Assessments

Burkina Faso

Chad

Mali

Mauritania

Niger

France

French soldiers patrol the streets of Gao, Mali, on Dec. 4, 2021. 

Military & Security

France’s updated military posture in the African region focuses on supporting national armies, especially Niger’s. But this is unlikely to offset the impact of Paris’ withdrawal from Mali. 

France’s New Approach to the Sahel: Preparing for Sustained Regional Instability

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.

Sub-Saharan Africa

<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

United States

Europe

French soldiers patrol the Tofa Gala forest in the Sahel region of Africa.

The Jihadist Wars

Escalating violence risks forcing France and its allies to rethink their counterterrorism efforts in the vast African warzone, as the question of whether foreign involvement can even improve the crumbling situation looms ever larger.

The West Offers Little Reprieve to the Sahel's Jihadist Battle

Security

The Difficulties of North African Reform

2019 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2019 Third-Quarter Forecast

2019 Second-Quarter Forecast

2019 Annual Forecast

2018 Fourth-Quarter Forecast

2018 Second-Quarter Forecast

2018 Annual Forecast

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Even after it receives the necessary funding, the G5 Sahel Force still has hills to climb. 

The multinational Group of Five Sahel Force is closer to reaching its funding goals, but it still has a long way to go and more obstacles to overcome.

In the Sahel, a Counterterrorism Force Fights for More Than Funding

The Malian junta announced that it is pulling out of the G5 Sahel force, which is made up of troops from Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania, Reuters reported May 15.

Mali: Junta Pulls Out of G5 Sahel Force

Algeria

Morocco

Economics

Politics

Local authorities at the border community of Guerguerat between Morocco and Mauritania announced that commercial and civilian traffic will resume as usual through the border crossing for the first time in two years, Morocco World News reported Nov. 10.

Morocco: Guerguerat Border Crossing Reopened for all Traffic

Supply Chains

Morocco has launched a military operation at the southern border of Western Sahara to “deter” against recent attacks by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front and end the group’s weeks-long blockade on trade between Moroccan-controlled areas of the disputed region and neighboring Mauritania, Al Jazeera reported Nov. 13. 

Morocco, Algeria: Rabat Deploys Troops to Western Sahara Border Zone

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

The United Arab Emirates has agreed to provide Mauritania with $2 billion in funding for development projects and loans, Emirati state news agency WAM reported Feb. 2.

Mauritania: UAE Agrees to Invest $2 Billion in Development Projects, Loans

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The U.S. Defense Department is considering significantly reducing the number of U.S. forces in West Africa, including a possible total withdrawal, The New York Times reported Dec. 24, citing officials familiar with the deliberations.

U.S.: Pentagon Mulling West African Drawdown Amid Worsening Security Environment Across the Sahel

Senegal

Energy

Kosmos Energy has discovered significant natural gas reserves off the coast of Mauritania, which could host up to 50 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, Reuters reported Oct. 28.

Mauritania: Kosmos Energy Discovers Significant Offshore Natural Gas Reserves

Germany

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has arrived in Burkina Faso for a two-day trip to meet with regional leaders from Group of Five (G5) Sahel Force member countries, Reuters reported May 2.

Burkina Faso: Merkel Arrives for 2-Day Visit to Meet Regional Leaders

Mauritania’s ruling party has named the country's current defense minister, Gen. Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, as its candidate for upcoming presidential elections in June, RFI reported March 2.

Mauritania: Ruling Party Selects Defense Minister as Presidential Candidate

Old Leaders in a New Africa

Afghanistan

Antigua and Barbuda

Luxembourg

South Sudan

A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Angola

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Bahrain

Lithuania

Barbados

Benin

Egypt

Maldives

Malta

Ukraine

Belize

Botswana

Brunei Darussalam

India

Iran

North Macedonia

Tajikistan

Bhutan

Bolivia

Cambodia

Iraq

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.

Brazil

Burundi

China

Finland

Israel

Nepal

Cameroon

Canada

Georgia

Jordan

Pakistan

Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

Cabo Verde

Chile

Federated States of Micronesia

Kuwait

Liechtenstein

Sri Lanka

Central African Republic

Colombia

Fiji

Latvia

Lebanon

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Costa Rica

Indonesia

Libya

Russia

Comoros

Cuba

Czech Republic

Japan

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

Cote d'Ivoire

Denmark

Dominica

Kiribati

Moldova

Oman

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Dominican Republic

Laos

Palestinian Territories

Djibouti

Ecuador

Holy See (Vatican City)

Malaysia

Qatar

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Greece

Marshall Islands

Eritrea

Grenada

Mongolia

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a West African country in the semiarid Sahel. It faces the Atlantic Ocean and is bordered by Senegal to the southwest, Mali to the southeast and east, Algeria to the northeast and the disputed Western Sahara to the northwest.    The country has an ancient past as part of the western trans-Saharan trade route and owes much of its social and cultural makeup to the Arab conquests of North Africa. The colonization of north and west Africa, mainly by France in the 19th and 20th centuries, also profoundly affected the large, sparsely populated territory.    Today, Mauritania is a weak country. For years, it has struggled with political crises among the elites, including several coups and attempted coups. State authority remains uneven outside the capital of Nouakchott, as regional and local elites often bargain for power with the country's political and military elites. Violent militant groups sometimes use its ungoverned spaces to the east and northeast for trafficking and travel.    For years, the country has had fragile economic growth, but it is now seeing an uptick in interest from international energy companies because of the proven natural gas and oil deposits off its coast. This has the potential to increase income for the cash-strapped government. How the elites manage any windfall will help determine the country's future.

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Male

SITUATION REPORTS

Mali: Junta Pulls Out of G5 Sahel Force

Morocco: Guerguerat Border Crossing Reopened for all Traffic

Morocco, Algeria: Rabat Deploys Troops to Western Sahara Border Zone

Mauritania: UAE Agrees to Invest $2 Billion in Development Projects, Loans

U.S.: Pentagon Mulling West African Drawdown Amid Worsening Security Environment Across the Sahel

Mauritania: Kosmos Energy Discovers Significant Offshore Natural Gas Reserves

Burkina Faso: Merkel Arrives for 2-Day Visit to Meet Regional Leaders

Mauritania: Ruling Party Selects Defense Minister as Presidential Candidate

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