<p>Sub-Saharan Africa is a study in diversity. Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, the region is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources. It&rsquo;s no surprise that it captured the imagination of Europe&rsquo;s earliest explorers &mdash; and that it continues to capture the imagination of current world powers eager to exploit it. And yet despite the region&rsquo;s diversity, Sub-Saharan African countries have common challenges &mdash; transnational terrorism, rapid population growth, endemic poverty and corruption &mdash; that prevent them from capitalizing on their economic potential. The coming years will be critical for the region, especially as its political institutions mature in a rapidly globalizing world.</p>

Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Angola

Benin

Botswana

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Cabo Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Cote d'Ivoire

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Djibouti

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Gabon

Gambia

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea Bissau

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Madagascar

Malawi

Mali

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia

Niger

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Somalia

South Africa

Sudan

Eswatini

Tanzania

Togo

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

The Post-Apartheid Era Ends

The Politics of Pipelines

Old Leaders in a New Africa

Nigeria: Obstacles to Prosperity

Commodities: A Cautionary Tale

Crossing Borders

A Crude Recovery

Globalization

China in Transition

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

Assessments

Mexico

Israel

Palestinian Territories

China

A special session of the U.N. General Assembly is held on the Palestinian bid for full membership to the United Nations at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on May 10, 2024.

Economics

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Military & Security

Politics

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Mexico Ratifies a Controversial Judicial Reform, the U.N. Votes on a Palestinian Resolution

Snapshots

A man holds cedis, the Ghanan currency, notes in Accra, Ghana, on Dec. 1, 2022.

Social Issues

Ghana's adherence to its IMF program will likely see it enjoy rebounding economic growth in 2025, even if the country's upcoming elections and reliance on commodity exports pose short- and long-term risks.

Despite Downside Risks, Ghana Is Poised for a Progressive Economic Recovery

Chinese President Xi Jinping (center) and leaders from African nations assemble for a group photo at the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, China, on Sept. 5, 2024.

In a recent speech, Chinese President Xi laid out a $51 billion funding pledge for Africa, but fiscal and security constraints make a return to the heavy Chinese engagement of the mid-2010s highly unlikely.

China Commits to Long-Term Africa Ties, Even if Belt and Road Remains Muted

Middle East and North Africa

Libya

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Burkina Faso's junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore during a welcoming ceremony at the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 27, 2023.

Competition against the West will fuel Russia's outreach to Africa, but jihadist expansion in the Sahel will eventually force Moscow into tough policy decisions.

What the Future Holds for Russia in Africa

Mongolia

Germany

Supporters attend a campaign event for the left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) in Erfurt, eastern Germany, on Aug. 29, 2024, ahead of upcoming regional elections.

The Weekly Rundown: An Africa-China Summit, State Elections in Eastern Germany

Media

Podcasts

What are the power dynamics and sentiment at play within Ruto's coalition?

Essential Geopolitics: Kenya's Political and Economic Outlook

Egypt

Iran

Lebanon

Qatar

Vietnam

France

Yael Braun-Pivet, a French lawmaker for the ruling Renaissance party, delivers a speech after being reelected as National Assembly president following the third round of voting on July 18, 2024.

The Weekly Rundown: France Resumes Political Horse-Trading, Blinken Returns to Middle East

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Environmental conditions in the Sahel are likely to worsen due to desertification, rapid population growth and political instability. 

The Role of Desertification in Conflict in the Sahel

The skyline of the western section of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is seen on Dec. 28, 2020. 

Multilateral support will facilitate the country's debt restructuring, but the enactment of painful economic and monetary reforms could see more Ethiopians join ethnic militias in the short-to-medium term.

Ethiopia's IMF Deal Presages Long-Term Gains but Risks Fueling Security Challenges

United States

Venezuela

Australia

Japan

Philippines

United Kingdom

India

A motorcyclist looks at his phone in front of a National Electoral Council poster promoting the upcoming presidential election in Caracas, Venezuela, on July 23, 2024.

The Weekly Rundown: An Election in Venezuela, Economic Reforms in the U.K.

Global Elections

The Sept. 17 attack by militants of al Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, on Mali's capital Bamako caused the death of at least 77 people and wounded over 255 others, France 24 reported on Sept. 19, quoting security sources. 

Mali: Over 70 Killed, 250 Wounded in Al Qaeda Affiliate Attack on Bamako

Energy

Presidential candidates for Mozambique's ruling Frelimo party and opposition Renamo party have called for a renegotiation of existing liquified natural gas contracts with multinational energy companies, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 19.

Mozambique: General Election Campaign Prompts Calls To Renegotiate LNG Contracts

Deng Bol Aruai Bol, chair of the Common People's Alliance party and former leader of the Red Army Foundation, urged peaceful protests against the South Sudanese government's decision to extend the country's transitional period by two years, Sudans Post reported on Sept. 17.

South Sudan: Opposition Leader Calls for Protests After Transitional Period Extended

Ethiopia's Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, expelled Tigray interim regional administration leader Getachew Reda and 15 other senior party officials, citing embezzlement of public funds, Addis Standard reported on Sept. 17.

Ethiopia: TPLF Expels Leader of Tigray Interim Administration as Internal Rift Widens

Ghana's opposition National Democratic Congress party, or NDC, held nationwide demonstrations on Sept. 17 to denounce alleged irregularities in the Electoral Commission's voters' registry, Reuters reported on Sept. 18.

Ghana: Opposition Issues Ultimatum to Electoral Commission After Nationwide Demonstrations

Al Qaeda-affiliated group Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, claimed responsibility for attacks on the Faladie military camp and a military base at the Modibo Keita International Airport (also known as Bamako-Senou International Airport), Reuters reported on Sept. 17.

Mali: Jihadists Target Military Camp and Other Sites in Capital

South Sudan and the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, unveiled a joint security plan to ensure South Sudan resumes crude oil exports through the Petrodar pipeline, which connects oil fields in South Sudan's Upper Nile state to Port Sudan, Sudan Tribune reported on Sept. 16. 

Sudan, South Sudan: Juba Reaches Deal With SAF To Resume Crude Oil Exports

Floods across Western and Central Africa caused by unusually high rainfall have displaced at least 4 million people since late August, including at least 2.9 million people in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Mali, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 17.

Nigeria, Sahel: Large-Scale Floods Threaten Harvest as Rains Persists

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Mali: Over 70 Killed, 250 Wounded in Al Qaeda Affiliate Attack on Bamako

Mozambique: General Election Campaign Prompts Calls To Renegotiate LNG Contracts

South Sudan: Opposition Leader Calls for Protests After Transitional Period Extended

Ethiopia: TPLF Expels Leader of Tigray Interim Administration as Internal Rift Widens

Ghana: Opposition Issues Ultimatum to Electoral Commission After Nationwide Demonstrations

Mali: Jihadists Target Military Camp and Other Sites in Capital

Sudan, South Sudan: Juba Reaches Deal With SAF To Resume Crude Oil Exports

Nigeria, Sahel: Large-Scale Floods Threaten Harvest as Rains Persists

Forecasts

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