Middle East Escalation: A wake-up call for Africa’s energy future

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COMMENT | YUSUF MASABA | The Middle East stands once again at the edge of a dangerous precipice. What began as a targeted military strike on an airport runway has rapidly evolved into a wider regional confrontation, threatening global energy markets and exposing the vulnerability of economies far beyond the Gulf.

On July 14, Saudi Arabian forces reportedly struck the runway of Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation from landing after attending the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognised government of Yemen argued that the flight had bypassed established airspace control procedures and potentially violated existing United Nations restrictions.

The strike shattered the fragile United Nations-brokered truce that had largely held since 2022 and triggered a fresh cycle of violence across the region.