The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Subregional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA), has called on Southern African countries to accelerate regional integration, strengthen economic resilience and implement coordinated policy responses to mitigate the growing impacts of the ongoing Middle East crisis.

The call was made during a High-Level Regional Dialogue on “Implications of the Middle East Crisis on Southern Africa: Assessing Impacts, Ongoing Mitigation Measures and Building Regional Resilience,” which brought together senior government officials, representatives of regional economic communities, United Nations Resident Coordinators, development partners, private sector leaders, civil society organisations, and policy experts.

Opening the dialogue, Eunice G. Kamwendo, Director of ECA’s Subregional Office for Southern Africa, warned that the crisis represents another major external shock following the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine conflict, threatening to reverse the region’s hard-won macroeconomic gains.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN- ECA) is working assiduously to drive transformative change across the continent, with a renewed focus on accelerating implementation and delivering results.

The 2nd Quarter Annual Programme Performance Review Meeting (APPRM) of the EAC, held in Addis Ababa from 17-19 June, showcased ECA’s commitment to advancing key priorities, including the AfCFTA, regional value chains, technology and digital transformation, macro-economic policy, finance and planning.

To drive progress, ECA is taking bold steps to accelerate its work program, aiming to achieve 75% of its annual deliverables by the 3rd Quarter APPRM. The organisation is strengthening partnerships with the African Union and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to fast-track implementation of Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030.

Key initiatives include, among others, the development of three regional value chains for intensified focus, convening the Committee on Climate Change, Blue Economy, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Management, and launching a pioneering training course on Economic Diplomacy for young diplomats.

In an exclusive interview with i24NEWS on Wednesday, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said he could not rule out the possibility of an Israeli military base on Somaliland soil in the future while announcing that direct flights between Israel and the capital Hargeisa would begin “very soon.”

Speaking to i24NEWS’s Middle East Now anchor and correspondent Nicole Zedeck during his historic first public state visit to Israel, Abdullahi said the opening of Somaliland’s first-ever embassy in Jerusalem was a natural extension of the two countries’ relationship. “Normally, embassies are opened in the capitals of individual countries that recognize each other,” he said, adding that Israel was the only country to respond to a letter he sent to 193 nations in May 2025 requesting recognition.

Abdullahi was keen to push back on the characterization of Somaliland as a breakaway region, noting that his country declared independence on June 26, 1960, five days before Somalia, making it older than Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea, and roughly half the countries on the African continent. “We are not breakaway,” he said. “We became a sovereign country on 26 June, 1960.”

The National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) has released the verified and endorsed overall results of the 7th national general election, which was held on June 1, 2026. In this election, the ruling Prosperity Party achieved a major victory by securing a wide majority, winning 438 out of the 501 contested parliamentary seats for the House of Peoples’ Representatives.

When announcing the verified final results, the Deputy Chairperson of the Board, Tesfaye Neway, explained how the parliamentary seats were distributed among various political forces. According to the results released on June 21, 2026, although the Prosperity Party emerged dominant, several competing parties and independent candidates also managed to secure parliamentary seats.

Accordingly, Ethiopian Citizens for Social Justice (Ezema) secured 13 parliamentary seats through its high participation in various areas, while the National Movement of Amara won 6 seats in the House of Peoples’ Representatives from its contest in the Amhara region. Additionally, Medrek obtained 3 parliamentary seats in the Sidama region, while the remaining seats were distributed among other parties and independent candidates who competed across regions.