When we traveled through Ethiopia last year (see our article on Wenchi Lake ecoreserve), this question came up again and again: Ethiopia is landlocked.

What surprised me wasn’t the frustration. It was how many Ethiopians openly welcomed closer ties with Somaliland as a practical way forward. This matters more now as Qatar, a state sponsor of terror, and China expand their influence across Ethiopia, investing in infrastructure, finance, and political relationships. With that growing presence you can see everywhere from Al Jazeera playing at every hotel to hundreds of unfinished Chinese infrastructure projects, the question of trade routes, ports, and national leverage has become more urgent, and more public.

In January 2024, Ethiopia and Somaliland signed a Memorandum of Understanding that could reshape the Horn of Africa. Under the MoU, Ethiopia would gain access to Somaliland’s coastline for commercial shipping and possibly a naval facility, in return for Ethiopia agreeing to consider formal recognition of Somaliland’s independence. It’s not finalized, and it’s not without controversy, but it’s real. Yemen’s Houthis have been destabilizing the region since the 90s. They fire on passing oil tankers and they celebrate when Somali pirates capture ships passing through the Red Sea to the Suez Canal, a manmade shipping lane that cuts through Egypt.

Related: Somali pirates like to steal oil tankers.

Ethiopia has been landlocked since Eritrea’s independence in the early 1990s. Since then, nearly all imports and exports have flowed through Djibouti, creating vulnerability and cost. Over the past decade, Ethiopia has quietly increased its use of Berbera Port, the commercial capital of Somaliland, which has expanded and modernized enough to handle serious trade volumes. Ethiopia has also inflamed tensions with Egypt since building the GERD, a hydro-electric power plant at the source of the Nile river.

Somaliland, for its part, has operated as a de facto independent state since 1991. It has its own government, elections, currency, and security forces. It’s often described as one of the more stable and democratic political systems in the region, despite never being formally recognized internationally.

The MoU builds on years of trade and security cooperation. Ethiopia already relies on Somaliland’s ports. Formalizing that relationship makes economic sense, especially as regional competition intensifies and Red Sea access becomes more strategic for global shipping, energy, and exports. Having more Ethiopian presence in Somaliland, and now Israel, will help fight terror forces such as Al Shabaab, a Sunni Islamist religious extremist group based in Somalia.

Somalia, itself a lawless nation on the verge of becoming a terror state, has strongly opposed the deal, calling it a violation of its territorial integrity. Tensions flared quickly after the MoU was announced, and Ethiopia has since been careful to say that recognition is not immediate and that diplomacy is ongoing. Ethiopia, a predominantly Christian country, has to walk a fine line in order to keep the balance against insurgencies out of its

That caution reflects how complicated this is. Ethiopia wants access to the Red Sea. Somaliland wants recognition. Somalia wants to preserve its territorial claims. And outside actors, including Gulf states and China, are watching closely, each with their own interests.

What stood out during our visit was how openly Ethiopians discussed these tradeoffs. There was no sense of romantic nationalism, just a clear-eyed understanding that ports matter, trade matters, and sovereignty today is tied as much to supply chains as to borders drawn decades ago.

Whether the MoU leads to formal recognition remains uncertain. Regional politics move slowly, and sometimes sideways. But the direction is clear. Ethiopia is looking for options, and Somaliland is no longer viewed simply as a political question, but as a logistical one.

In a world shaped by climate stress, shipping disruptions, and global power competition, access to the sea is not a luxury. It’s infrastructure. And for many Ethiopians we met, working with Somaliland feels less like a provocation, and more like common sense.

Why Israel recognized Somaliland before Ethiopia

From conversations we had on the ground last year in Addis, what came through wasn’t uncertainty so much as a careful weighing of risks. Many Ethiopians we spoke with were openly supportive of deeper ties with Somaliland, yet they were equally clear-eyed about why formal recognition hasn’t happened. Ethiopia’s long and sensitive border with Somalia looms large, and recognizing Somaliland would be read in Mogadishu as a direct challenge to Somalia’s territorial integrity.

