<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

United States

Israel

Lebanon

Palestinian Territories

Ukraine

Russia

Sri Lanka

Damage on Feb. 13 in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza.

Economics

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Military & Security

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Social Issues

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

The Weekly Rundown: Mideast Ceasefires and Arab Gaza Proposals, the AU Summit

An M23 fighter stands in the foreground as detained Congolese soldiers are loaded onto trucks on Jan. 30, 2025, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Unless the Congolese government agrees to enter direct talks, Rwanda-backed rebels will likely resume their advance toward the city of Bukavu, whose fall would expose Congo to mounting instability, including nationwide unrest and a potential military coup.

Fighting in Eastern Congo Reaches a Crossroads as Rebels Press Southward

Media

Podcasts

Essential Geopolitics: Increased Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Americas

Brazil

Colombia

Cuba

Haiti

Nicaragua

Venezuela

Iraq

Jordan

Syria

Yemen

Cambodia

China

Indonesia

Europe

North Macedonia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Serbia

Albania

Kosovo

South Asia

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

India

The lobby of the headquarters for the U.S. Agency for International Development is seen on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. 

Cuts to U.S.-funded humanitarian and development programs could worsen global health outcomes, destabilize security environments, accelerate democratic backsliding, and create opportunities for rival powers to expand their influence.

The Global Implications of Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts

Canada

Mexico

United Kingdom

Trucks wait to enter United States on Nov. 26, 2024, at the Otay crossing port in Tijuana, Baja California state, Mexico.

The Weekly Rundown: Trump's Tariffs, Congo Braces for More Fighting in the East

Environment, Science & Technology

While government reforms will help catalyze much-needed investments in water infrastructure, these are unlikely to rapidly resolve the country's water supply challenges, which threaten to undermine South Africa's economic growth amid more frequent droughts. 

The Geopolitics of Water: The Cascading Effects of South African Underinvestment in Water Infrastructure

The Geopolitics of Water

A member of the M23 armed group walks alongside residents through a neighborhood in Goma, eastern Congo, on Jan. 27, 2025. 

The M23's entry into the eastern city will give Tshisekedi little choice but to engage in politically risky talks with the Rwanda-backed rebel group, or allow the conflict to expand and escalate.

M23 Advances in Goma Put Congo's President in a Tight Spot

A Rwandan soldier walks in front of a burned truck near Palma in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado region on Sept. 22, 2021. 

Rwanda’s expanding troop deployments in other African countries seek to enhance its regional political and economic influence, but entail risks that could harm its operations and reputation.

Rwanda's Growing Military Influence in Africa: Opportunities and Risks

Egypt

In the coming decade, water scarcity will likely contribute to the erosion of Egypt's economic and political independence, including its ability to act unilaterally against other countries vying for water along the Nile basin.

The Geopolitics of Water: The Threat to Egypt's Independence

South Korea

Security personnel walk on a road with buses blocking an entrance gate to protect impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol from a possible second arrest in Seoul on Jan. 6. If Yoon is not arrested, the opposition could again seek to impeach the country's acting president due to his insufficient support for the arrest efforts, worsening foreign perceptions of political instability in South Korea.

The Weekly Rundown: Mozambique's President Takes Office, the U.K. Chancellor Visits China

South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana postponed the presentation of the country's 2025 budget after the center-right Democratic Alliance, or DA, opposed plans to increase the country's value-added tax, or VAT, rate from 15% to 17%, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 20. 

South Africa: Government Postpones Budget Over Disagreement on VAT Hike

Turkey

Canadian mining company Barrick Gold signed a new agreement to resolve a nearly two-year dispute over its mining operations in Mali, although the junta has yet to approve the deal formally, Reuters reported on Feb. 19. 

Mali: Barrick Gold Claims Agreement With Malian Junta To End Mining Dispute

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo requested military support from Chad in its fight against the Alliance for the Congo River, or AFC, a politico-military alliance led by the Rwandan-backed M23, Radio France Internationale reported on Feb. 19. 

Congo: Kinshasa Requests Military Support From Chad as AFC/M23 Sustains Gains in South Kivu

Ethiopia and Somalia began holding their first round of technical talks over Ethiopia's quest to secure maritime access through Somalia in Turkey, Addis Standard reported on Feb. 18.

Ethiopia, Somalia: Governments Begin Technical Talks Over Maritime Access 

Burundi is withdrawing its forces deployed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo against the Alliance for the Congo River, or AFC, a rebel alliance led by the Rwandan-backed M23, Reuters reported on Feb. 18.

Congo: Burundi Withdraws Troops Amid Infighting Among Pro-Government Forces Following Loss of Bukavu

Energy

South Sudan deployed thousands of troops to Nasir county in Upper Nile state to enforce a disarmament campaign following recent clashes between the South Sudan People's Defense Forces and local armed youth, Sudans Post reported on Feb. 17.

South Sudan: Ongoing Clashes Highlight Fragility of 2018 Peace Agreement

Senegalese Justice Minister Ousmane Diagne announced plans to open a judicial investigation after the country's Court of Auditors found that Senegal's debt-to-gross domestic product ratio stood at 99.6% at the end of 2023, significantly higher than the previously reported 73.6%, Radio France Internationale reported on Feb. 12.

Senegal: Government Announces Investigation After Bombshell Audit Reveals Surging Public Debt 

The Rwandan-backed M23 seized the towns of Katana and Kavumu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where Bukavu airport is located, Reuters reported on Feb. 14, quoting three different sources.

Congo: AFC/M23 Capture Bukavu Airport Despite Opening of Humanitarian Corridor Proposal, Church Initiative

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

South Africa: Government Postpones Budget Over Disagreement on VAT Hike

Mali: Barrick Gold Claims Agreement With Malian Junta To End Mining Dispute

Congo: Kinshasa Requests Military Support From Chad as AFC/M23 Sustains Gains in South Kivu

Ethiopia, Somalia: Governments Begin Technical Talks Over Maritime Access

Congo: Burundi Withdraws Troops Amid Infighting Among Pro-Government Forces Following Loss of Bukavu

South Sudan: Ongoing Clashes Highlight Fragility of 2018 Peace Agreement

Senegal: Government Announces Investigation After Bombshell Audit Reveals Surging Public Debt

Congo: AFC/M23 Capture Bukavu Airport Despite Opening of Humanitarian Corridor Proposal, Church Initiative

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