<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

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers a speech on April 18, 2026.

Politics

Ramaphosa will likely attempt to delay his upcoming impeachment process to facilitate the rise of a reformist ANC successor, though he still may preemptively resign, which would likely result in the collapse of South Africa's coalition government.

South Africa's Top Court Shows Ramaphosa the End of the Road

United States

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

China

France

United Kingdom

Boats on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions between the United States and Iran will remain elevated, especially around the strait, following the May 7 U.S.-Iran exchange of attacks and Iranian attacks against the United Arab Emirates.

Military & Security

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

The Weekly Rundown: Elevated Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, France Convenes an Africa Summit

U.S.-China Relations

U.S.-Iran Relations

Trucks haul away ore from a pit in the Chinese-owned Tenke Fungurume Mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17, 2023.

Economics

Greater access to Congo's mining sector will likely help the U.S. further secure its cobalt and copper supplies, but ongoing security concerns in the Central African country and China's dominance over global mineral processing will limit the extent of these gains.

Trump Goes Hunting For Congo's Minerals

Media

Podcasts

Why is the United States involved in the mediation process? 

The Decision Advantage: Key Drivers of the Congo-Rwanda Conflict

A digital illustration of Mali’s flag.

Recent attacks by al Qaeda affiliate JNIM pose a significant challenge to the junta's legitimacy, elevating the immediate threat of another military coup and signaling a progressive fragmentation of state authority as the jihadist group expands its reach.

Jihadist Onslaught Puts Mali on the Brink of Spiraling Chaos

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sits in his office as he speaks to journalists at Villa Somalia, the palace and principal workplace of the president, on April 22, 2025, in central Mogadishu, Somalia.

President Mohamud's attempt to extend his term could prompt opposition forces to form a parallel administration and lead to a federal military intervention in Jubaland state.

Somalia Descends Into Another Constitutional Crisis

South Asia

IMF officials participate in an economic outlook briefing in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 2026.

Energy

The sharp increase in global oil and fertilizer costs will force import-reliant, low-income nations in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa to choose between fiscal discipline and maintaining social stability.

Iran War Price Shocks Will Hit Low-Income Energy Importers Hardest

The Dangote petroleum refinery plant is seen in Lagos, Nigeria, on April 6, 2026.

Nigeria will enjoy a short-term revenue boost from elevated oil prices, but the potential for renewed instability in the Niger Delta could undermine efforts to increase oil production.

Nigeria's Oil Gains From Iran War Face Old Challenges

How have dynamics evolved since France and the United States withdrew from the region? 

The Decision Advantage: Jihadist Insurgency in the Sahel and West Africa

Columns

On Geopolitics

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

The Geopolitics of Demographics

Social Issues

Demographic decline, driven by falling fertility rates worldwide, is likely irreversible but will also increasingly differentiate countries based on their ability to adapt through sound immigration, labor, technological and fiscal policies.

Adapting to Demographic Decline: Policy Tradeoffs and Global Divergences

More than a dozen road transport companies have suspended services to Bamako as insecurity intensifies amid a partial blockade imposed by the al Qaeda Sahel affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, Jeune Afrique reported on May 12.

Mali: Road Transport Companies Suspend Operations as JNIM Blockade Deepens Supply Disruptions in Bamako

French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenyan President William Ruto concluded the Africa Forward Summit, during which Macron unveiled $23 billion in new private sector investment pledges from French and African companies in Africa and called for reforms to the international financial architecture, alongside around 30 African heads of state and governments, Jeune Afrique reported on May 12.

France, Africa: Macron Concludes Africa-France Summit in Kenya, Travels to Ethiopia for Meeting With Abiy

Several hundred protesters rallied in the capital, Lome, under a new coalition to oppose recent constitutional changes that consolidate the power of longtime leader Faure Gnassingbe, accusing him of a "constitutional coup," Africanews reported on May 10.

Togo: Hundreds Attend Rally of New Opposition Coalition

A Kidal-based military officer of the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, said hostilities "will resume soon," while a spokesperson for the Malian general staff said during an April 6 briefing that the junta is pursuing a "strategy of war," RFI reported on May 7. 

Mali: Tuareg Rebels Say Fighting Will Resume as Army Declares 'Strategy of War'

South Africa's Constitutional Court nullified the National Assembly's December 2022 decision to reject proposals by an investigation panel for a full impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm scandal, News24 reported on May 8.

South Africa: Constitutional Court Orders Impeachment Committee To Proceed on Phala Phala Scandal

Turkey

India

Turkey is looking to test its Yildirimhan intercontinental ballistic missile, which has a range of 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles), and its medium-range ballistic missile Tayfun-4, which has a range of over 2,000 kilometers, from its spaceport in Somalia, potentially as early as this year, Bloomberg reported on May 6, quoting people familiar with the matter.

Turkey: Ankara Reportedly Eyes ICBM Launch From Somali Spaceport

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said he would be ready for a third term if the Congolese people so decide, while warning that the 2028 elections may not be possible unless insecurity in the eastern region is resolved, RFI reported on May 6.

Congo: President Hints at Possible Third Term and Election Delay Beyond 2028, Citing Insecurity in the East

The Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, unilaterally reconvened the 2020 Tigray State Council and announced the election of TPLF Chair Debretsion Gebremichael as its head, stating that these moves were in response to the Ethiopian government having "violated" the 2022 peace deal that ended the Tigray war, Addis Standard reported on May 5. 

Ethiopia: TPLF Unilaterally Reinstates 2020 Regional Council 

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Mali: Road Transport Companies Suspend Operations as JNIM Blockade Deepens Supply Disruptions in Bamako

France, Africa: Macron Concludes Africa-France Summit in Kenya, Travels to Ethiopia for Meeting With Abiy

Togo: Hundreds Attend Rally of New Opposition Coalition

Mali: Tuareg Rebels Say Fighting Will Resume as Army Declares 'Strategy of War'

South Africa: Constitutional Court Orders Impeachment Committee To Proceed on Phala Phala Scandal

Turkey: Ankara Reportedly Eyes ICBM Launch From Somali Spaceport

Congo: President Hints at Possible Third Term and Election Delay Beyond 2028, Citing Insecurity in the East

Ethiopia: TPLF Unilaterally Reinstates 2020 Regional Council

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