The power struggle in the Middle East is rippling across the Red Sea and fuelling Sudan’s bloody civil war. Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has “torn the country apart” since 2023, said The Times. Each side is backed by different Gulf countries and “their network of African allies.” Now, growing tension in the Gulf could cause the Sudan conflict to spread to neighboring countries.

How are the Gulf States involved?
The UAE has long been accused of supporting the RSF with weapons and funds. Experts believe it uses its ties to nearby countries, including Ethiopia, South Sudan, Libya and Chad, to support the paramilitaries. But Saudi Arabia and Qatar back the SAF, as do Turkey, Egypt and Eritrea. Even Iran has played a role, allegedly supplying Sudan’s army with drones and missiles.

What are their motives?
Access to Sudan’s ports is an advantage in the “contest for control of the Red Sea,” said Ahmed Soliman, of the think tank Chatham House, to The Times. Almost a third of global container shipping flows through the Suez Canal. 

Sudan sits at the “crossroads of the Red Sea, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel and North Africa,” said Shewit Woldemichael, a Sudan analyst at the International Crisis Group, on Al Jazeera. The civil war is an opportunity for nations to advance their own interests in a “rapidly changing and contested regional order.” 

Sudan’s “untapped” gold reserves are another motivating factor, said Middle East Eye. It’s Africa’s third-largest producer, and the UAE has established itself as a “global trading hub in gold.”

How has the conflict spread? 
Violence is increasing on Sudan’s borders with Chad and Libya. South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011, is also being pulled back into civil war. But the “most worrying theater for future conflict” is between Ethiopia and Eritrea, said The Times. The two nations signed a peace agreement in 2022, but Ethiopia has recently sent “tens of thousands of troops” north. Alliances have “crystallized” along the same lines as in Sudan: The UAE is backing Ethiopia, while Saudi Arabia and its allies have “thrown their weight behind Eritrea.” 

The mounting tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE may “overshadow” their joint peace proposal for Sudan, said Woldemichael. But the threat of Iran could also push the Gulf States to “set aside some of their differences” and “revive stalled diplomatic efforts to end the war.”

The country has adopted a sweeping new law that orders government agencies, private enterprises and parents to foster a “stronger sense of community among all ethnic groups” in the nation, said Lou Qinjian, a delegate to the National People’s Congress, at multiple outlets. The new “ethnic unity” mandate may sound benign, but critics say it could erase and diminish the cultural identities of Uyghurs, Mongolians and other minority groups in favor of the country’s dominant Han Chinese culture.

Binding minorities to the majority
Beijing wants China’s ethnic minorities to “blend in,” said The New York Times. Xi Jinping has “worked aggressively” during his decade in power to pressure minorities in Tibet and elsewhere to “identify first and foremost as patriotic citizens.” The new law furthers that mission with provisions that “touch on education, housing policy, entertainment and other areas.”

It orders that the Mandarin Chinese language be used in school instruction and other official business and that different ethnicities should live in mixed communities. The goal: to “bind China’s minorities” to the majority Han Chinese population, said the Times. There are 56 officially recognized ethnic groups in China, and “55 are getting squashed” by the change, said The Economist. 

Cracking down
China started its Sinicization of minority groups in the late 2000s, said BBC News. Monks have been arrested in Tibet, Uyghur Muslims have been sent to reeducation camps, and Mongolians have battled authorities to preserve the right to teach children their language. The new law is the latest attempt to “cement Xi’s push toward assimilation.” 

Chinese officials say the mandate was drafted after consultation with “representatives from ethnic minority communities,” said Reuters. The rules emphasize the “protection of cultural traditions and lifestyles of all ethnic groups,” said an editorial in China Daily, the state newspaper. Minority groups like Tibetans, Mongols, Hui, Manchus and Uyghurs comprise less than 10% of China’s population, said Reuters, but they live mostly in “regions that together cover roughly half of the country’s land area, much of it rich in natural resources.”

Julia butterflies land on the eyes of a caiman in the Pantanal wetlands of Brazil. The photo taken by Morris Hersko is among a set of previously unseen pictures from last year’s Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, released this week to mark the start of the 2026 competition.
Morris Hersko / Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Spring may beckon you outdoors, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t fresh reasons to make staying in worthwhile. From mold-breakers to high-octane adventures, the seasons’ releases offer something for everyone.

Pokémon Pokopia
Nintendo’s latest Pokémon game is breaking the franchise’s mold. Fans might be surprised to find that Pokopia is “pretty story-driven,” said TechRadar. There’s “ample side-questing, construction work and resource collection to be enjoyed,” but you will need to “progress through the main quest lines to unlock new powers, areas and Pokémon.” (out now; Nintendo Switch 2)

Life Is Strange: Reunion
The sequel to Life Is Strange: Double Exposure reunites two of the franchise’s main characters (pictured above), bringing the series’ original protagonist, Max Caulfield, back together with her original partner, Chloe Price. If Chloe’s absence “soured your feelings” toward Double Exposure, this newest installment may “win you over,” said Gaming Bible. (March 26; PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)

007 First Light
One of the most anticipated releases this year has players take control of a young James Bond as he completes early M16 missions that will earn him his 00 status. The thrilling action-adventure game is packed with the type of espionage you would expect from the franchise. Bond has had a “mixed legacy in gaming,” said Den of Geek, but with publisher IO Interactive’s history, 007 First Light could be the “start of a gaming renaissance for the super spy.” (May 25; Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S)