Opinion

How gold has become the lifeblood of Sudan’s war economy

As the civil war in Sudan rages on, the devastation is increasingly measured in troy ounces and metric tonnes. Before the conflict began, the country officially produced 87 tonnes of gold annually, a figure that plummeted to just 2 tonnes within five months of fighting.Yet this collapse masks a more...

Opinion

A silent crisis on the Mediterranean

For thousands of years, the Mediterranean Sea has been synonymous with human mobility and progress. But now its illustrious history is being tainted by the silent human tragedy that is unfolding there.The sharp increase in attempts by desperate migrants to cross the treacherous waters between Africa...

Opinion

A planet on fire

In recent weeks, the world has seen an alarming surge in long-lasting and extreme heat waves that should serve as a stark warning of the devastating effects of runaway climate change, as documented in previous years across parts of the Middle East and North Africa. Heat waves, like the one the regio...