Every time we left the city our driver needed to check security along the roads as violent insurgencies are common in Ethiopia.

After decades spent trying to prevent further instability along that frontier—while coordinating on security and counter-militancy—few in Addis Ababa see value in provoking a diplomatic rupture at an already fragile moment. But Israel, on the other hand, can do it. Ethiopians already wave the flag of Israel in admiration and see an ancient thread of connection between their two sovereign nations –– back from when their Queen Sheba went to Jerusalem to meet the Jewish King Solomon.

Ethiopians also pointed to a more internal calculation. Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic federation still navigating its own political strains, and formally recognizing a breakaway state elsewhere in Africa risks opening doors Addis Ababa would rather keep closed.

As host of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia is also steeped in the long-standing norm of preserving colonial-era borders, however imperfect they may be. For now, the country secures most of what it needs without crossing that line: port access, security cooperation, and deepening trade.

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Rainwater tanks have become an essential item in Israel where people are afraid that an Iranian attack will threaten their domestic water supply. But like the ancient Nabateans who knew how to sequester water in the desert, the modern Swiss collect water from farm roofs and homes to water their gardens. They may pay a tax in Switzerland, but the rain is either free or cheap and it’s charged with beautiful ions that plants love.

It might seem obvious but in countries starving and on the brink of disaster from an internal terror group taking over, Yemeni farmers are finding relief in growing their harvest but getting access to basic farming tools such as rainwater collection systems. The UN is helping give them the know how to build rainwater tanks. The Houthis in Yemen are using water as a weapon in war. But a not so sophisticated water pool can pull people out of misery

The UN reports that Yemen’s agriculture sector, a lifeline for millions and a cornerstone of the nation’s economy, has been severely affected by extreme climate change. Continued conflict with the Houthis has further exacerbated the situation, contributing to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and widespread food insecurity.

In an effort to address water scarcity caused by climate change, two rainwater harvesting tanks were constructed in in Bait Al-Samhi Village, Dhamar Governorate, improving access to water for community members. Each rainwater tank has the capacity to hold 940 cubic metres of water.

Fouad, a farmer in Bait Al-Samhi Village, is confident that the project will significantly increase production in the coming season. He explains, “We rely on rainfall to irrigate our crops. During the winter, our lands become dry, and agriculture ceases due to the lack of irrigation water. Before the project, the situation was very difficult. We had no source to irrigate our crops after the rains stopped, which led to crop failure and financial losses. Now, after the project, the situation has changed. I can farm even after the rainy season.”

Rainwater harvesting tanks enhance food security for families by supporting farmers to reclaim degraded agricultural lands, and improve irrigation systems. Mutee, the coordinator of the local community committee, says, “Climate change has affected agricultural lands in the region. Due to water scarcity, many people have abandoned farming.”

Related: The man from Japan who watered Afghanistan

Mutee explains that the project was implemented to ensure continued farming activities of the local population, which is their primary source of income.

He adds, “The project has positively impacted community members by expanding their cultivated lands, increasing crop production, and improving their living conditions.”

Saeeda, a mother of five, pictured below, was strongly affected by land degradation due to climate change.

She says, “I grow corn and vegetables during the rainy season, but in winter, farming stops due to water scarcity.”

She explains how the rainwater harvesting tanks will enable her to continue farming after the rainy season.

“Now, I have been able to cultivate two plots of land and will increase the cultivated area with the irrigation from the tanks. Things have changed, and I feel happy when I see my farm green and the crops thriving without damage.” Saeeda hopes her land will remain green enough to cultivate several times in a single season.

The project has created job opportunities for local community members in Bait Al-Samhi, providing income and helping them to acquire new skills through a cash-for-work program.

Related: can clay jugs filter water?

Bader, a father of six and a community member who worked on the rainwater harvesting tanks project, says, “The project provided me with a temporary job for 45 days, which helped me support my family and meet their basic needs while serving the community.”

“In addition to improving agricultural production in the long term, the rainwater harvesting tanks have created job opportunities to help people financially,” says Abdullah, an engineer and project officer with UNDP’s local partner, SFD. Pictured below.

