Africa: Western Troops Have Been Expelled From Africa's Sahel - So Why Are Italy's Carabinieri Still There?

Western forces have largely beat a hasty retreat from Africa's coup-prone Sahel region in recent years. Read more »

West Africa: The Sahel Region Is Less Secure Than Ever - Foreign Forces Just Add to the Cycle of Violence

Several of Mali's major cities experienced coordinated attacks in April by a new coalition of jihadists and separatist groups. Read more »

Mali: Mali's Military Leader Is Consolidating Power. Why This Is Dangerous

Malian officials announced on 4 May 2026 that junta leader General Assimi Goïta would take on the post of defence minister after the killing of General Sadio Camara a week… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: DR Congo Is Sending in the Military to Guard Mines and Critical Minerals. Will It Be Enough?

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is taking an unusual step to secure its critical minerals. It plans to create a new paramilitary unit to protect mining sites and transport… Read more »

Mali: Mali's Armed Groups Fill a Government Vacuum - Addressing This Is Key to Ending the Violence

Mali has been in a state of political turmoil since 2012. That year saw a military coup as well as armed groups taking over northern regions of the west African country. In the… Read more »

Somalia: China's Military Support for Somalia Is On the Rise - What Taiwan and Somaliland Have to Do With It

China recently pledged to expand military support to Somalia in its fight against al-Shabaab militants. Beijing has promised equipment, training and closer security cooperation… Read more »

Mozambique: Mozambique Relies On Rwanda's Troops to Fight Terrorism - What Happens If They Leave?

Rwanda has threatened to withdraw its troops from Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, signalling a potentially decisive shift in the southern African country's security… Read more »

Nigeria: U.S. Troops in Nigeria to Help Fight Terrorism Could End Up Making It Worse - Analyst

The recent deployment of US soldiers in Nigeria to assist the west African country in its counterterrorism campaign could worsen Nigeria's insecurity. Read more »

South Africa: Warships As Diplomats - How the South African Navy Is Tasked With Building Ties With Other Nations

A naval exercise off the South African coast in January 2026, dubbed Will for Peace and involving the warships of South Africa, China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and… Read more »

Uganda: Joseph Kony - How a Ugandan War Criminal and His Soldiers Have Evaded Capture and Endured for Decades

Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), remains at large two decades after the International Criminal Court issued its first arrest warrants against him and… Read more »

Africa: Africa's Militaries Have Always Relied On Imported Weapons - Why a Shift to Homegrown Defence Is Now Under Way

Africa's militaries are built on imported power. Foreign countries such as China, Russia, the United States, Turkey and France dominate Africa's weapons market. Between them they… Read more »

Africa: Should South Africa Use the Army to Fight Gangs? the Short Answer Is No

When President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the deployment of the South African National Defence Force to the provinces of Gauteng and the Western Cape in his 2026 State of the Nation… Read more »

South Africa: South Africa Is Sending in the Army to Fight Crime (Again). Does It Ever Work?

Soldiers from the South African National Defence Force are going to be deployed alongside members of the South African Police Service to combat gangs and armed groups associated… Read more »

Sudan: How Warring Factions Gained Influence in the Country's Food System - and What It Means for the Current Conflict

Militaries play a major role in the politics of many countries. They determine whether elections can occur and who can compete. From Egypt to Pakistan and Myanmar to Uganda, the… Read more »

South Sudan: South Sudan's White Army Explained - What It Is - and What It Isn't

The UN issued warnings of potential mass violence between the South Sudanese government and the White Army in January 2026. A peace agreement ended a five-year civil war in the… Read more »

Nigeria: The Pluses and Minuses of U.S. Airstrikes in Northern Nigeria

A month before the US carried out its Christmas day attack on militants linked to the Islamic State group (IS) in north-western Nigeria, president Donald Trump had declared Nigeria… Read more »

Sudan: Sudan's Civil War - a Visual Guide to the Brutal Conflict

Sudan's brutal civil war has dragged on for more than 2½ years, displacing millions and killing in excess of 150,000 people - making it among the most deadly conflicts in… Read more »

Africa: Coup Contagion? a Rash of African Power Grabs Suggests Copycats Are Taking Note of Others' Success

In a scene that has become familiar across parts of Africa of late, a group of armed men in military garb appeared on state TV on Dec. 7, 2025, to announce that they had suspended… Read more »

Africa: Coups in Africa - How Democratic Failings Help Shape Military Takeovers - Study

Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea and Gabon have all suffered regime change in the last five years, led by men in military uniform. Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Roger Lumbala Is Accused of Horrific War Crimes in DR Congo - Can His Trial in France Bring Justice?

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been called "the worst place on earth to be a woman" and "the rape capital of the world". A 2014 survey estimated that 22% of women and… Read more »

Senegal: Thiaroye Massacre - Report On the French Killing of Senegalese Troops in 1944 Exposes a Painful History

The Thiaroye camp near Dakar was a Senegalese army barracks housing African soldiers called "tirailleurs sénégalais" (Senegalese riflemen). It welcomed men returning… Read more »

Benin: Benin's Failed Coup - Three Factors Behind the Takeover Attempt

Military elements attempted to topple Benin's government in early December 2025. However, unlike other coups across the Sahel and west Africa since 2020, this bid triggered a… Read more »

Guinea Bissau: Guinea-Bissau Coup - Election Uncertainty Has Triggered Military Takeovers Before

Guinea-Bissau has had nine attempted coups and five successful ones since its independence in September 1973. Salah Ben Hammou, a researcher with a focus on the politics of… Read more »

Nigeria: Nigeria's New Terror Threat - JNIM Is Spreading but It's Not Too Late to Act

The Sahel region, south of the Sahara, is notorious for being the global epicentre of terrorism. With a combined population of 75 million people, the region has accounted for more… Read more »

Africa: Africa's Drone Wars Are Growing - but They Rarely Deliver Victory

In the last decade, armed drones have become one of the most visible symbols of modern warfare. Once the preserve of advanced militaries, armed drones are now widely available on… Read more »