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Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose during their Feb. 4, 2022, meeting in Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive March 20, 2023, in Moscow for a three-day trip to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin and other high-ranking Russian officials. 

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

The Weekly Rundown: Nigeria Elects Governors, Xi Visits Russia

Snapshots

Nigerian President-elect Bola Tinubu (right) and the chairman of the country's Independent National Election Commission (INEC), Yakubu Mahmood, look on during a ceremony in Abuja on March 1, 2023. 

Military & Security

Politics

Tinubu will likely face a legal challenge to his victory that will prolong the already elevated risk of electoral unrest, though he'll almost certainly still take office in May.

Nigeria Braces for More Turmoil After the Ruling Party Wins the Presidency

United States

Poland

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Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech at the Kremlin in Moscow on Sept. 30, 2022. 

The Weekly Rundown: Putin Gives a Speech, Biden Visits Poland as Ukraine War Hits One Year

Supporters hold flags to support opposition PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar during a campaign rally in Kano state in northwestern Nigeria on Feb. 9, 2023.

Economics

A potential break from Nigeria's informal power-sharing system and the rising popularity of a dark horse candidate are set to make the country's upcoming election divisive and violent.

A Presidential Election in Nigeria Will Likely Entrench the Status Quo

Israel

Taiwan

An Israeli flag. The Knesset on Feb. 13 will begin the voting process on proposed judicial reforms changing how Israel's Supreme Court is appointed to favor the coalition that controls the legislature and reducing the court's power of judicial view over the country's Basic Laws.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Social Issues

The Weekly Rundown: Israel Votes on Judicial Reform, Nigeria Takes up a Contentious Currency Swap

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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. 

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

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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

Venezuela

Egypt

Palestinian Territories

A supporter of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela waves the flag of Venezuela on Jan. 10, 2022, in Barinas, Venezuela. The four major political parties that comprise Venezuela's opposition coalition will vote Dec. 29 on a motion to eliminate the country's interim government.

The Weekly Rundown: Venezuela's Opposition Votes to Oust Guaido, Christmas Brings Currency to the Middle East

A police armored vehicle is deployed at a bus station at a boundary between Lagos and neighboring Ogun State in Lagos on Aug. 3, 2022. 

Recent attacks targeting lawmakers and electoral officials bode ill for a peaceful transfer of power and the next government’s ability to mitigate the country’s economic crisis.

In Nigeria, Violence Threatens Election Integrity and Government Legitimacy

Police officers stand on a street in Lagos on Oct. 1, 2022, as supporters march to campaign for a third-party candidate running in Nigeria's 2023 presidential election.

The recent use of tear gas on protesters demanding police reforms underscores the threat of state violence to political participation ahead of next year’s general elections.

Two Years After the 'Lekki Massacre,' Police Brutality Still Looms Large Over Nigerian Elections

The Nigerian flag is waved above a crowd at a political rally for Labor Party candidate Peter Obi in Abuja, Nigeria, on Sept. 24, 2022. 

The election will take place amid worsening economic and security crises, and is slated to break with the West African country's informal power-sharing system for the first time in decades.

What to Expect During Nigeria's Presidential Campaign Season

Italy

A protester in Turkey holds a portrait of Mahsa Amini during a demonstration in support of Amini, a young Iranian woman who died Sept. 16 after being arrested in the Iranian capital of Tehran by the morality police. Anti-government demonstrations in Iran are likely to continue as anger over issues including police brutality, social restrictions and economic malaise motivates some Iranians to take to the streets. 

The Weekly Rundown: Protests in Iran, Campaign Season in Nigeria

Energy

Nigeria's state oil firm, the Nigerian National Petroleum Co. (NNPC), hiked petrol prices to 557 naira ($1.21) per liter from 189 naira ($0.41) per liter after newly inaugurated President Bola Tinubu announced the cancelation of subsidies, Reuters reported on May 31.

Nigeria: Petrol Prices Triple After Subsidy Removal

New Nigerian President Bola Tinubu announced the cancellation of the country's fuel subsidy during his inauguration speech, Bloomberg reported on May 29.