Related: 5 ways to use air conditioning water

The project has increased local farming areas and improved food security by providing approximately 124 farmers with access to alternative water sources.

A great start. Now how can all farmers get access to this beautiful and easy opportunity?

Study the opportunity to help Yemen below (in Arabic).

UNDP Yemen — Rainwater tanks bring relief to farmers in Dhamar, Yemen [AR]

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On Yemen’s West Coast, families endure long daily treks to collect water – a lifeline that remains scarce for millions. Photo: Moayad Zaghdani 

Families on Yemen’s West Coast often rely on unsafe water sources, increasing the risk of disease as clean water remains difficult to access. Photo: Moayad Zaghdani 

IOM’s water projects in Hays and Yakhtol are providing vital relief to thousands of displaced families and local residents, ensuring access to clean water in one of Yemen’s most water-scarce regions. Photo: IOM/Moayad Zaghdani 

Sami, a father of twelve in the Hays displacement camp, constantly worries that his children will miss school to fetch water. Photo: IOM/Moayad Zaghdani 

Despite the challenges in accessing water, Yemeni parents hold onto hope for a future where education can be prioritized. Photo: IOM/Moayad Zaghdani 

The post The Fight for Water in Yemen’s Drying Land appeared first on Green Prophet.

Saudi Arabia is pouring billions of its oil profits from its family-owned oil business Saudi Aramco to make Saudi Arabia an attractive destination for Westerners. Saudi Arabia wants to rival the United Arab Emirates in its openness to Western values and business. It was not long ago (6 years) that Saudi Arabian women were allowed to drive. But now with the investment into Saudi Arabia’s mega-developments called Neom, the country has started inviting and paying American influencers to live in the15-minute city being created at the Red Sea, called The Line.

South Africa influencer Jessica Ashley Herman has moved into a Neom complex in Saudi Arabia with her family, and commenters on social media, X are not kind. “Low security prison vibes,” writes one user.

“Is this supposed to convince people to work out in the desert for a penal colony?”

Below is the video she posted on TikTok.

“Looks like nothing any sane person would want to live the rest of one’s life.”

“Dude this is the stuff of nightmares.”

“Oil pipeline camp vibes.”

“We were promised stuff from an 80s sci-fi film and we got an 80s office park.”

Planned cities are difficult to build. When the United Arab Emirates built Masdar as the world’s first zero-carbon city, good thing they kept the flop of a city small. It never became a thing, and when engineering students moved into it they weren’t even allowed to write about it and its problems. We did have a secret submission years ago. It’s posted here.

So what about you? Think you will relocate to Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia is investing billions to make the desert and Red Sea area the playground for the rich and famous hoping it can become the new Cannes. We believe that a city without a purpose and a heart will flop.

Also worth noting, the Houthis had been firing rockets at Saudi Arabia before they took up the cause to support the Hamas and fire rockets at Israel. If Saudi Arabia can’t join some peacekeeping force ASAP no westerner will want to set foot anywhere close to the Red Sea.

The post Life at Neom, a 15-minute city in Saudi Arabia: looks like a penal colony says X user appeared first on Green Prophet.

The Bible calls the Land of Israel the Land of Milk and Honey. We are urban beekeepers and the honey in Israel is divine. Another contestant for being a honey country is Yemen, on the coast of the Red Sea. We’ve tasted raw honey from Yemen (read about the 8 kinds, some from the sidr tree) and next Sunday, the activities of the National Festival of Yemeni Honey and Bee Products will be launched in Al Sabeen Park in Sana’a under the slogan “Yemen the home of honey”.

Related: The Houthis sing a song for Israel and the Yemen Jews sing back

The festival, organized by the Honey Unit of the Higher Agricultural and Fisheries Committee and the Ministry of Agriculture aims to promote Yemeni honey, revive its status, market Yemeni brands of this cash crop globally, as well as enhance its role in economic growth and reach self-sufficiency with its products.

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world, and like the Hezbollah has taken over Lebanon, Yemen is home to the Houthis, a global Islamic terror group that operates as a state within the state.

