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Egypt, Eritrea and Somalia agreed to advance joint security cooperation at a trilateral summit of the three countries' heads of state, Reuters reported on Oct. 10.

Africa: Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia Advance Tripartite Security Partnership

Ethiopia's Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, expelled Tigray interim regional administration leader Getachew Reda and 15 other senior party officials, citing embezzlement of public funds, Addis Standard reported on Sept. 17.

Ethiopia: TPLF Expels Leader of Tigray Interim Administration as Internal Rift Widens

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Reporters Without Borders published its 2024 World Press Freedom Index, indicating that suppression of journalists and political attacks on the press have "significantly intensified" in the last year, The Guardian reported on May 3.

Global: Press Freedom Declines Amid Pivotal Elections Around the World

Burkina Faso

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Mali

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Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said Moscow had started shipments of free grain totalling up to 200,000 tons and destined for six African countries, Reuters reported on Nov. 17.

Sub-Saharan Africa: First Shipment of Russian Grain En Route to Burkina Faso and Somalia

Ethiopia's rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) refuted claims by the African Union mediator Olusegun Obasanjo on Jan. 15 that Eritrean forces have withdrawn from the Tigray region, the BBC reported Jan. 19. 

Ethiopia: TPLF Claims Eritrean Forces Still Present in Tigray

Eritrean soldiers have reportedly continued targeting civilians in Ethiopia's Tigray region in the weeks following the Nov. 2 cessation of hostilities signed between the Ethiopian government and the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), AP reported Dec. 2.

Ethiopia: Eritrea Allegedly Still Killing Civilians in Tigray

New satellite images from Maxar Technologies, an American space technology company, show a buildup of Eritrean troops and military equipment on the Eritrean side of the border with Tigray, AP reported Sept. 28.

Ethiopia: Satellite Images Show Eritrean Buildup

Eritrea is mobilizing military reservists across the country to boost its army, which has been fighting alongside Ethiopia in the Tigrayan war since November 2020, BBC reported Sept. 16.

Ethiopia: Eritrea Mobilizes Military Reserves for Tigrayan War

Assessments

Internally displaced people walk past the Tigrayan flag at the Tsehaye camp in Ethiopia's Shire, Tigray region, on July 16, 2024. 

Factionalism within the Tigray region's ruling party raises the prospect of resurging clashes in the region, threatening to undermine Ethiopia's recent peace and economic gains.

Tigray's Leadership Tussle Bodes Ill for Ethiopia

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Cote d'Ivoire

Rwanda

Senegal

Sudan

Togo

Uganda

People flee their neighborhoods in Khartoum, Sudan, amid fighting between the army and paramilitary troops on April 19, 2023. 

Government institutions in eastern and western Africa remain relatively strong, but potential succession crises, simmering unrest and weak leaders still pose latent risks.

Assessing the Risk of Future African Coups, Part 2: West and East Africa

Snapshots

Ethiopian military forces transport a Saeer KS-19 automatic 100 mm anti-aircraft gun Dec. 5, 2021, in Shewa Robit, Ethiopia.

A successful peace deal would facilitate humanitarian aid flows, increase regional access to services and spur the eventual return of foreign investment.

Tigrayan Rebels Begin Surrendering Their Heavy Weapons, a Hopeful Sign for Ethiopia

A truck, carrying grains to Tigray and belonging to the World Food Programme (WFP), burns out on a route 80 kilometers from Semera in northeastern Ethiopia, on June 10, 2022. 

Clashes between the government and TPLF rebels will likely persist through at least the end of the year, further complicating efforts to resolve the conflict and mitigate the country's growing humanitarian crisis.

What's Next for Ethiopia's Civil War Amid Renewed Fighting in Tigray?

A photo taken on Jan. 10, 2022, shows an aerial view of Dessie, Ethiopia. The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) occupied the city for over 30 days in October. 

Security

East African Integration

The multitude of stakeholders in the conflict -- each with their own aims and deep-rooted grievances -- will limit the effectiveness of peace initiatives and continue to fuel low-level clashes.

In Ethiopia, Ethnic Violence Endures Despite the Government's 'Humanitarian Truce'

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is seen at a ceremony for the signing of a telecom licensing agreement on June 8, 2021. 

The continued escalation of the regional conflict will further jeopardize the prime minister’s political future and economic reforms. 

