The Economist: Bitter Rivalry Between Arab States Is Spilling Into Africa

The increasingly hostile division between the Saudi-Egyptian-Emirati bloc and the neighboring Gulf state of Qatar has begun spilling over into the Horn of Africa. The Economist observes, “the regional imbroglio pits two camps of Muslims” that also coincides with level of support for the Muslim Brotherhood. Turkey and Iran , unlike the three other nations, do not oppose the Muslim Brotherhood. Conflicts in Syria and Yemen also add to the tensions, and countries of the Horn of Africa are increasingly expected to take sides: Egypt accused Sudan of boosting the Brotherhood, and Sudan, which previously “deployed troops as part of the Gulf coalition against the [Iran-backed] Houthis [in Yemen], has been making friendly noises to Qatar, and … enraged Egypt by letting Turkey develop an old Ottoman port at Suakin, on the Red Sea.” Meanwhile, Somalia has developed ties to Turkey and the Islamist bloc, even as its states sign deals that counter the foreign policies of the federal government. Somaliland, the globally unrecognized statelet on the Red Sea coast, has initiated a project with the UAE to build a base there along with a road to connect its port of Berbera to Ethiopia. Ethiopia tries to stay neutral, but the divide could fuel its own conflict with neighboring Eritrea. –YaleGlobal