Related: How the Houthis use water as a weapon for war

Radwan Al-Rubai from the agricultural ministry said that the festival will be an annual event seeking to promote Yemeni honey of various types and high quality.

The UN is playing an active role in supporting beekeepers in Yemen. And we know from our friend in Israel that Bees for Peace, a project by beekeeper Yossi Oud, works to keep women from all religions and walks of life connected to nature and to a means for making their own money.

Al-Rubai said that Yemen bees are different from all types of bees in the world, and the honey is extracted in areas free of chemicals. Beekeepers do use toxic chemicals to control varoa mites and it would be difficult to know whether or not if these products are being used by individual beekeepers.

The new soon-to-be annual honey festival, to last 6 days, feature Yemen’s honey associations, producers and marketers of honey from a number of governorates. The week will include scientific sessions and seminars on honey productivity managed by experts and researchers in this field. Yemen is also home to unusual socotra tree or dragon tree that bleeds. We wonder what honey from this flowering tree might taste like.

Yemen is one of the world’s poorest and driest countries. Its aquifers are expected to run dry by 2030.

The post Yemen rebranding as the home of honey appeared first on Green Prophet.

On her way to collect water. Photo Credit: UNDP Yemen/2021

In Yemen there are “girls who don’t have an education because they must spend their entire day walking hours to carry back water that is far too heavy for their bodies.”

In a bid to control and subvert the nonviolent people in Yemen, Houthi rebels use water as a weapon, says a new report. Women and younger women are especially put in harm’s way.

According to New Security Beat the Houthis are blocking and restricting water to the Yemeni population.

“Water has absolutely had an impact on women in a much more acute way in Yemen,” says report co-author, Niku Jafarnia. “It’s an area where the gender discrepancy is obvious, particularly among younger girls.

“One large impact is that girls have had to drop out of school to go and get water. We published a short piece in November on a lack of water and electricity in Aden, where there’s evidence that girls have dropped out of school. Aden is the most well off and stable part of the country, yet you still see girls who don’t have an education because they must spend their entire day walking hours to carry back water that is far too heavy for their bodies.

“It’s a treacherous journey. Just by virtue of walking long distances in rural areas, there’s a higher likelihood that you might run into a landmine. There’s also obviously potential for encountering sexual and gender-based violence. Activists have told us that this wasn’t as large of an issue in the past, but has become more widespread recently.

Read Also: The Yemeni Jews write a song for the Houthis

“Globally, women are usually in charge of the household, and are the caretakers, and so they will be the last ones to drink and eat when there’s a shortage of something. So I would imagine across the board, it’s hard to track these sorts of impacts. But it’s going to have an impact on women’s health as well, based on the fact that they’ll probably be the last ones to take water for themselves.”

Green Prophet has written about the Houthi conflict over the last years, mobilizing green groups like Greenpeace to help remove environmental dangers like the FSO Safer, a ship full of oil they captured, out of their control. We also were the first to ask Greenpeace why they haven’t been condemning the Houthis for sinking ships in the Red Sea. They have never replied.

Yemen has been water-starved for decades and was the first to have the world’s only waterless capital. If we want to help the starving, oppressed Yemeni people, the world needs to help stop the Houthis. They are global terrorists, the same as ISIS, Boko Haram, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Al Qaeda.

The post How the Houthis use water as weapon in Yemen appeared first on Green Prophet.

The Voices of Yemen, a group of Yemenite Jews who sing Jewish liturgical songs from Yemen, are tired of the Houthis attacking ships in the Red Sea. On Tuesday this week, a Houthi missile, in solidarity with the Hamas, hit Israel’s southernmost town, Eilat.

Last week the Yemeni Jews were challenged to write a song for the Houthis before a recent performance at the East West House in Jaffa. And on short notice, they delivered. Watch the video below.

The Houthis are known for their vile antisemitism and wrote a song for Israelis and Jews in 2022. You can see the video here: “We will let them taste our might and the heat of the piercing swords, and tomorrow we will see Jerusalem cleansed of the filth of the Jews.”

