Discussing the Religious Festivals Coming Up in the Middle East and North Africa

In this week's podcast, join your host Valeria Scuto, our Middle East, North Africa and Turkey Analyst, along with Rhiannon Phillips and Anastasia Chisholm, our Associate Analysts, discuss the multiple religious festivities in the Middle East and North Africa regions taking place over the coming month, amid a significant uptick in violent attacks and conflict escalations.

Notably, Israel has witnessed one of the deadliest weeks in years, both in terms of ethno-religious and terrorist violence, heightening concerns over a return to protracted levels of inter-communal violence ahead of the holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover.

Equally, regional leaders express anxieties over the true longevity of the current ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudi-led Coalition, and whether any further escalation in the trajectory of the conflict will sustain the risk of cross-border attacks. Finally, the global economic fallout of the Russia – Ukraine conflict will likely place additional pressures on deepening food insecurities in the region, particularly in countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Lebanon. As such, rising food prices and soaring inflation rates represent the primary drivers of civil unrest in the coming weeks.