Assessments

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Cote d'Ivoire

Eritrea

Rwanda

Senegal

Sudan

Togo

Uganda

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

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

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

Benin

Burkina Faso

Mali

Niger

Nigeria

United States

France

Protesters hold placards denouncing ECOWAS on Aug. 3, 2023, in Niamey, Niger. While an intervention probably would topple the Nigerien junta, it could cause a regional conflict, boost jihadists and lead to a weak Nigerian civilian regime.

While an intervention probably would topple the Nigerien junta, it could cause a regional conflict, boost jihadists and lead to a weak Nigerian civilian regime.

How Might an ECOWAS Military Intervention Take Shape in Niger?

Snapshots

A man holds a Senegalese flag in front of the Parliament in Dakar on Sept. 12, 2022, ahead of the first parliamentary session since the July 2022 legislative elections.

In Senegal, a new opposition coalition rejects a possible third term for President Macky Sall, which could have grave consequences for the country's traditionally stable democracy.

Senegal’s 2024 Election Could Threaten One of West Africa's Most Stable Democracies 

South Africa

Zambia

China

Japan

South Korea

Vietnam

Germany

United Kingdom

Ukraine

Two Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks of the German armed forces participate in the NATO Iron Wolf military exercises on Oct. 27, 2022, in Pabrade, Lithuania. On Jan. 20, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group of military equipment donors to Ukraine will meet at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where a breakthrough is expected regarding the supply of German Leopard tanks to Ukraine. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

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

The Weekly Rundown: Germany Discusses Tanks for Ukraine, the Lunar New Year Approaches

Media

Kenya

Podcasts

The results of Kenya's and Senegal's widely anticipated elections could mean future economic and legislative uncertainty.

Essential Geopolitics: What's Happening With Elections in Kenya and Senegal?  

People wait to vote in Senegal’s legislative election outside a polling station in Dakar on July 31, 2022.

The ruling coalition’s failure to maintain control of the National Assembly will impede the Senegalese president’s ability to pass policy and pursue an unconstitutional third term. 

In Senegal, Legislative Losses Could Spell the End for President Sall

Turkey

Taiwan

Russia

A wheatfield June 14, 2022, outside Melitopol, Ukraine. Under a Russia-Ukraine deal struck July 22, grain shipments are soon to begin from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

The Weekly Rundown: Grain Shipments From Ukraine, Pelosi's Trip to Asia

U.S.-China Relations

Police are seen at the entrance of the street leading to the house of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on June 17, 2022, in Dakar. 

If opposition candidates remain excluded from the July 31 legislative ballot, unrest will likely continue, potentially threatening one of West Africa’s most stable democracies.

In Senegal, Protests Turn Violent Ahead of Elections

Guidance

Brazil

Cambodia

Myanmar

Poland

Hungary

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) greets Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Nov. 14, 2019, in Brasilia, Brazil, on the sidelines of a BRICS summit. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will visit Russia on Feb. 14-17 in an effort to boost relations between the two countries.

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

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

The Weekly Rundown: An EU-AU Summit, the German Chancellor in Ukraine and Russia

The Ukraine Conflict

Honduras

Italy

U.S . of State Antony Blinken (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov ahead of their Jan. 21 meeting in Geneva. Following their meeting, Lavrov said the United States had promised to provide a written response to Russia's proposal on security guarantees in Europe by Jan. 30.

The Weekly Rundown: Russia Awaits a Written U.S. Response, the Federal Open Market Committee Meets

Protesters gather in the Senegalese capital of Dakar on March 8, 2021, after the country's opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was charged with rape. 

Environment, Science & Technology

The surge of protests will galvanize support for the opposition’s pro-democracy agenda, as well as anger over the African country’s COVID-19 economic crisis.

An Opposition Leader’s Arrest Threatens Senegal’s Stability

COVID-19

Security

Old Leaders in a New Africa

Ghana

Bolivia

Hong Kong SAR, China

Protesters fight gendarmes on March 5, 2021, near their barracks in the Colobane neighborhood in Dakar, Senegal, during clashes following the arrest of the main opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko. Sonko will face a court hearing on March 8 related to rape charges against him that Sonko and his supporters claim are entirely political.

