Middle East & Africa
![](jpg/20240106_map501-2.jpg)
A storm over a port
Ethiopia’s gambit for a port is unsettling a volatile region
Abiy Ahmed is doing a deal for a stretch of Somaliland’s coast
![](jpg/20240106_map502-2.jpg)
The constitutional crisis can wait
Israel’s Supreme Court strikes back
The justices block a controversial law aimed at weakening the power of the courts
![](jpg/20231230_map503.jpg)
Ever darker
The year everything (and nothing) changed in the Middle East
Months of bloodshed have only reinforced the region’s existing woes
![](jpg/20231230_map501.jpg)
The year in review
Death, debts and democratic doubts in Africa
After a miserable 2023, can the continent do better in 2024?
![](jpg/20231223_map504.jpg)
A barely governable country
For Congo’s next president, winning may be the easy part
Whoever it is, a staggeringly hard task beckons
![](jpg/20231223_map004-2.jpg)
Hostage to hell
Israel isn’t sure what to do about the hostages in Gaza
Every option is fraught with danger
![](jpg/20231223_map503.jpg)
A nightmare within a nightmare
A supposed haven in Sudan falls to a genocidal militia
The worse of two bad factions is winning the war
![](jpg/20231223_map002.jpg)
Cancelling Christmas in the Holy Land
The plight of Christians in Bethlehem and Jerusalem predates the latest Gaza war
Their number is continuing to dwindle
![](jpg/20231223_map001-2.jpg)
Piracy and peace
Attacks on shipping threaten to upend peace talks in Yemen
The Saudis want to end their war with the Houthis, even as America may fight them
![](jpg/20231223_map501.jpg)
Third time unlucky
Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi wins another stage-managed election in Egypt
But his voters are angry about a faltering economy and the war next door in Gaza
![](jpg/20231216_blp520.jpg)
In need of guidance
Why is Israel using so many dumb bombs in Gaza?
Smart bombs are more precise but less plentiful. More civilians in Gaza may be dying as a result