Sub-Saharan Africa

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Environment, Science & Technology

Military & Security

Science & Technology

Shipping activity off the coast of southern Africa steeply dropped in the second week of July amid extreme weather events that caused one ship to run aground and resulted in the loss and damage of over 70 containers, Bloomberg reported on July 11. 

Africa: Shipping Disruptions off African Shores Grow Amid Extreme Weather Events, Piracy

Djibouti

Ethiopia

United Arab Emirates

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

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 

Somalia's government is urging a slowdown in the withdrawal of African Union (AU) peacekeepers due to fears of a security vacuum and a resurgence of al-Shabab militants, Reuters reported June 20.

Somalia: Government Urges Foreign Troops To Slow Withdrawal Amid Concerns of Islamist Resurgence

United States

Iran

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

Yemen

The United States is seeking evidence of an alleged arrangement for Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels to potentially supply weapons to al Qaeda affiliate al Shabaab in Somalia, CNN reported on June 11.

Somalia, Yemen: Houthis in Talks To Supply Weapons to Al Shabaab

Politics

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

Comoros

Mauritania

Sudan

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Libya

Morocco

Oman

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Syria

Tunisia

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Arab leaders began to arrive in Manama, Bahrain, on May 15, for the 33rd Arab League summit that will focus on developing a consensus on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, The National reported the next day.

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

The foreign affairs minister of Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland, Esse Kayd, stressed that Somalia's maritime security agreement with Turkey did not grant Turkish ships the right to enter the territory's waters, Garowe Online reported on May 6.

Somalia: Somaliland Warns Turkey Against Entering Territorial Waters 

Assessments

Kenya

Haiti

U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden pose with Kenyan President William Ruto (center), alongside his wife and children, as they arrive for a State Dinner at the White House on May 23, 2024. 

For Kenya, stronger ties with the U.S. could unlock new investment and diplomatic opportunities, but bilateral relations could weaken if Nairobi draws down its police deployment in Haiti, or if Trump reenters the White House.

What To Expect From Stronger U.S.-Kenya Ties

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

China

India

A map of the waters off the coast of Somalia. A sustained resurgence in Somali piracy would put additional pressure on the global shipping industry, but its impact will likely be limited compared to that seen in the late 2000s.

A sustained resurgence in Somali piracy would put additional pressure on the global shipping industry, but its impact will likely be limited compared to that seen in the late 2000s.

The Implications of Resurging Pirate Attacks off Somalia's Coast

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

Media

Podcasts

What are the implications of ATMIS' withdrawal from Somalia?

Essential Geopolitics: Somalia's Security Outlook

What do al Shabaab's territorial losses mean for Somalia?

Essential Geopolitics: Al Shabaab's Recent Territorial Losses

RANE global security analyst Charles Thorson talks to Emily Donahue about the growing regional security risks posed by al Shabaab in Somalia.

Essential Geopolitics: Monitoring Al Shabaab

People wait for water with containers at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Baidoa, Somalia, on Feb. 13, 2022. 

Security

The Jihadist Wars

East African Integration

The crisis could aid al-Shabaab's recruitment efforts and, in turn, its ability to conduct more terrorist attacks against political leaders in the drought-stricken country.

In Somalia, Food and Water Woes Risk Boosting al-Shabaab and Derailing Elections

Snapshots

Somalian President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on July 5, 2018, in Djibouti.

This latest in a series of confrontations between the president and prime minister will destabilize an already fragile political environment.

Preelection Tensions Surge in Somalia as President Curtails Premier's Powers

Columns

On Security

Burkina Faso

Mali

Niger

Afghanistan

Pakistan

A British soldier leaves the Hombori area aboard a Chinook helicopter on March 28, 2019, during the start of the French Barkhane Force operation in Mali's Gourma region. In the short term, the Taliban victory will provide a significant propaganda victory for global jihadist groups; the long-term outlook for global jihadism is much less certain. 

War, Insurgency & Terrorism

The Fight Against the Islamic State

In the short term, the Taliban victory will provide a significant propaganda victory for global jihadist groups; the long-term outlook for global jihadism is much less certain.

Jihadist Terrorism After the Taliban Takeover of Afghanistan

The War in Afghanistan

Mozambique

Indonesia

Malaysia

Singapore

Royal Malaysian Police Special Forces personnel storm a mock hijacked ship during an anti-piracy demonstration exercise June 13, 2007, in Port Klang, Malaysia.

Piracy tends to occur in globally significant locations and counterpiracy options all come at a cost to shippers.

A Primer on Global Maritime Piracy, Part 2

A member of parliament gestures in response to the president’s request to annul a law extending his term in Mogadishu, Somalia, on May 1, 2021. 

Old Leaders in a New Africa

The president's no longer trying to extend his term, but his disputes with state leaders still threaten the country’s stability.

Reversing a Controversial Law Won’t End Somalia's Political Crisis

Located on the Horn of Africa, Somalia shares borders with Djibouti to the northwest, Ethiopia to the west and Kenya to the south. To the north and east along the Indian Ocean, the country has the second-longest coastline in Africa.    Many have classified Somalia as the ultimate failed state, as civil conflict has gripped the country for decades. Some of Somalia's problems stem from the artificiality of the country's borders, as large ethnic Somali populations reside on the other side of the border in Ethiopia and Kenya. This weakness precipitated frequent external challenges to the country, especially during the Cold War when the United States and the Soviet Union staged proxy battles for influence in   Ethiopia and Somalia.    Somalia's biggest challenge lies in addressing a potent Islamist insurgency, followed closely by the need to reconstruct extremely fragile or nonexistent institutions. In addition to the threat posed by Islamist groups such as al Shabaab, deep-seated clan divisions have hindered efforts to foster unity. For example, the Somali National Army has received foreign financial support and training for many years, but it is largely incapable of defending the country amid its own internal divisions.    Furthermore, Ethiopia, the region's landlocked giant, is eager to prevent Somalia from re-emerging as a regional threat, as it did in the 1970s. The massive internal and external challenges facing Mogadishu suggest that international efforts to stabilize the country will continue for years to come.

SITUATION REPORTS

Africa: Shipping Disruptions off African Shores Grow Amid Extreme Weather Events, Piracy

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

Somalia, Ethiopia: Somalia Accuses Ethiopia of Illegal Troop Incursions

Somalia: Government Urges Foreign Troops To Slow Withdrawal Amid Concerns of Islamist Resurgence

Somalia, Yemen: Houthis in Talks To Supply Weapons to Al Shabaab

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

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

Somalia: Somaliland Warns Turkey Against Entering Territorial Waters

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