, for complicated flows of migrant crossings over the Red…