A Rebel Victory in Tigray Leaves Ethiopia’s Abiy in Hot Water

United States

Members of the Amhara militia fighting alongside Ethiopian forces in Tigray ride on the back of a truck in Gondar, Ethiopia, on Nov. 8, 2020. 

COVID-19

Old Leaders in a New Africa

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

Addis Ababa’s military offensive in Tigray could trigger a wider conflict that further erodes the country’s attractiveness for foreign investment. 


What’s at Stake as Ethiopia Barrels Toward Civil War 

A checkpoint on Sept. 9, 2020, in Mekele, Ethiopia, the day Tigray held regional elections. A military operation against Tigray will not prove easy for the Ethiopian government.

In addition to the secession risk it poses throughout Ethiopia, the conflict could draw in other countries in the region.

Conflict in Tigray Has Major Implications for Ethiopia, and the Region

A close-up shot of the lava lake located inside Ethiopia's Erta Ale volcano. 

Regional peace and economic reforms are opening up Ethiopia's and Eritrea's untapped reserves of the in-demand fertilizer additive, potash. Turning that promise into profit, however, will mean defusing lingering threats to the region's stability.

Unlocking the Power of Potash in the Horn of Africa

Djibouti

France

Ethiopia is hoping to roll out a navy with France's support, yet it will face challenges -- not least of all because it lacks a coast.

Nearly three decades after it lost its navy, East Africa's biggest heavyweight wants to reestablish an armed maritime fleet. In so doing, though, its lack of sea access will be only one of its problems.

Landlocked Ethiopia Charts a Course for a Navy

Eritrean soldiers wait to cross the border with Ethiopia during a ceremony on Sept. 11, 2018, marking its reopening after two decades of being closed.

If Ethiopia and Eritrea can't work out their trade issues and solve the security problems that linger from a contentious past, their relations could slip back into the acrimony that marked decades past.

Can Ethiopia and Eritrea Keep the Peace, or Will History Repeat Itself?

Profound changes are afoot in the Horn of Africa -- something that won't escape the attentions of great powers like the United States.

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The United States wants to draw down its presence in Africa, but militancy -- as well as the interest of its greatest rivals -- will prevent it from abandoning the Horn of Africa.

Washington Wakes Up to East Africa's Importance

Eritrea is an East African country on the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Sudan to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Djibouti to the south and Ethiopia to the west.     By many accounts, the country had a traumatic birth. The area that eventually became Eritrea was colonized by Italy in the late 19th century but was then handed over to Ethiopia after the British secured the area after WWII. After decades of uneasy Ethiopian control, a multi-year insurgency eventually succeeded in wearing down the occupying military in 1991.    The end of the bitter conflict stripped Ethiopia of its access to the sea, forcing it to place greater emphasis on its relations with neighboring Djibouti. The newly independent Eritrea, for its part, had to engage in significant state building with a nearly non-existent economy. Nevertheless, Eritrea maintained its aggressive approach to its military, engaging in conflict with Sudan in 1994, Yemen and Djibouti in 1996 and Ethiopia in 1998. The militarism of the 1990s prompted the rise of tighter measures in the 2000s, though the military kept its place at the top of a single-party state hierarchy.     Since then, Eritrea has struggled to break out of its relative isolation from the international community. The lack of international support and the demands of a state on the near-perpetual brink of war with Ethiopia has necessitated heavy burdens on the local population. Balancing the country's lack of financial resources against its security demands is a key challenge for Eritrea's leadership. For this reason, Eritrea has demanded heavy remittances from its expatriate community and the country would likely be unable to function without regular injections of hard currency. Moreover, Eritrea has likely attempted to destabilize Ethiopia over the years to prevent it from flexing its muscles abroad, potentially against Eritrea. However, keeping Eritrea's military apace with that of the economically booming Ethiopia has proved exceedingly difficult in recent years.  

SITUATION REPORTS

Africa: Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia Advance Tripartite Security Partnership

Ethiopia: TPLF Expels Leader of Tigray Interim Administration as Internal Rift Widens

Global: Press Freedom Declines Amid Pivotal Elections Around the World

Sub-Saharan Africa: First Shipment of Russian Grain En Route to Burkina Faso and Somalia

Ethiopia: TPLF Claims Eritrean Forces Still Present in Tigray

Ethiopia: Eritrea Allegedly Still Killing Civilians in Tigray

Ethiopia: Satellite Images Show Eritrean Buildup

Ethiopia: Eritrea Mobilizes Military Reserves for Tigrayan War

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