Author
Articles by Amara Okonkwo
MENA News
Tunisia's summer of discontent: heatwave deaths meet fifth-year protests
A record heatwave with a week of blackouts has left 150 to 200 reported dead as protesters marked five years of Kais Saied's emergency rule on July 25-26 demanding his resignation.
Amara Okonkwo
MENA News
Houthis declare naval blockade of Saudi Arabia as Red Sea war widens
The July 20 declaration was followed by claimed attacks on Saudi vessels and Red Sea ports including oil infrastructure, extending the Iran war's maritime front to the kingdom's western seaboard.
Amara Okonkwo
MENA News
Syria's transitional government reaches midyear with reform tests ahead
Six months after the January ceasefire with the SDF, the interim administration is courting foreign investment and drafting a constitution while security challenges and a slow reconstruction economy define the baseline.
Amara Okonkwo
MENA News
Iraq's new customs duties set off merchant protests across the country
Demonstrations spread in early July over tariff measures merchants say squeeze an import economy already hit by war-driven trade costs, landing on a government navigating militia disarmament deadlines.
Amara Okonkwo
MENA News
IMF cuts MENA growth to 1.1 percent on the Iran war
The Fund's July 8 update slashes the Middle East and Central Asia outlook to 0.7 percent for 2026, with MENA at 1.1 percent, as the war's supply shock and Hormuz closure ripple through the region's economies.
Amara Okonkwo