Burkina Faso

Military & Security

Politics

Burkina Faso's Ministry of Territorial Administration suspended the country's largest student union, the General Union of Students of Burkina, for three months on a renewable basis over its "glorification/apology of terrorism," RFI reported on May 28.

Burkina Faso: Junta Suspends Largest Student Union Over Alleged Terrorism Apology 

Mali

Niger

Burkinabe junta leader and president of the Alliance of Sahel States Ibrahim Traore condemned coordinated large-scale attacks by al Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and the Azawad Liberation Front rebels in neighboring Mali, BBC reported on April 26.

Burkina Faso: Junta Leader Accuses 'Enemies' of Backing Mali Attacks, Announces Reserve Force

Benin

Cote d'Ivoire

France

The chiefs of staff of the French, Ivorian and Beninese militaries discussed jihadist activity in northern Benin and Cote d'Ivoire and strengthening trilateral counterterrorism cooperation on March 19, Radio France Internationale reported on March 20.

West Africa: France, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire To Deepen Counterterrorism Coordination

Ghana

United States

The United States is nearing an agreement with Mali that would enable it to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, flights over Malian airspace to gather intelligence on jihadist groups operating in the country, Reuters reported on March 9 based on conversations with a current U.S. official and one former U.S. official.

Mali: U.S. Reportedly Nearing Deal To Resume ISR Operations

Economics

Ghana and Burkina Faso signed at least seven agreements to enhance security collaboration, tighten border controls, improve intelligence sharing and counterterrorism coordination, and combat drug trafficking, Jeune Afrique reported on Feb. 22.

Burkina Faso, Ghana: Governments To Strengthen Cooperation Amid Jihadist Insurgency

Interim Burkina Faso leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore pledged large-scale joint military operations against armed groups across the Sahel in the coming days in his new role as head of the Alliance of Sahel States, Al Jazeera reported Dec. 24.

Sahel: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Announce Large-scale Counterterrorism Operations

Sub-Saharan Africa

Syria

Laos

The Trump administration expanded its travel ban to include full restrictions on several sub-Saharan African countries, including Mali and Burkina Faso, Laos, Syria and individuals with Palestinian Authority-issued passports, as well as partial restrictions on several Caribbean and other African countries, the White House announced on Dec. 16.

U.S.: Trump Expands Travel Ban, Effective Jan. 1

Mozambique

Nigeria

South Africa

The Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, removed South Africa from its anti-money laundering and terrorism financing "grey list" after assessing that it had met all the necessary actions proposed in a 2023 plan, News24 reported on Oct. 24.

Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mozambique Removed From FATF 'Grey List'

Assessments

Cameroon

Central African Republic

Chad

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Sudan

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

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

Madagascar

Canada

Paraguay

Venezuela

Egypt

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

Morocco

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Turkey

Yemen

Australia

Cambodia

China

Timor-Leste

Indonesia

Japan

Mongolia

Myanmar

Philippines

South Korea

Thailand

Vietnam

Europe

Bulgaria

Ukraine

Russia

Afghanistan

India

Nepal

Pakistan

Flight routes.

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

As 2026 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five patterns and trends as measured by geopolitical impact.

2025: A Geopolitical Review

Nigerian soldiers from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) drive in pick-ups during training at the Sector 3 MNJTF military base headquarters in Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria, on July 5, 2025. 

War, Insurgency & Terrorism

Armed groups will continue to expand across Nigeria as the government struggles with domestic constraints and limits on regional security cooperation.

In Nigeria, Security Forces Struggle To Address Growing Militancy

Columns

On Geopolitics

Comoros

Djibouti

Gabon

Guinea

Mauritania

Republic of the Congo

Senegal

Algeria

A Gabonese brigade participates in a training exercise as part of a military program linked to the Franco-Gabonese partnership at the French military base Camp de Gaulle in Libreville on March 19, 2025. 

France's reduced influence in Africa will create space for local and foreign actors to take on greater leadership roles, but their inability to fill the security vacuum left by France's withdrawal would threaten to destabilize the region.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 2: The Age of Multi-Alignment 

A picture released on July 12, 1963, of then-French President Gen. Charles de Gaulle (2L) and Jacques Foccart (L) greeting African, Malagasy and French overseas territories veterans arriving in Paris for French Bastille Day celebrations.

After decades of cultivating tight-knit relationships with francophone African countries, France has effectively ended its forward military presence in West and Central Africa amid shifting political dynamics in both regions, which will weaken its influence on the continent but enable Paris to reallocate resources towards Europe's security.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 1: A New Balance of Power 

Kenya

Middle East and North Africa

Libya

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

The Geopolitics of Water

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

The Geopolitics of Water: The Role of Desertification in Conflict in the Sahel

A staff member walks past a stage before a press conference at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, on Feb. 27, 2023. 

The exit will worsen all three countries' economic outlook, especially if they decide to also leave the West African Economic and Monetary Union, which would likely fuel jihadist activity in the Sahel.

What Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso's Exit From ECOWAS Means for West Africa

Argentina

Mexico

Hong Kong SAR, China

Taiwan

United Kingdom

Poland

Spain

Italy

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Bangladesh

In this scorecard, we take a critical look at our successes and slip-ups in forecasting geopolitical events over the past year.

Grading Our 2023 Annual Forecast

Media

Graphics

A general view of a military crest of the French army in Niamey, Niger, on July 15, 2022.

French and U.N. troop withdrawals from the Sahel will open the door to jihadist attacks and external actors.

The Sahel's Security Environment Amid French and U.N. Troop Withdrawals

Snapshots

Protesters in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, wave Russian and Burkinabe flags on Oct. 4, 2022. 

Many of the drivers that led to the recent coups in the Sahel are present in other African countries, granting Russian-sponsored influence operations more inroads.

Africa's Instability Creates Fertile Ground for Russian Disinformation

SITUATION REPORTS

Burkina Faso: Junta Suspends Largest Student Union Over Alleged Terrorism Apology

Burkina Faso: Junta Leader Accuses 'Enemies' of Backing Mali Attacks, Announces Reserve Force

West Africa: France, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire To Deepen Counterterrorism Coordination

Mali: U.S. Reportedly Nearing Deal To Resume ISR Operations

Burkina Faso, Ghana: Governments To Strengthen Cooperation Amid Jihadist Insurgency

Sahel: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Announce Large-scale Counterterrorism Operations

U.S.: Trump Expands Travel Ban, Effective Jan. 1

Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mozambique Removed From FATF 'Grey List'

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support