Red Sea Disruption Hits Energy and Shipping: Houthis launched attacks across Saudi Arabia, injuring 70+ and temporarily halting operations at some power plants, raising the stakes for Red Sea freight costs and corridor reliability. Djibouti’s Port Still Dominates Ethiopia’s Trade: Djibouti handled 96.71% of Ethiopia’s seaborne cargo in 2025/26 (17.57m tonnes total), with road carrying ~80% inland and rail just under 19%—a reminder that Ethiopia’s “second gateway” plans still face hard capacity and pricing realities. Logistics Digitization in the Horn: Ethiopia’s ESL rolled out a digital customer self-service platform for cargo tracking, booking, demurrage management, digital payments and complaints, aiming to cut paper processes and modernize import/export flows. Digital Infrastructure Push: WIOCC secured $300m from Africa Finance Corporation and Vision Invest to expand open-access fibre, data centres and new subsea cable assets across Africa. Energy Integration Angle: A World Bank report says Ethiopia’s power exports (notably to Djibouti) helped halve Djibouti’s production costs, pointing to a wider East Africa electricity market—if cross-border wires and power trade constraints are solved. Sovereignty and Regional Pressure: Djibouti President Guelleh warned against foreign interference as Horn of Africa and Red Sea competition intensifies. Air Cargo Expansion: SolitAir launched freight services to Ghana via Accra, adding capacity for gold, foodstuff and perishables on its Africa network.