After becoming the first UN member to recognise the breakaway territory of Somaliland, Israel is now quietly planning for a potential base at the mouth of the Red Sea from which to strike one of the Iran’s last proxies still operating at full strength: the Houthis of Yemen.

On this episode of the Next Africa podcast, Jennifer Zabsajja is joined by Bloomberg’s Simon Marks and our Israel bureau chief Ethan Bronner to discuss why Somaliland is strategically important to to Israel, what Israeli military presence on the horn of Africa could look like, and what impact it could have across the region.

You can read Simon Mark’s reporting from Somaliland here and for more stories from the region, subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter here.

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US Lawmakers have called on Nigeria to repeal Sharia law in the country’s north as they probe US President Donald Trump’s unfounded allegations of Christian persecution in the country. This follows previous unfounded claims from the US administration of a white genocide in South Africa. On this week's episode of the Next Africa Podcast Jennifer Zabasajja talks to Bloomberg's Deputy Managing Editor for the Middle East and Africa Neil Munshi and our South Africa government reporter S’thembile Cele about how Nigerian Christians and White South Africans have become a big issue in Washington DC and what impact it’s having on US African relations.

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Oil and gas supply routes are coming under pressure as the conflict in Iran intensifies, bringing fears of an energy price shock that could hit many African economies.

On this week’s episode, Bloomberg’s Energy Reporter Stephen Stapczynski and Bloomberg Economics Africa Economist Yvonne Mhango join Jennifer Zabasajja to discuss what’s happening to energy prices, and which countries in Africa are most exposed to an oil price shock.

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