Senior fellow and executive director of the North Africa Initiative at the School of Advaced International Studies Foreign Policy Institute, at the John Hopkins University, Hafed Al Ghewell, says any blockage to the Red Sea will have dire consequences on commodities from China headed to north and west Africa and also Europe, as shipping costs may rise drastically as much as tripple.

The escalating conflict in the Middle East has led to the United States and the United Kingdom to carry out air strikes on Houthi targets with the aim of deterring attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea.

The Houthis, who emerged in the 1980s as an armed group in opposition to Saudi Arabia's Sunni religious influence in Yemen, say they are supporting Hamas by striking commercial ships which are either linked to Israel or are heading to Israeli ports. Their attacks have affected global shipping between Asia and Europe through the Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen, forcing commercial ships to take a longer, costlier route around Africa, creating concern about inflation and supply chain disruption.

There are fears that oil prices could also go up. Speaking to Channel Africa News reporter, Thuto Ngobeni , Hafed started by explaining what the Houthis aim to gain by escalating the conflict....