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On Geopolitics

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Burundi

Central African Republic

Cote d'Ivoire

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ethiopia

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Nigeria

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Women sit under U.N.-branded cardboard boxes in Semera, Ethiopia, on Feb. 14, 2022, as they wait to be registered by the authorities at a hotel compound hosting civilians fleeing violence. 

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

Social Issues

GBV is often primarily seen as a women’s and human rights issue. But in sub-Saharan Africa, it is also a key constraint to stable (and democratic) governance, economic growth, and lasting peace.

The Geopolitics of Gender-Based Violence in Africa

Snapshots

Cameroon

Republic of the Congo

Uganda

France

Russia

During the final day of the African tour that also included visits to Cameroon and Benin, French President Emmanuel Macron (left) waves to a crowd through the roof of a car in Bissau with Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The French president and Russian foreign minister’s separate trips to Central African countries highlight Paris and Moscow's growing interest in the region, with both leaders pledging increased security and investments.

Making Sense of France and Russia’s High-Level Visits to Africa

Assessments

Guidance

Somalia

Ecuador

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South Korea

Vietnam

A worker hangs traditional red lanterns for the upcoming Spring Festival on Feb. 3, 2021, in Beijing.

Environment, Science & Technology

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

The Weekly Rundown: Lunar New Year and an African Union Summit

COVID-19

2020 Second-Quarter Forecast

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.

<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>

2020 Annual Forecast

Burkina Faso

Niger

United States

Western efforts in the Sahel, like the U.N. mission in Mali, are unlikely to wane anytime soon, but neither are they likely to expand in the face of growing militancy. This will open opportunities for Russia to expand its footprint in the Sahel.

The Jihadist Wars

Echoes of the Cold War

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

Governments in the militant-plagued region will seek to maximize Moscow's support while maintaining ties with their Western allies.

Western Reluctance in the Sahel Opens Doors for Russia

Security

2019 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2019 Third-Quarter Forecast

2019 Second-Quarter Forecast

2019 Annual Forecast

2018 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2018 Second-Quarter Forecast

Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera said his government will hold a constitutional referendum on July 15-28 to alter the constitution and remove term limits, Reuters reported on May 30.

Central African Republic: President Plans Constitutional Referendum to Cancel Term Limits

Chad

The Central African Republic (CAR) government threatened to seek reprisals after claiming an aircraft flew across the northern border from a neighboring country the night of Nov. 27-28 and bombed CAR troops and Russian paramilitary partners in the town of Bossangoa, Agence France-Presse reported Nov. 28.

Central African Republic: Government Claims Unnamed Border Nation Bombed Troops, Russian Partners

Lawmakers from the Central African Republic unanimously passed a law legalizing cryptocurrencies and made bitcoin a legal tender, Radio France International reported April 27.

Central African Republic: Government Adopts Bitcoin as Legal Currency

On Feb. 21, Central African Republic security forces arrested four French soldiers at Bangui M'Poko International Airport shortly after the soldiers completed a protection detail assignment guarding the chief of staff of the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Central Africa (MINUSCA), Voice of America reported Feb. 22.

Central African Republic: Arrest of French Soldiers Will Worsen Relations With the West

In a 13-0 vote with Russia and China abstaining, the U.N. Security Council voted to extend the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic until November 2022, The Africa Report reported Nov. 15.

Central African Republic: United Nations Renews Peacekeeping Mandate

Equatorial Guinea

Madagascar

Libya

The Guardian has reportedly obtained documents revealing Russian influence efforts in Africa, the British paper reported June 11.

Russia: Leaked Documents Detail Russian Campaign for Influence in Africa

A director at the Russian foreign ministry said that Moscow will soon deploy 30 military personnel to the Central African Republic as part of a U.N. mission to help stabilize the country, Reuters reported June 3.

Russia, Central African Republic: Moscow To Deploy Military Personnel for U.N. Mission

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to deploy Russian military personnel to the Central African Republic as part of the U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, Reuters reported April 16.



Russia: Putin Signs Decree to Send Troops to Central African Republic

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A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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The administrative center of the Gakh region of Azerbaijan, located at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, on the river Kurhumchai.

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Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

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The Central African Republic is a landlocked country in the heart of Central Africa. The country shares borders with Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo to the south and Cameroon to the west.    The Central African Republic's prospects for economic growth are severely limited by its geographical location, which has increased the costs of imports and exports while hampering connectivity. Unsurprisingly, the country is one of the world's least stable nations. Moreover, the government in Bangui, the country’s capital, remains woefully unable to assert its power beyond its immediate environs. In fact, large swaths of the country remain effectively outside the government’s control, as militant groups and gangs have proliferated in many areas. The assistance of outside powers and international organizations have done little to enhance Bangui’s authority in recent years.    A former French colony, the Central African Republic has struggled to achieve stability since independence. Instead, periodic conflagrations have rocked the country, occasionally precipitating French military intervention, such as in 2013.     An additional challenge for leaders in Bangui is the near continuous meddling of their regional neighbors, which have sought to exploit the Central African Republic's security vacuum to grab some of the country's vast mineral resources. At present, the country’s long-term prospects appear bleak due to its deep structural deficiencies.

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SITUATION REPORTS

Central African Republic: President Plans Constitutional Referendum to Cancel Term Limits

Central African Republic: Government Claims Unnamed Border Nation Bombed Troops, Russian Partners

Central African Republic: Government Adopts Bitcoin as Legal Currency

Central African Republic: Arrest of French Soldiers Will Worsen Relations With the West

Central African Republic: United Nations Renews Peacekeeping Mandate

Russia: Leaked Documents Detail Russian Campaign for Influence in Africa

Russia, Central African Republic: Moscow To Deploy Military Personnel for U.N. Mission

Russia: Putin Signs Decree to Send Troops to Central African Republic

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