The Weekly Rundown: The Mainland Seeks More Control Over Hong Kong, a Possible Senegalese Crackdown

Senegalese President Macky Sall announced that Prime Minister Amadou Ba will be the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) coalition's candidate in the February presidential election, Reuters reported on Sept. 9.

Senegal: Macky Sall to Back Amadou Ba in Presidential Elections

Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was admitted to a hospital in the capital Dakar after a week on a hunger strike, Africanews reported on Aug. 6.

Senegal: Opposition Leader Admitted to Hospital After Hunger Strike

Senegal’s government dissolved the Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF) opposition party, AP reported on July 31.

Senegal: Government Dissolves Major Opposition Party Ahead of Presidential Election

Senegalese President Macky Sall announced that he will not stand for reelection in 2024, Reuters reported July 3. 

Senegal: President Sall Will Not Stand for Reelection in 2024

Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko called on the Senegalese people to rise up against the government in advance of President Macky Sall's national address, Africanews reported on July 3.

Senegal: Opposition Leader Calls for Protests Ahead of President's National Address

Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko filed a lawsuit in France against President Macky Sall for crimes against humanity and also called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate recent security crackdowns on protesters, Africanews reported on June 23.

Senegal: Sonko Files Crimes Against Humanity Lawsuit Against President Sall

Energy

Senegalese President Macky Sall signed a Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), a public-private climate financing project worth $2.7 billion, with the Group of Seven (G-7) to support Senegal's energy transition, Reuters reported on June 22.

Senegal: Government Signs $2.7 Billion Just Energy Transition Partnership Package With G-7

The Senegalese government temporarily closed its consulates abroad following attacks on locations in Bordeaux, Milan, Paris and New York, France24 reported June 7. 

Senegal: Government Closes Consulates Abroad Following Series of Attacks 

Afghanistan

Algeria

Antigua and Barbuda

Luxembourg

A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Angola

Argentina

Armenia

Australia

Bahrain

Lithuania

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.

Barbados

Egypt

Maldives

Malta

Belize

Botswana

Brunei Darussalam

India

Iran

North Macedonia

Tajikistan

Bhutan

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.

Burundi

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

Chad

Costa Rica

Indonesia

Libya

Comoros

Cuba

Czech Republic

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

Morocco

Denmark

Dominica

Kiribati

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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

Saudi Arabia

Grenada

Mongolia

Located on West Africa's Atlantic coast, Senegal is surrounded by Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea Bissau to the south. Perhaps more interesting, it almost completely swallows Gambia, with the tiny country carved into its larger neighbor.    Senegal has been an entry point for Africa for many centuries. Its navigable river, of which the country's name is derived, has provided a transportation artery for locals and foreign powers alike. Indeed, the arrival of French imperialists in the mid-17th century changed the region's political trajectory dramatically. French influence was strong in Senegal, given its use as a base for French power projection into the rest of what would become the West African element of France's global empire.    Senegal's development since independence from France in 1960 as one of Africa's, and especially West Africa's, most stable democracies has allowed it to cultivate a relative influence in the region and in the Francophone world more generally, despite a relative lack of natural resources, widespread poverty and ethnocultural cleavages. Nevertheless, the country has had to manage a sometimes-troublesome relationship with its neighbor, Gambia, which provided safe haven and alleged funding to a long-running secessionist movement in Senegal's southernmost Casamance region during the reign of Yahya Jammeh, Gambia's dictatorial leader.    Jammeh's downfall in 2016 created a shift in relations between the two countries, leading to more cooperation across multiple fronts. Moreover, Senegal has emerged in recent years as one of West Africa's most promising countries for energy exploration and exploitation. The potential future financial windfall from energy production could help the impoverished country continue robust growth in the years ahead.

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SITUATION REPORTS

Senegal: Macky Sall to Back Amadou Ba in Presidential Elections

Senegal: Opposition Leader Admitted to Hospital After Hunger Strike

Senegal: Government Dissolves Major Opposition Party Ahead of Presidential Election

Senegal: President Sall Will Not Stand for Reelection in 2024

Senegal: Opposition Leader Calls for Protests Ahead of President's National Address

Senegal: Sonko Files Crimes Against Humanity Lawsuit Against President Sall

Senegal: Government Signs $2.7 Billion Just Energy Transition Partnership Package With G-7

Senegal: Government Closes Consulates Abroad Following Series of Attacks

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