Ethiopia

Sudan

Military & Security

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander in chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, called for an intra-Sudanese political dialogue in his Eid al-Adha address 
and vowed to keep fighting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, stating that the Sudanese people would reject the outcomes of "conferences and dialogues of foreign capitals," Radio Dabanga reported on May 28.


Sudan: Al-Burhan Calls for Intra-Sudanese Dialogue as SAF Regains Initiative in Blue Nile State

The Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, launched a drone strike on the Ethiopian locality of Kurmuk on April 29, killing at least eight civilians, including one humanitarian worker from the International Organization for Migration, Addis Standard reported on May 14 based on testimonies from local residents.

Sudan: SAF Reportedly Launched Drone Strike Into Western Ethiopia in Late April

Eritrea

Egypt

United Arab Emirates

Politics

A spokesperson for the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, blamed Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates for drone attacks on Khartoum, noting that the drone had been identified as Emirati property and launched from Ethiopia's Bahir Dar airport, Sudan Tribune reported on May 5.

Sudan: SAF Accuses Ethiopia, UAE of Drone Strikes on Khartoum

Saudi Arabia

Pakistan

Pakistan has put on hold the provision of a $1.5 billion weapons shipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, after Saudi Arabia said it would not finance the purchase and that the agreement should be terminated, Reuters reported on April 21, quoting three Pakistani officials.

Sudan: Pakistan Reportedly Halts $1.5B Weapons Shipment to SAF Amid Saudi Objection

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, and its allies seized the strategic border town of Kurmuk, located in the southeastern Blue Nile state, Sudan Tribune reported on March 24.

Sudan: SAF Blames Ethiopia for RSF Capture of Strategic Border Town

Central African Republic

Chad

The United Arab Emirates is growing its smuggling network to Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, through Ethiopia and the Central African Republic, Le Monde reported on March 22.

Sudan: UAE Developing New Weapons Smuggling Routes to RSF Despite Iran War

Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby ordered the military to retaliate against any Sudanese armed groups after a drone strike killed at least 16 civilians near the Sudan-Chad frontier, Sudan Tribune reported on March 18.

Chad: President Authorizes Military Response to Sudanese Cross-Border Strikes

United States

The United States designated organizations linked to the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan, namely the Sudanese Islamic Movement, or SIM, and the Al-Baraa bin Malik Bataillon, or BBMB, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, effective from March 16, the U.S. State Department announced on March 9.

Sudan: U.S. Designates Sudan's Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organization

Assessments

Sub-Saharan Africa

Burkina Faso

Cameroon

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mali

Mozambique

Niger

Nigeria

Rwanda

The Geopolitics of Natural Resources

Economics

Control over critical natural resources is increasingly strengthening armed groups' durability and geographic reach, heightening their physical threats and their ability to create political instability.

Natural Resource Exploitation as an Engine for Insurgency in Sub-Saharan Africa

Columns

On Geopolitics

Somalia

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Lebanon

Libya

Syria

Turkey

Yemen

A dark earth map of the Middle East with glowing details of cities and human population density areas.

Two blocs are emerging in the Middle East: one focused on preserving existing states and institutions, and the other on creating new ones.

Preservation vs. Fragmentation: Two Paths Toward a New Order in the Middle East

Palestinian Territories

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) inspect the honor guard during an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on June 22, 2022.

After years of discord, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are finding common ground as they increasingly position themselves against Emirati- and Israeli-backed regional initiatives. 

Saudi Arabia and Turkey's New Regional Alignment

Snapshots

Destroyed vehicles are strewn outside Sudan's finance ministry building in the capital Khartoum on Jan. 17, 2026, after nearly three years of devastating war in the country.

Ethiopia's apparent tilt toward the RSF paramilitary group in neighboring Sudan could trigger deadly border clashes and prompt the Sudanese military to deepen ties with Tigrayan forces.

Ethiopia Discreetly Dips Into Sudan's Civil War

Benin

Togo

Structures destroyed in U.S. strikes on jihadist targets in Offa, Nigeria, are seen on Dec. 27, 2025.

New U.S. military action would most likely target jihadist groups, especially in West Africa, but limited strikes in Sudan or the Democratic Republic of the Congo to force belligerents there to de-escalate also cannot be ruled out.

