Ethiopia

Sudan

Iran

Russia

Military & Security

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, seized a military camp from the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, located in the southeastern state of Sennar and launched attacks in neighboring White Nile state, Sudan Tribune reported on July 23.

Sudan: RSF Advances in White Nile and Sennar States

Politics

Vice President of Tigray's interim administration Tadesse Werede announced that the region had reached an agreement with Ethiopia's federal government and the Amhara regional government regarding the return of Tigrayan internally displaced persons to western Tigray, Addis Standard reported on July 15.

Ethiopia: Federal Government Reaches Agreement With Tigray, Amhara on Western Tigray

Djibouti

Somalia

United Arab Emirates

Economics

Djibouti is training members of the Awdal State Movement rebel group, which opposes Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland, Somali Guardian reported on July 9.

Djibouti: Reported Training of Anti-Somaliland Rebels Threatens To Destabilize the Breakaway Region

Ethiopia's official creditors are ready to extend a June 30 deadline for the country to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, Bloomberg reported on June 24.

Ethiopia: Official Creditors Ready To Extend Deadline for IMF Deal 

Somalia's Ambassador to the United Nations Abukar Dahir Osman accused Ethiopian troops of illegally entering Somali territory in the central Hiiraan region, Reuters reported June 24. 

Somalia, Ethiopia: Somalia Accuses Ethiopia of Illegal Troop Incursions 

Kenya

Tanzania

South Korea

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

South Korea is holding the inaugural South Korea-Africa Summit in Seoul from June 4-5, with Seoul's June 4 joint statement outlining areas of prospective cooperation, including critical minerals development, especially of cobalt, chrome, manganese and critical minerals for electric vehicles, batteries and new energy technology, Yonhap News Agency reported the same day.

South Korea, Africa: Summit Targets Minerals, New Markets, Presages Security and Financial Risks

The internal security ministry of Somalia's South West state contradicted National Security Advisor Hussein Moalim's claim that Ethiopian troops would withdraw from Somalia by December, Garowe Online reported on June 3. 

Somalia: Regional Officials Dispute Federal Government's Deadline for Ethiopian Troop Withdrawal

Ethiopian Finance Minister Ahmed Shide said the country's public deficit had risen to 138.9 billion birr ($2.42 billion) in the first nine months of the fiscal year, Addis Standard reported on May 23.

Ethiopia: Finance Minister Warns About Mounting Deficit Amid Ethnic Insurgencies 

Snapshots

South Africa

Brazil

United States

Egypt

Turkey

China

Europe

India

A map illustrating Turkey (in red) and the BRICS countries (in blue).

Joining BRICS would underscore Turkey's balancing act between the West and the Global South, but the organization's weaknesses will limit its potential for economic growth.

For Turkey, BRICS Is Far From a Political and Economic Panacea

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ghana

Malawi

Zambia

Zimbabwe

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (R) speaks as Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (L), chair of the African Union, listens during a joint press conference following the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit in Goyang, South Korea, on June 4, 2024.

Energy

A recent summit highlights South Korea's commitment to expanding its role in Africa as Yoon looks to strengthen his country's technological future and geopolitical influence.

In South Korea, Yoon's Desire for Supply Chains and Prestige Points to Africa

Assessments

A photo of the Somali flag.

As Somalia’s president moves to strengthen the country’s fragile state institutions, disputes over constitutional reforms threaten to deepen domestic and regional challenges.

Somalia's Constitutional Changes Widen Rifts at Home and Abroad

Senegal

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Taiwan

Germany

Displaced Palestinians camp near the fence separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt on Feb. 16, 2024, in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Egypt will continue to prepare a contingency plan in case Palestinians cross the Egypt-Gaza border amid growing signs that the Rafah offensive could start as early as this week.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

U.S.-China Relations

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

The Weekly Rundown: Egypt Plans for a Palestinian Influx, African Union Heads of State Meet

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed attends a press conference in Rome, Italy, on Feb. 6, 2023. 