The lyrics in the Jewish Yemenite song repeat:

Houthis in Yemen I feel sorrow and mercy for you

We want your songs

Not your rockets

Voices of Yemen was created in 2021 by Ravid Kahalani of Yemen Blues.

Born in Israel to a Yemenite family, Ravid was steeped in the rich tapestry of his ancestry from an early age. Yet, it was the music of his roots that truly captivated him. With each note sung by his grandmother, he felt the essence of Yemen coursing through his veins, a connection to a land he had never seen.

As he grew, Ravid’s passion for music flourished. He immersed himself in the diverse sounds of the world, from the soulful rhythms of Africa to the haunting melodies of the Middle East. His voice became a vessel for storytelling, a conduit for the experiences of his people.

It was this unwavering commitment that led Ravid to form the groundbreaking band, “Yemen Blues.” With its eclectic fusion of genres, the group quickly garnered international acclaim, captivating audiences from Tel Aviv to Tokyo. Through their music, they celebrated the beauty of diversity, inviting listeners to embrace cultures beyond their own.

Yet, for Ravid, the true measure of success lay not in fame or fortune, but in the connections forged through his art. Whether performing on stage or teaching workshops in underserved communities, he sought to inspire others to find their voice and embrace their heritage with pride.

Today, as the echoes of Ravid’s songs continue to resonate around the world, his legacy endures as a testament to the power of music to bridge divides and foster understanding.

Can a wish for music bring a more peaceful future?

The Voice of Yemen are: Yair Tzabari: vocals, percussion, oud, Aviad Yihye: vocals, percussion Ravid Kahalani: vocals, percussion Boaz Gadka: vocals, oil can, percussion.

The post Yemen Jews in Israel have a song for the Houthis appeared first on Green Prophet.

Yemen is all over the news the last couple of months as the Houthi terrorists play a role in Israel’s war against Hamas. As a sustainable news reporter, I’ve been interested in Yemen because as much of the Middle East progresses, Yemen with its internal conflicts remains one of the world’s driest and hungriest cultures.

Most of the Jews from Yemen have immigrated to Israel over the years when they felt it was unsafe for them there. So there is a lot of information from the Diaspora culture about life in Yemen, which is rarely known. Sadly, the latest persecution by Houthis over the last several years have had what’s left of the Jewish community fleeing for their lives.

What I have learned over the years is that Yemen has a treasure trove of food traditions, natural building traditions and unspoiled nature and natural medicines for the world to explore.

Here’s an overview of what I have learned and what could be sustainable development target goals for any leader or group that wants to put the Houthis out of power. These are soft approaches that could help the local people earn income from cottage industry products, tourism and passing on sustainable building methods.

Yemeni honey: The Sidr tree appears in the Jewish Bible, the New Testament and the Quran where it is mentioned as being one of the plants of paradise. Have you tasted the honey from paradise? Sidr tree honey from Yemen is believed to be one of the best medicines on earth. More about Yemeni honey here.

Yemen has a special island called Socotra, home to a unique tree that bleeds when cut. The dragon blood tree is medicine. It was an impossible mission to get to Socotra Island in the good days. These days, forget about it. Conflict does have a way of protecting nature from over-tourism.

This knock-out hot sauce from Yemen improves every dish. Here are 2 recipes. One from a famous Israeli chef. We like to ferment our peppers first.

Make your own fresh, whole wheat pita the Yemini way – with two fingers, one hand, and instructions from a Yemenite grand-daughter who taught us this step by step method. Learn the way!

When a Jewish Orthodox grandmother from Israel pulls a Vice move to find ghat in Israel––> This is what she learned. More than 10 years ago, drinking the Yemenite habit was for hipsters in Tel Aviv. It’s still one of the countries where addictive ghat is not exactly banned.

Yemen has a promising oil and natural gas industry for exports but Houthis who hold oil tankers hostage and possibly sabotage pipelines make it difficult for Yemen to be taken seriously. Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world and UNICEF says people are at risk for starvation. Climate change is making it one of the driest.

We’d love to visit Yemen one day and finally adore up close Shibam, Yemen’s mud Manhattan of the Middle East.

What do you love about Yemen?

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