Eritrea

Ethiopia

Sudan

Military & Security

The Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, accused the Ethiopian government of launching a new military offensive and said clashes had erupted between its forces and pro-government forces in the locality of Shererina in the western part of Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, located near the border with Sudan, Addis Standard reported on Aug. 1. 

Ethiopia: Clashes Erupt Between Military and TPLF in Western Tigray, Spill Over Into Sudan

Somalia

Egypt

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

Yemen

Pakistan

Economics

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense announced the formation of a 14-member military coalition -- including Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Somalia and Sudan -- to protect freedom of navigation through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid ongoing Houthi attacks against Saudi vessels and oil facilities, Al Jazeera reported on July 30.

Saudi Arabia: Defense Ministry Announces Maritime Coalition for Red Sea Shipping

The Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, captured the town of Bara from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, as well as the neighboring localities of Um Gurfa and Jabrat al-Sheikh, Sudan Tribune reported on July 25. 

Sudan: SAF Captures Strategic Kordofan Town, Opens New Supply Route to El Obeid

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

Science & Technology

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty accused Ethiopia of causing a reduction in downstream water levels on the Blue Nile in Sudan due to its unilateral operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Anadolu reported on July 22.

Nile Basin: Egypt, Sudan Slam Ethiopia Over Renaissance Dam's Unilateral Water Retention

United States

The United States is making progress in securing an agreement for a 90-day ceasefire between the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, followed by political negotiations, even though both sides are still seeking amendments to U.S. proposals, Ayin Network reported on July 13 based on conversations with unnamed diplomatic sources.

Sudan: U.S. Proposal for 90-Day Ceasefire Makes Progress, but SAF-RSF Disagreements Persist

The Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, recaptured the strategic town of Kurmuk, located in the southeastern Blue Nile state along the border with Ethiopia, from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, or SPLM-N, Sudan Tribune reported on July 8.

Sudan: SAF Recaptures Strategic Town Along Ethiopian Border

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accused Sudan's internationally recognized government, Eritrea and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, of collaborating against Ethiopia with the support of unnamed external forces -- most likely Egypt -- in his first parliamentary address since his party's victory in the June 1 general election, Addis Standard reported on July 7.

Ethiopia: Abiy Denounces Anti-Ethiopia Coalition, Supports Two-Term Limits for Prime Minister

United Arab Emirates

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, has escalated drone attacks over recent days on the central city of el-Obeid and on the neighboring town of Er Rahad, targeting fuel stations and power substations and forcing the closure of several medical facilities, Sudan Tribune reported on June 23, quoting a U.N. spokesperson. 

Sudan: RSF Drone Attacks, Deployments Near el-Obeid Portend Upcoming Ground Offensive 

Snapshots

Sudan's de facto leader and army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, waves to spectators after attending a soccer match at Kober Stadium in Khartoum on May 15, 2026.

The outbreak of the Iran war has redirected Western and Arab diplomatic attention away from Sudan, worsening the country's long-running civil war.

Humanitarian Disaster Looms in Sudan as RSF Prepares New Offensive

Assessments

Sub-Saharan Africa

Burkina Faso

Cameroon

Central African Republic

Chad

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mali

Mozambique

Niger

Nigeria

Rwanda

The Geopolitics of Natural Resources

Control over critical natural resources is increasingly strengthening armed groups' durability and geographic reach, heightening their physical threats and their ability to create political instability.

Natural Resource Exploitation as an Engine for Insurgency in Sub-Saharan Africa

Columns

On Geopolitics

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Lebanon

Libya

Syria

A dark earth map of the Middle East with glowing details of cities and human population density areas.

Two blocs are emerging in the Middle East: one focused on preserving existing states and institutions, and the other on creating new ones.

Preservation vs. Fragmentation: Two Paths Toward a New Order in the Middle East

Palestinian Territories

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) inspect the honor guard during an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on June 22, 2022.

After years of discord, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are finding common ground as they increasingly position themselves against Emirati- and Israeli-backed regional initiatives. 

Saudi Arabia and Turkey's New Regional Alignment

Destroyed vehicles are strewn outside Sudan's finance ministry building in the capital Khartoum on Jan. 17, 2026, after nearly three years of devastating war in the country.

Ethiopia's apparent tilt toward the RSF paramilitary group in neighboring Sudan could trigger deadly border clashes and prompt the Sudanese military to deepen ties with Tigrayan forces.