The implementation of the deal, which will grant land-locked Ethiopia access to the Berbera port in exchange for recognizing Somaliland's independence, could reshape the politics of the Horn of Africa.

The Drivers and Risks of Ethiopia's Historic Pact With Somaliland

Saudi Arabia

Belgium

Leaders at the closing day of the BRICS Summit on Aug. 24, 2023, in Johannesburg. On Jan. 1, BRICS will admit Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia after agreeing at an August summit to expand its membership.

The Weekly Rundown: Taiwan's Election Media Blackout, BRICS Expansion

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (left) addresses lawmakers in parliament in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 28, 2023. 

Even if Ethiopia's failure to pay a Eurobond coupon doesn't lead to a default, the country will likely still face a long and painful economic recovery as it seeks an IMF bailout and external debt restructuring.

A Missed Coupon Payment Fuels Fears of an Ethiopian Default

A view of the city of Bahir Dar, the capital of the Amhara region in northern Ethiopia, on June 19, 2021.

Renewed conflict between Amhara special forces and the Ethiopian military is endangering the country's fragile peace and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's mandate.

Unrest in Amhara Threatens to Destabilize Northern Ethiopia's Tenuous Peace

Eritrea

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

Columns

On Geopolitics

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Burundi

Central African Republic

Cote d'Ivoire

Mali

Mozambique

Nigeria

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. 

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

Argentina

Hong Kong SAR, China

France

Ukraine

Belarus

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

Grading Our 2022 Annual Forecast as 2023 Approaches

Egyptian pounds on Aug. 25, 2022.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: An Egypt-IMF Meeting, South Africa Votes on an Impeachment Inquiry

Ethiopia is an ancient African country bordered by Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, South Sudan and Sudan. Ethiopia's relatively large population of 100 million people has helped the country establish itself as a regional heavyweight in East Africa. Its extensive mountain system, which surrounds the fertile lowland core of the country, is key to understanding Ethiopia's diverse ethnic composition and how it relates to its neighbors. Invasion is not a major concern for Ethiopia, as the northern Ethiopian Plateau and the Ahmar Mountains almost completely surround the lowlands. In the northeast, the Awash River Basin opens to the coastline, but even this area gains a certain measure of protection from its extreme desert conditions. The country's capital, Addis Ababa, sits at an elevated position overseeing the lowlands, where the majority Oromo and Amharic peoples merge with several less populous mountain cultures. Ethiopia's greatest challenge is uniting these disparate groups. Financially, Ethiopia's export and import costs are high because neighbors Djibouti and Eritrea block its sea access. North of the lowland core, the Ethiopian Plateau serves as the country's breadbasket, growing wheat, barley, corn and the staple crop teff. These highlands form an extensive drainage system that creates the most fertile land in the region. Within this region lies Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile River, which is the largest tributary of the greater Nile River. Much of Ethiopia's coffee is grown at the fertile apex of the Ahmar Mountains, which are south of the lowlands. Those mountains descend into the arid Ogaden desert, which was acquired in the 19th century and remains disconnected from the core. While it provides Ethiopia with strategic depth to protect it from the issues of its unstable neighbor Somalia, the desert is also home to separatist and Somali militants, which pose a threat to the Ethiopian state.

SITUATION REPORTS

Sudan: RSF Advances in White Nile and Sennar States

Ethiopia: Federal Government Reaches Agreement With Tigray, Amhara on Western Tigray

Djibouti: Reported Training of Anti-Somaliland Rebels Threatens To Destabilize the Breakaway Region

Ethiopia: Official Creditors Ready To Extend Deadline for IMF Deal

Somalia, Ethiopia: Somalia Accuses Ethiopia of Illegal Troop Incursions

South Korea, Africa: Summit Targets Minerals, New Markets, Presages Security and Financial Risks

Somalia: Regional Officials Dispute Federal Government's Deadline for Ethiopian Troop Withdrawal

Ethiopia: Finance Minister Warns About Mounting Deficit Amid Ethnic Insurgencies

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