Deadly attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on Saudi airports highlight widening fallout from Yemen conflict

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By AFP | Posted by TOE Saudi authorities said Wednesday three people were killed in attacks on two of the kingdom’s international airports, including in the capital Riyadh, after Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have fired on both transport hubs. The Iran-backed Houthis have claimed a wave of attacks on Saudi civilian infrastructure in recent weeks, which came as Riyadh-backed forces pressed a counter-offensive against the group’s territorial gains. Since Yemen’s civil war reignited in July, more than 200,000 people have been displaced within the country, the United Nations said Wednesday. The Houthis claimed an attack on Riyadh’s main airport, while the Saudi-led coalition — which backs Yemen’s internationally recognised government in its fight against the group — vowed retaliation. The Houthis later claimed another attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Thursday and repeated a warning — “...
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African progress backslides as coups and war persist

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By Libby George Reuters

Nearly half of Africa’s citizens live in a country where governance has worsened over the past decade, as deteriorating security erodes progress, according to a new report.

The annual Ibrahim Index of African Governance report found that despite positive progress in 33 countries, overall governance was worse in 2023 in 21 countries, accounting for just under half of Africa’s population, compared with 2014.

For several countries, including densely populated Nigeria and Uganda, the deterioration in overall governance had worsened over the second part of the decade, according to the report released by Sudanese-British billionaire businessman Mo Ibrahim’s foundation.

“We can see really a huge arc of instability and conflicts and this deterioration, and security and safety of our people, is the biggest driver of deterioration and governance…putting everything down in general,” Ibrahim told Reuters in an interview.

Ibrahim pointed to the coups in West Africa and war in Sudan, but said poor governance also fostered violence and instability.

“If there is deterioration on governance, if there is corruption, if there is marginalization…people are going to pick up arms,” he said.

The report found that infrastructure – from mobile phone access to energy – and women’s equality, were better in 2023 for roughly 95% of Africans.

Health, education and business environment metrics had also improved continent-wide.

But the report found that public perceptions on progress were grim, even when the corresponding governance dimensions showed progress; all public perception indicators, apart from those tracking women’s leadership, declined.

The worst drops were in perceptions of economic opportunities and of safety and security.

The foundation said this could be due to higher expectations in countries that were making progress, and also a tendency to focus on what is not working.

But Ibrahim said it was a serious problem.

“If public dissatisfaction is high, that obviously can lead to unrest, it can lead to increased migration, conflicts,” he said.



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/hJmopfE

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