Ethiopia Discreetly Dips Into Sudan's Civil War

Benin

Togo

Structures destroyed in U.S. strikes on jihadist targets in Offa, Nigeria, are seen on Dec. 27, 2025.

New U.S. military action would most likely target jihadist groups, especially in West Africa, but limited strikes in Sudan or the Democratic Republic of the Congo to force belligerents there to de-escalate also cannot be ruled out.

The Outlook for New U.S. Strikes in Africa

Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel's recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Dec. 30, 2025. 

Two regional alignments are coalescing along the Red Sea and in the Horn of Africa, risking the escalation of proxy conflicts and longstanding rivalries.

The Unfolding Regional Realignments Along the Red Sea and Their Implications

Saudi-backed forces are seen on the outskirts of Yemen's Hadramawt province, where the UAE-backed secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) recently launched an offensive, on Jan. 3, 2026. 

Social Issues

The Gulf nations' growing battle for influence is straining bilateral ties and fueling proxy conflicts in places like Yemen and Sudan, though both sides will likely avoid any escalation that could harm their economies.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE Pursue Divergent Paths in a Multipolar World

Residents wave Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel's announcement recognizing Somaliland's statehood in downtown Hargeisa, on Dec. 26, 2025. 

Israel establishing military facilities in Somaliland would invite Houthi attacks against the territory and raise the likelihood of renewed disruptions to Red Sea shipping.


Israel's Recognition of Somaliland Raises the Stakes Along the Red Sea Corridor 

Sudanese Armed Forces soldiers are seen on the now-disabled Shambat Bridge in Khartoum. 

While the likelihood of a humanitarian truce between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary RSF is rising, meaningful progress beyond a tentative permanent ceasefire currently appears unlikely.

Sudan Slips Toward De Facto Partition

South Sudan

Uganda

Shipping containers are offloaded from a vessel at Berbera Port in Somaliland on Aug. 31, 2021.   (ED RAM/AFP via Getty Images)

The UAE is expanding its influence across East Africa through large-scale investments and security partnerships, aiming to consolidate its status as a global trade hub and counter regional competitors, at the risk of entangling regional states in broader geopolitical contests.

The UAE's Long Game in East Africa

A photo of Khartoum, Sudan, with columns of smoke rising in the background.

The SAF's military victory in Khartoum marks a turning point in the country's civil war, but a firm resolution remains out of reach as the RSF fights to consolidate control in the west.

What Next for Sudan After the Army Retakes Khartoum?

Sudan is a huge country between Northern and Central Africa which, prior to the independence of South Sudan, was the continent's largest country. Its position has long drawn the attention of outsiders, and once facilitated the birth of powerful empires and city-states.     Since declaring independence from the United Kingdom in 1955, Sudan has struggled to manage its expansive territories and ethno-regional divisions. Khartoum, the country's capital, can be viewed as a relatively isolated city-state that must command the vast spaces and people that surround it. Such a mentality helps explain Khartoum's disastrous management of the country's various rebellions and insurrections. Until recently, the country's leadership has preferred to adopt a belligerent approach to dealing with the country's many outstanding conflicts.     Because Sudan's borders do not fully align with its various ethnic groups, its internal ethnic conflicts have fueled regional conflict as well. Ethnic groups in the Darfur region of eastern Sudan spill over into neighboring Chad, driving the two countries to wage proxy warfare against each other for years by arming and financing rebels intent on revolution.     Sudan's proximity to the Middle East &mdash; as well as its cultural and religious makeup &mdash; has allowed it to build ties with powers there. Though this has benefitted Sudan by allowing it to attract investment from companies such as Saudi Arabia, it has also engendered greater scrutiny.

SITUATION REPORTS

Ethiopia: Clashes Erupt Between Military and TPLF in Western Tigray, Spill Over Into Sudan

Saudi Arabia: Defense Ministry Announces Maritime Coalition for Red Sea Shipping

Sudan: SAF Captures Strategic Kordofan Town, Opens New Supply Route to El Obeid

Nile Basin: Egypt, Sudan Slam Ethiopia Over Renaissance Dam's Unilateral Water Retention

Sudan: U.S. Proposal for 90-Day Ceasefire Makes Progress, but SAF-RSF Disagreements Persist

Sudan: SAF Recaptures Strategic Town Along Ethiopian Border

Ethiopia: Abiy Denounces Anti-Ethiopia Coalition, Supports Two-Term Limits for Prime Minister

Sudan: RSF Drone Attacks, Deployments Near el-Obeid Portend Upcoming Ground Offensive

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