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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

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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

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

The unexpected death ahead of the October vote risks dashing hopes for the country's first peaceful democratic transition of power by reigniting long-held political feuds.

In Ivory Coast, a Presidential Candidate's Death Risks Ending in Violence

Old Leaders in a New Africa

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>

Assessments

Burkina Faso

United States

France

France will have a difficult time stanching the spread of jihadists in the Sahel without the support of another big power.

The Jihadist Wars

As Washington considers a pullout from West Africa, Paris is contemplating just how difficult it is to hold back militants on the march.

Amid a U.S. Drawdown, France Strives to Hold Its Line in the Sahel

2020 Annual Forecast

The scene at a meeting of Ivorian opposition parties on Sept. 14, 2019, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. If the country's October 2020 presidential election opens old wounds, it could usher in instability that militants would be eager to exploit. 

If the country's October 2020 presidential election opens old wounds, it could usher in instability that militants would be eager to exploit.

In Ivory Coast, an Impending Election Portends Instability

2019 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2019 Third-Quarter Forecast

Ghana

Togo

Mauritanian soldiers stand guard at their country's border with Mali. 

After years in the Middle East, global militant groups have begun setting up shop in the Sahel region. And that's a problem for the booming economies of nearby Ivory Coast and Ghana. 

As Terrorists Settle Into the Sahel, West Africa Prepares for Battle

2019 Second-Quarter Forecast

A new International Criminal Court ruling will likely free former President Laurent Gbagbo, opening the door for him to return to his country's politics and attempt to regain his former job.

Ivory Coast: An ICC Ruling Revives the Ghost of a President Past

2019 Annual Forecast

China

An unspecified number of pirates boarded the Chinese-run, Singapore-flagged oil tanker Success 9 approximately 300 nautical miles off the coast of Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, in the Gulf of Guinea on April 10, AP reported the following day.

Cote d'Ivoire: Pirates Board Chinese-Run Oil Tanker

Ivory Coast called on Mali to release 49 Ivorian soldiers arrested after landing in Mali's capital of Bamako on July 10, Radio France Internationale reported July 13.

Ivory Coast, Mali: Yamoussoukro Calls on Bamako to Release Detained Soldiers

Gunmen attacked two Ivory Coast military posts near the northern border with Burkina Faso overnight March 28-29, Abidjan.net and Reuters reported.

Ivory Coast: Suspected al Qaeda Jihadists Attack on Burkina Faso Border

Benin

Chad

Niger

France’s intelligence chief, Bernard Emie, said he believes al Qaeda leaders in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam Muslimeen (JNIM) and other affiliate groups met in central Mali to plan an expansion of their operations toward countries on the Gulf of Guinea, Le Figaro reported Feb. 1. 

West Africa: Al Qaeda Is Expanding Operations in Benin and Ivory Coast, Says French Intelligence Chief

Security

Ivory Coast’s former prime minister, Guillaume Soro, called on the country’s military to mutiny and join a rival breakaway government following President Alasaan Ouattara’s disputed electoral victory, Al Jazeera reported Nov. 5. 

Ivory Coast: Ex-Prime Minister Calls on Army to Mutiny Following Disputed Election

The Constitutional Court of Ivory Coast on Sept. 14 approved four candidates to run in the African country's October presidential election, France 24 and AFP reported Sept. 14.

Ivory Coast: Four Candidates Approved to Compete in Presidential Election

An attack by suspected jihadist militants killed at least 10 Ivory Coast soldiers and injured six more near the country’s northern border with Burkina Faso, Reuters reported June 11. 

Ivory Coast: Militant Attack Kills 10 Soldiers Near Border With Burkina Faso 

Guillaume Soro, the former president of the Ivorian National Assembly and a former rebel commander, has announced that he will run in upcoming presidential elections, Bloomberg reported Jan. 28.

Ivory Coast: Former Rebel Leader Says He'll Run for Presidency

Afghanistan

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A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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The President palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

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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A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

SITUATION REPORTS

Cote d'Ivoire: Pirates Board Chinese-Run Oil Tanker

Ivory Coast, Mali: Yamoussoukro Calls on Bamako to Release Detained Soldiers

Ivory Coast: Suspected al Qaeda Jihadists Attack on Burkina Faso Border

West Africa: Al Qaeda Is Expanding Operations in Benin and Ivory Coast, Says French Intelligence Chief

Ivory Coast: Ex-Prime Minister Calls on Army to Mutiny Following Disputed Election

Ivory Coast: Four Candidates Approved to Compete in Presidential Election

Ivory Coast: Militant Attack Kills 10 Soldiers Near Border With Burkina Faso

Ivory Coast: Former Rebel Leader Says He'll Run for Presidency

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