Nigeria: Newly Inaugurated President Removes Fuel Subsidy

The Nigerian Supreme Court dismissed the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) lawsuit seeking to overturn the victory of President-elect Bola Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima in the February 2023 election, Business Day reported on May 26.

Nigeria: Supreme Court Dismisses Opposition Suit Against President-Elect

Nigeria's Dangote oil refinery, which has a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (bpd), expects to process its first batch of crude oil in June, S&P Global reported on May 16.

Nigeria: Dangote Refinery to Process First Batch of Crude Oil in June

Nigeria's election tribunal is hearing opposition petitions against President-elect Bola Tinubu's victory in the February presidential election, Reuters reported on May 5.

Nigeria: Presidential Election Tribunal Hearing Begins

Nigeria's minister of finance, budget and national planning, Zainab Ahmed, said that the government has decided to delay the removal of fuel subsidies as it needs further "preparations and consultations with stakeholders," Africa News reported April 28. 

Nigeria: Finance Minister Says Government to Delay Fuel Subsidy Removal 

The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on April 13 claimed responsibility for an April 11 attack with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Nigeria's northwest Jigawa state, HumAngle reported April 14.

Nigeria: ISWAP Claims First Attack in Jigawa State

The Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria's primary internal security agency, issued a statement warning of a plot among Nigeria's political class to set up an interim government to disrupt the transition of power to President-elect Bola Tinubu on May 29, Voice of America reported March 30.

Nigeria: DSS Issues Warning of Plot to Disrupt Tinubu's Inauguration

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A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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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.

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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.

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The West African country of Nigeria is bordered by Benin, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and the Gulf of Guinea. Nigeria gained its independence from Great Britain in 1960.    A series of mountains form the country's eastern border. Two rivers, the Niger and the Benue, effectively form a boundary between northern, southwestern and southeastern Nigeria. The northern half of the country is largely savannah grassland supportive of pastoral agriculture. Highlands in the south produce cash crops like oil palms and rubber.    Most of Nigeria's regions have arable lands that allow the country to support Africa's largest population of 150 million people. Each region has a dominant ethnic group. The Hausa-Fulani are based in the north, the Yoruba in the southwest and the Igbo in the southeast. These and more than 250 other ethnicities all vie for control over the Niger Delta region because of its abundant reserves of oil and natural gas. The Niger Delta region itself is home to the Ijaw people who have exerted disproportionate influence over the country's politics as seen with the election of Goodluck Jonathan as president in 2011. Nigeria's capital, Abuja, was intentionally located in the country's center to promote its neutrality.     Managing the competition for natural resources between these ethnically divided regions is Nigeria's primary geographic challenge.    Looking ahead, Nigeria will have to settle its internal ethnic division and astutely manage its oil revenue to deal with its projected population of 390 million people by 2050.

Nigeria: Obstacles to Prosperity

A Crude Recovery

The Jihadist Wars

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

Female

Male

Nigeria will hold supplementary gubernatorial elections in Adamawa and Kebbi states on April 15, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nairametrics reported on March 27.

Nigeria: Electoral Commission Sets Supplementary Election Date for April 15

Nigeria's ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party and main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) dominated the country's gubernatorial elections on March 18, with the APC winning 15 states, the PDP winning seven states and the Labour Party winning one state, Reuters reported on March 21.

Nigeria: Main Parties Dominate Gubernatorial Elections as Labour Party Challenges Presidential Election

SITUATION REPORTS

Nigeria: Petrol Prices Triple After Subsidy Removal

Nigeria: Newly Inaugurated President Removes Fuel Subsidy

Nigeria: Supreme Court Dismisses Opposition Suit Against President-Elect

Nigeria: Dangote Refinery to Process First Batch of Crude Oil in June

Nigeria: Presidential Election Tribunal Hearing Begins

Nigeria: Finance Minister Says Government to Delay Fuel Subsidy Removal

Nigeria: ISWAP Claims First Attack in Jigawa State

Nigeria: DSS Issues Warning of Plot to Disrupt Tinubu's Inauguration

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