South Africa

Eswatini

Politics

Military & Security

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that eSwatini’s King Mswati III will open a national dialogue forum to end the country’s ongoing pro-democracy protests, Swazi News reported Nov. 2.

ESwatini: King Mswati III Agrees to National Dialogue

Security

Old Leaders in a New Africa

Zambia

Economics

Hakainde Hichilema has been elected as Zambia’s new president after winning 59% of the vote in the country’s Aug. 12 election, the country’s electoral commission has reported. 

Zambia: Opposition Leader Wins Presidential Election in Landslide

Somalia

Following five days of negotiations, Somali leaders signed an agreement to hold delayed elections within the next 60 days, France24 reported May 27.

Somalia: Leaders Reach Agreement to Hold Delayed Elections

Tanzania

Environment, Science & Technology

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has appointed a COVID-19 advisory committee, marking a shift from her late predecessor's downplaying of the virus and rejection of the pandemic’s severity, Bloomberg reported April 6. 

Tanzania: New President Forms COVID-19 Advisory Committee

COVID-19

Tanzanian Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in as the country’s first female president, as well as the first one born in the autonomous region of Zanzibar, following the recent death of President John Magufuli, BBC reported March 19. 

Tanzania: Country Swears in Hassan as First Female President 

Ethiopia

United States

The spokesperson for the government in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, Gizachew Muluneh, dismissed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s remarks about ethnic cleansing in western Tigray as “propaganda,” and then went on to claim the area as part of Amhara, Al Jazeera reported Mar. 11, citing quotes from Muluneh’s recent interview with AFP.

Ethiopia: Amhara Claims Western Tigray, Dismisses U.S. Remarks of ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ 

Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s prime minister, Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, has resigned after accepting the parliament’s vote of no confidence against his government, Reuters reported Jan. 27. 

Congo: Prime Minister Resigns After Accepting No-Confidence Vote

The lower house of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s legislature voted to remove Speaker Jeannine Mabunda, an ally of former president Joseph Kabila, France24 reported Dec. 10.

Congo: National Assembly Ousts Kabila-Allied Speaker

When the Cold War ended, many African nations lost their foreign benefactors in the United States and the Soviet Union. Multiparty democracies, particularly the democracies that exist in name only, forced some leaders to search for more creative ways to extend their terms in office. But though tactics such as extended term limits will, in fact, prolong a leader’s time at the top, they will also increase the chances of their violent removal — and that their removal will destabilize their countries.

When the Cold War ended, many African nations lost their foreign benefactors in the United States and the Soviet Union.

Angola

Gambia

Nigeria

Sudan

Zimbabwe

The Difficulties of North African Reform

Commodities: A Cautionary Tale

A Crude Recovery

The 4th Industrial Revolution

East African Integration

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

Columns

On Geopolitics

Burkina Faso

Chad

Guinea

Guinea Bissau

Mali

Demonstrators in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, hold up photos of Malian coup leader Assimi Goita (who seized power in Mali for the second time in a May 2021 coup) and Burkina Faso coup leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba on Jan. 25, 2022.

Niger may soon join the wave of military takeovers, but that risk has more to do with what’s happening within the country's borders.

Putting West Africa’s ‘Coup Contagion’ in Context

Assessments

Kenya

Supporters react to Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto’s speech during a presidential campaign rally in Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi, on Jan. 18, 2022. 

The East African country is headed for a tumultuous vote this summer that could alter the future of its political system.

What’s at Stake in Kenya’s 2022 Presidential Election

Guidance

China

Europe

France

United Kingdom

Russia

Egypt

People watch Chinese President Xi Jinping speak during the opening ceremony of the China International Import Expo on Nov. 4, 2021, in Shanghai.

Energy

China in Transition

Britain After Brexit

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

The Weekly Rundown: China's Sixth Plenum, U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue

The Politics of Pipelines

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. 

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

People read newspapers announcing the death of Tanzanian President John Magufuli in Dar es Salaam on March 18, 2021. 

While it’s upended Tanzania’s political cycle, Magufuli’s passing won’t immediately reverse the country’s drift toward authoritarianism.

Tanzania’s President Has Died, but His ‘Bulldozer’ Policies Will Live On 

Japan

South Korea

Germany

Iran

India

A staff member of the statistic office sorts postal voting envelopes by the numbers of the electoral districts on March 2, 2021, in Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. A strong performance by the Greens in their Baden-Wuerttemberg stronghold would confirm their ambitions of entering the German government.

The Weekly Rundown: The Tanzanian President's Health, and High-Level U.S.-China Meetings

U.S.-China Relations

Senegal

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

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

Niger

French soldiers monitor an area along Burkina Faso’s border with Mali and Niger on Nov. 10, 2019. 

The Jihadist Wars

France's failure to stabilize the region will make it difficult to reduce its counterterrorism operations without triggering more violence.

In the Sahel, a French Exit Will Be Easier Said Than Done

Divided EU Foreign Policies

Eritrea

Members of the Amhara militia fighting alongside Ethiopian forces in Tigray ride on the back of a truck in Gondar, Ethiopia, on Nov. 8, 2020. 

Addis Ababa’s military offensive in Tigray could trigger a wider conflict that further erodes the country’s attractiveness for foreign investment. 


What’s at Stake as Ethiopia Barrels Toward Civil War 

A building remains on fire in Lekki, Nigeria, on Oct. 21, 2020, after #EndSARS protests escalated into violent clashes with police the previous night. 

President Buhari and his allies have few options to contain the growing protests without sparking broader security concerns and potentially exacerbating social tensions.

Nigeria's #EndSARS Protests Back Its President Into a Corner

Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto (left) and opposition leader Raila Odinga (right) listen to President Uhuru Kenyatta (center) give a speech in Nairobi, Kenya, on Nov. 27, 2019. 

 A growing rift within Kenya’s ruling party could damage investor confidence in one of Africa’s strongest economies, should it lead to another bout of ethnic violence.

In Kenya, the Stage Is Set for Another Tumultuous Election Season

Snapshots

Sub-Saharan Africa

Uganda

The ruling party’s failure to address the grievances of young Ugandans has paved the way for a pop star’s presidential candidacy, as well as years of political unrest.

Is Uganda's 30-Year Run of Political Stability Nearing an End?

Old Leaders in a New Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

ESwatini: King Mswati III Agrees to National Dialogue

Zambia: Opposition Leader Wins Presidential Election in Landslide

Somalia: Leaders Reach Agreement to Hold Delayed Elections

Tanzania: New President Forms COVID-19 Advisory Committee

Tanzania: Country Swears in Hassan as First Female President

Ethiopia: Amhara Claims Western Tigray, Dismisses U.S. Remarks of ‘Ethnic Cleansing’

Congo: Prime Minister Resigns After Accepting No-Confidence Vote

Congo: National Assembly Ousts Kabila-Allied Speaker

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support