Somalia: AU Peacekeepers Are Leaving Somalia - What Needs to Happen to Keep the Peace

The phased withdrawal of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) began earlier this year and is scheduled to end in December 2024. Read more »

Ethiopia: Amhara People Are Being Portrayed As the Enemy - the Dangerous History of Ethnic Politics

The Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency on 4 August 2023 and sent the military into the Amhara region to engage the Fano, a local armed militia. Some suggested that… Read more »

Gabon: Coup Has Been Years in the Making - Three Key Factors That Ended the Bongo Dynasty

The recent military intervention that put an end to the Bongo family's 56-year hold on power in Gabon has been many years in the making. Read more »

Central African Republic: Wagner, Conflict and Poverty Drive Death Rate Above Crisis Levels - but Where's the Aid?

The Central African Republic (CAR) is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its GDP per capita in 2022 was estimated at US$491 per year. Read more »

Gabon: Coup in Gabon - Ali Bongo the Eighth West African Leader to Be Ousted By Military in Two Years

Gabon's prime minister, Ali Bongo, has become the latest in a string of African leaders to be ousted by a military coup in recent years. Bongo, who had just won a third term in… Read more »

Gabon: Gabon Coup - Bongo's Rule Ended By Failed Promises and Shifting Alliances

The Bongo family's 56 year hold on power in Gabon was abruptly brought to an end with a military coup on 30 August. The military takeover happened hours after election results were… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: DRC - Rising Twirwaneho Rebel Group Highlights the Unending Volatility of the Country's East

The three-decade conflict in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has led to the proliferation of hundreds of armed groups. With the violence appearing to… Read more »

West Africa: Niger's Coup Weakens Regional Fight Against Boko Haram - Four Reasons Why

Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum was detained and deposed on 26 July by his military guard under the command of General Abdourahamane Tchiani. Read more »

Africa: Wagner Group - What Yevgeny Prigozhin's Death Means for Stability in Africa

The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin after his private jet crashed on August 23 has raised questions about the Wagner Group's future. Many in the west suspect Kremlin involvement in his… Read more »

Sudan: Sudan's Future Is Being Shaped By Guns and Money - Like Its Past

Like most contemporary wars, Sudan's war cannot be reduced to a contest between two sides. It is many other things, among them a gun class of constantly shifting coalitions of… Read more »

West Africa: Niger Is a Key Player in the Sahel Region - 4 Security Implications of the Coup

The Niger coup - the fifth in the Sahel and sixth in the broader west Africa region in three years - has pushed the region further into political unrest and insecurity. Read more »

Africa: Civilian Support for Military Coups Is Rising in Parts of Africa - Why the Reasons Matter

On the night of 13 January 1963, Togo's President Sylvanus Olympio was shot dead by rebels in the first military coup staged in Africa. A long list, as shown below, was to come.… Read more »

West Africa: Niger - Ecowas Military Intervention Could Trigger 3 Bad Outcomes

The threat of military force to end the coup in Niger has led to significant divisions in the region. Read more »

Nigeria: Bandits in Nigeria - How Protection Payments to Militias Escalate Conflict in the North-West

North-western Nigeria has become increasingly violent. This is due to the activities of militias, known locally as "bandits". These are loosely organised armed groups, reportedly… Read more »

Africa: Military Coups in Africa - Here's What Determines a Return to Civilian Rule

Slightly more than two years after Niger's first peaceful handover of power from one civilian president to another, the military seized power in July 2023. The coup - the fourth in… Read more »

West Africa: Niger Coup - Why an Ecowas-Led Military Intervention Is Unlikely

Hopes are fading for a quick resolution of Niger's coup or the potential use of force by the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) to free Nigerien president Mohammed… Read more »

Sudan: Sudan Needs to Accept Its Cultural Diversity - Urban Planning Can Help Rebuild the Country and Prevent Future Conflict

Sudan is rich in cultural, ethnic and racial diversity. The country's 48 million people come from 56 ethnic groups, with over 595 sub-ethnic groups, speaking more than 115… Read more »

Niger: What Caused the Coup in Niger? an Expert Outlines Three Driving Factors

At an emergency meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, on 30 July, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) demanded the "immediate release and reinstatement" of Niger's elected… Read more »

West Africa: Military Takeover Is a Setback for Democracy and U.S. Interests in West Africa

The West African nation Niger is under military rule following a coup in which President Mohamed Bazoum was overthrown and held captive by members of his own guard. Read more »

Cameroon: What Citizens Say About Ending Six Years of Anglophone Conflict

The armed conflict in Cameroon between separatist groups and the military is in its sixth year. Armed groups are fighting for secession of the English-speaking north-west and… Read more »

Mali: Mali Crisis - UN Peacekeepers Are Leaving After 10 Years - What's Needed for a Smooth Transition

The UN Security Council voted on 30 June 2023 to end its peacekeeping mission in Mali, Minusma, after Mali officially requested its complete withdrawal. Over 11,000 military… Read more »

Africa: Russia Summit Is an Opportunity for Africa to Unite On Ukraine and Get Wagner Out of the Continent

Two critical issues must be top of mind for African leaders when they meet President Vladimir Putin at the second Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg this week. Read more »

West Africa: Bola Tinubu Is the New Chair of Ecowas - the Burning Issues That Face the Nigerian President

Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was elected as chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on 9 July 2023. He took over from President Umaro Sissoco… Read more »

Mali: UN Troops to Withdraw From Mali - What Will Change in Terms of Security

On 30 June 2023, the UN Security Council voted unanimously to end the mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (Minusma). Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: DRC Violence Has Many Causes - the UN's Narrow Focus On Ethnicity Won't Help End Conflict

The UN Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo's 2023 mid-term report reduces the very complex causes of violence in the eastern part of the country to inter-communal… Read more »