<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

Media

Podcasts

Politics

Are there viable paths to a peaceful resolution?

Essential Geopolitics: Evolution of the Post-Election Violence in Mozambique

Assessments

Both main political parties have deployed inflammatory rhetoric that has heightened political polarization, raising risks of political violence ahead of, and especially on and after, election day.

2024 Elections: Ghana 

Global Elections

Sudanese army soldiers patrol an area in Khartoum on Nov. 3, 2024.

Military & Security

The warring sides' deep distrust and their external backers' competing interests portend a protracted conflict that may expand into South Sudan and Chad, and heighten jihadist activity.

The Security Implications of Sudan's Ongoing Civil War

United States

China

Workers move batches of copper sheets on July 6, 2016, in Mufulira, Zambia. Zambia's copper output will likely steadily increase by the late 2020s on the back of a more stable tax environment and a global rush for critical minerals, but the country faces an uphill battle to meet its 2032 copper production target.

Economics

Zambia's copper output will likely steadily increase by the late 2020s on the back of a more stable tax environment and a global rush for critical minerals, but the country faces an uphill battle to meet its 2032 copper production target.

Zambia Banks on the Green Rush for Copper 

Snapshots

Cameroonian President Paul Biya (left), and his wife Chantal Biya (left) watch a parade marking the 51st celebration of Unity Day in Yaounde on May 20, 2023. 

The end of the aging president's 42-year reign will leave a power vacuum that could engulf the country in crisis as various factions within the ruling elite, opposition parties and militants scramble to secure their interests. 

Cameroon Braces for Volatility Amid Concerns About President Biya's Health

Brazil

Egypt

Iran

United Arab Emirates

Indonesia

Russia

Moldova

India

Vehicles pass by a banner thanking outgoing Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and congratulating President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka ahead of their Oct. 20 inauguration in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 17, 2024.

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

The Weekly Rundown: An Impeachment Case in Kenya, an Inauguration in Indonesia

A Somali National Army soldier participates in a military drill in Mogadishu on March 19, 2024.

Egypt and Somalia's deepening security coordination risks triggering armed clashes with Ethiopia that could undermine regional counterterrorism efforts and inflame ethnic tensions.

The Horn of Africa Braces for Conflict as an Anti-Ethiopia Alliance Takes Shape

What does Somalia's security landscape look like for the next five to 10 years?

Essential Geopolitics: The Future of Somalia

Israel

Tunisia

Germany

Ukraine

A man in Maputo walks past a wall covered with electoral posters in support of Daniel Chapo, the ruling party candidate in Mozambique’s presidential election, on Oct. 4, 2024. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Biden Visits Germany as Mozambique, Tunisia and Brazil Hold Elections

Middle East and North Africa

Algeria

Bahrain

Iraq

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Oman

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Syria

Turkey

Yemen

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Population growth, security vacuums, bad governance and climate change will increasingly strain the desert region's already scarce water supplies, raising the risk of social unrest, interstate conflict and violence from non-state actors.

The Geopolitics of Water: In the Middle East, Water Will Increasingly Become a Weapon and Driver of Conflict

Russia has reportedly deployed up to 200 military instructors to Equatorial Guinea under the brand of the Africa Corps in recent weeks to protect the presidency of 82-year-old President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Reuters reported on Nov. 12.

Russia, Equatorial Guinea: Russia Deploys up to 200 Military Instructors

The leader of Tigray's interim regional administration, Getachew Reda, reiterated accusations that the Tigray People's Liberation Front leader Debretsion Gebremichael was plotting an "official" coup against the regional administration, Addis Standard reported on Nov. 11. 

Ethiopia: Tigray Regional Administration Reiterates Accusations of TPLF Faction's Coup Plot

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

South Asia

Negotiators attending the U.N. Climate Change Conference, or COP29, endorsed new quality standards for carbon credits, which are essential for the U.N.-backed global carbon credit market, without significant discussion on the matter, the Guardian reported on Nov. 12. 

Global: COP29 Negotiators Reach Deal on Rules for Global Carbon Market Framework

Somalia's defense ministry confirmed on Nov. 8 that Ethiopian forces will not be part of the upcoming African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM, which will replace the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia peacekeeping mission in January 2025, BBC Amharic reported on Nov. 10.

Somalia, Ethiopia: Somalia Officially Bars Ethiopia From New AU Mission

Mozambique's opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, the presidential election runner-up, claims he survived an assassination attempt in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he fled after disputing the results of Mozambique's Oct. 9 presidential election, BBC reported on Nov. 5.

Mozambique: Opposition Leader Escapes Alleged Assassination Attempt in South Africa

Chad's interim President Mahamat Idriss Deby threatened to withdraw from the Multinational Joint Task Force, or MNJTF, due to what he described as a failure to combat insurgent groups in the Lake Chad region effectively, Reuters reported on Nov. 4.

Chad: President Threatens To Withdraw From Multinational Security Force

Venezuela

Libya

Saudi Arabia

Energy

Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and other OPEC+ participants will delay the start of their planned unwinding of 2.2 million barrels per day in voluntary oil production cuts from Dec. 1 to the end of December, OPEC announced in a Nov. 3 press release. 

OPEC+: Unwinding of Voluntary Production Cuts Delayed by One Month

Former Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki was sworn in as Kenya's new deputy president, Reuters reported on Nov. 1.

Kenya: Kithure Kindiki Sworn in as Deputy President

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Russia, Equatorial Guinea: Russia Deploys up to 200 Military Instructors

Ethiopia: Tigray Regional Administration Reiterates Accusations of TPLF Faction's Coup Plot

Global: COP29 Negotiators Reach Deal on Rules for Global Carbon Market Framework

Somalia, Ethiopia: Somalia Officially Bars Ethiopia From New AU Mission

Mozambique: Opposition Leader Escapes Alleged Assassination Attempt in South Africa

Chad: President Threatens To Withdraw From Multinational Security Force

OPEC+: Unwinding of Voluntary Production Cuts Delayed by One Month

Kenya: Kithure Kindiki Sworn in as Deputy President

Forecasts

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