International

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Sudan’s Army Gains Ground in Kordofan as War Strains Power and Food Systems$

Sudan’s army is expanding its position in the central part of the country as its civil war against the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, enters another critical phase. Recent fighting in North Kordofan has given the army control of additional territory and key roads,...

Sahel: Niger Emerges as Key Battleground as JNIM and Islamic State Collide$

A rival jihadist war may be heating up in the Sahel, and Niger could be the place where the conflict could turn into a major strategic contest. The latest reporting and claims suggest that the rivalry between JNIM, the al-Qaeda-aligned network, and the Islamic State...

The Nigeria Precedent: Why Degrading One Group Won’t Secure Mali$

Since late December 2025, US Africa Command has been conducting airstrikes in northern Nigeria alongside the Nigerian military, targeting ISWAP and Boko Haram fighters. The campaign escalated in May 2026 into a joint offensive combining special forces raids with...

Sahel: How Gold and Jihadist Violence Are Redrawing the Guinea-Mali Border$

Along the border between Guinea and Mali, two forces are reshaping the landscape: armed jihadist groups pushing south from the Sahel, and a rapidly expanding gold economy that reaches from small riverside pits to industrial mines. Together, they are transforming...

Behind the Algeria-Mali Rapprochement: Security, Trade and a Sahel Reorder$

For 15 months, Algeria and Mali were locked in a diplomatic standoff that froze airspace, stalled ambassadorial contacts, and deepened mistrust over how to handle the war in the Sahel. In early July, Bamako and Algiers jointly moved to restore relations, with the...

North Africa and the Sahel on Alert Over Locust Upsurge$

An upsurge of desert locusts is taking shape in Northwest Africa, with Morocco currently facing the highest pressure while Algeria, Mauritania, and Sahel countries prepare for possible summer migrations. Recent reports from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization...

The Nigeria Precedent: Why Degrading One Group Won’t Secure Mali$

Seven months into an air campaign against ISWAP and Boko Haram, Nigeria’s broader insecurity crisis remains largely untouched. As Washington weighs a similar strike option against JNIM in Mali, the Nigeria case raises hard questions about what airpower can actually buy.

Behind the Algeria-Mali Rapprochement: Security, Trade and a Sahel Reorder$

A tactical thaw in the Sahel is reshaping Algeria’s ties with Mali, but the deeper conflict over northern Mali remains unresolved.

German Think Tank Accuses the UAE of Destabilizing Africa$

A report published by Germany’s Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik accuses the United Arab Emirates of playing a destabilizing role in several African conflicts through support for armed groups, logistical networks, and regional interventions. The report focuses particularly on Sudan, Libya, the Horn of Africa, and Yemen, while also criticizing Western governments for avoiding direct public criticism of Abu Dhabi.

Trump Sends Controversial Envoy to South Africa at a Diplomatic Low Point$

Leo Brent Bozell III has arrived in Pretoria as the new U.S. ambassador to South Africa, stepping into one of the most strained periods in bilateral relations in recent years. His appointment, amid disputes over Israel, Afrikaner rights allegations, and diplomatic expulsions, reflects a politically charged moment that could redefine the trajectory of U.S.–South Africa ties.

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