The Outlook for New U.S. Strikes in Africa

Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel's recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Dec. 30, 2025. 

Two regional alignments are coalescing along the Red Sea and in the Horn of Africa, risking the escalation of proxy conflicts and longstanding rivalries.

The Unfolding Regional Realignments Along the Red Sea and Their Implications

Saudi-backed forces are seen on the outskirts of Yemen's Hadramawt province, where the UAE-backed secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) recently launched an offensive, on Jan. 3, 2026. 

Social Issues

The Gulf nations' growing battle for influence is straining bilateral ties and fueling proxy conflicts in places like Yemen and Sudan, though both sides will likely avoid any escalation that could harm their economies.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE Pursue Divergent Paths in a Multipolar World

Residents wave Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel's announcement recognizing Somaliland's statehood in downtown Hargeisa, on Dec. 26, 2025. 

Israel establishing military facilities in Somaliland would invite Houthi attacks against the territory and raise the likelihood of renewed disruptions to Red Sea shipping.


Israel's Recognition of Somaliland Raises the Stakes Along the Red Sea Corridor 

Sudanese Armed Forces soldiers are seen on the now-disabled Shambat Bridge in Khartoum. 

While the likelihood of a humanitarian truce between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary RSF is rising, meaningful progress beyond a tentative permanent ceasefire currently appears unlikely.

Sudan Slips Toward De Facto Partition

South Sudan

Uganda

Shipping containers are offloaded from a vessel at Berbera Port in Somaliland on Aug. 31, 2021.   (ED RAM/AFP via Getty Images)

The UAE is expanding its influence across East Africa through large-scale investments and security partnerships, aiming to consolidate its status as a global trade hub and counter regional competitors, at the risk of entangling regional states in broader geopolitical contests.

The UAE's Long Game in East Africa

A photo of Khartoum, Sudan, with columns of smoke rising in the background.

The SAF's military victory in Khartoum marks a turning point in the country's civil war, but a firm resolution remains out of reach as the RSF fights to consolidate control in the west.

What Next for Sudan After the Army Retakes Khartoum?

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (right) waves as he arrives in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 9, 2024, for the launch of new peace talks with rebel groups.

Energy

Rising political tensions risk collapsing the peace deal that ended the country's last civil war, while escalating clashes in the north risk drawing in involvement from Sudan's warring parties.

South Sudan Hurtles Toward Another Civil War

Sudan is a huge country between Northern and Central Africa which, prior to the independence of South Sudan, was the continent's largest country. Its position has long drawn the attention of outsiders, and once facilitated the birth of powerful empires and city-states.     Since declaring independence from the United Kingdom in 1955, Sudan has struggled to manage its expansive territories and ethno-regional divisions. Khartoum, the country's capital, can be viewed as a relatively isolated city-state that must command the vast spaces and people that surround it. Such a mentality helps explain Khartoum's disastrous management of the country's various rebellions and insurrections. Until recently, the country's leadership has preferred to adopt a belligerent approach to dealing with the country's many outstanding conflicts.     Because Sudan's borders do not fully align with its various ethnic groups, its internal ethnic conflicts have fueled regional conflict as well. Ethnic groups in the Darfur region of eastern Sudan spill over into neighboring Chad, driving the two countries to wage proxy warfare against each other for years by arming and financing rebels intent on revolution.     Sudan's proximity to the Middle East &mdash; as well as its cultural and religious makeup &mdash; has allowed it to build ties with powers there. Though this has benefitted Sudan by allowing it to attract investment from companies such as Saudi Arabia, it has also engendered greater scrutiny.

SITUATION REPORTS

Sudan: Al-Burhan Calls for Intra-Sudanese Dialogue as SAF Regains Initiative in Blue Nile State

Sudan: SAF Reportedly Launched Drone Strike Into Western Ethiopia in Late April

Sudan: SAF Accuses Ethiopia, UAE of Drone Strikes on Khartoum

Sudan: Pakistan Reportedly Halts $1.5B Weapons Shipment to SAF Amid Saudi Objection

Sudan: SAF Blames Ethiopia for RSF Capture of Strategic Border Town

Sudan: UAE Developing New Weapons Smuggling Routes to RSF Despite Iran War

Chad: President Authorizes Military Response to Sudanese Cross-Border Strikes

Sudan: U.S. Designates Sudan's Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organization

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support