Simon Rynn

"The Ruen hijacking was likely carried out by Somalia-based pirates," said Simon Rynn, senior research fellow for African Security at the Royal United Services Institute. "The resurgence coincides with the Houthi campaign against Israeli-linked shipping but if there is a connection it would at most be due to counter-piracy actors being distracted."

Simon Rynn, a senior research fellow in charge of African security at London-based Royal United Security Institute, or RUSI, says the diplomatic withdrawal by South Africa and Chad indicate a clear perspective by some Africa states on the conflict. "In Libya, protests broke out in August at mere reports of contact with Israel. The U.N.-backed government's minister was fired in August after it emerged that she had met with the Israeli foreign minister. Libya doesn't recognize the state of Israel," Rynn said.

According to Simon Rynn, a​ senior research fellow on African security at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, “There are so many factors pushing in [the] direction” of more coups in the region. “So many countries have had contested elections or have third-term presidents clinging to power, or have high insecurity or a stagnant economy,” Rynn told Al Jazeera. “We don’t know where might be affected by coup plotting next, but places like Cameroon, Togo, Senegal, Benin are all struggling in various ways.”