<p>Sub-Saharan Africa is a study in diversity. 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, the region is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources. It&rsquo;s no surprise that it captured the imagination of Europe&rsquo;s earliest explorers &mdash; and that it continues to capture the imagination of current world powers eager to exploit it. And yet despite the region&rsquo;s diversity, Sub-Saharan African countries have common challenges &mdash; transnational terrorism, rapid population growth, endemic poverty and corruption &mdash; that prevent them from capitalizing on their economic potential. The coming years will be critical for the region, especially as its political institutions mature in a rapidly globalizing world.</p>

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.

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Angola

Benin

Botswana

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Cabo Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

Cote d'Ivoire

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Djibouti

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Gabon

Gambia

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea Bissau

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Madagascar

Malawi

Mali

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia

Niger

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Somalia

South Africa

Sudan

Eswatini

Tanzania

Togo

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

The Post-Apartheid Era Ends

The Politics of Pipelines

Old Leaders in a New Africa

Nigeria: Obstacles to Prosperity

Commodities: A Cautionary Tale

Crossing Borders

A Crude Recovery

Globalization

China in Transition

The Suitors of Sub-Saharan Africa

Assessments

Senior members of Ethiopia's armed forces attend a ceremony in Guba on Sept. 9, 2025.

Military & Security

The Ethiopian government's military buildup near Tigray suggests that fresh clashes with the TPLF are likely in the coming months, which could quickly morph into a major, protracted conflict that draws in neighboring Eritrea.

Assessing the Risk of Conflict in Northern Ethiopia: Short-Term Scenarios

Columns

On Geopolitics

United States

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Lebanon

Libya

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Yemen

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

Politics

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.

Economics

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

A Rwandan policeman (R) and a Rwandan soldier (L) guard TotalEnergies' Mozambique LNG project in Cabo Delgado province, Mozambique, on Sept. 29, 2022.

Energy

Mozambique's LNG projects will likely progress in 2026 amid a safer security environment, but the economic windfall remains years away.

Mozambique's LNG Sector Turns a Corner Amid Megaproject Reboot

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

A column of Tanzanian soldiers drives past electoral posters of incumbent Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi in Stone Town on Oct. 30, 2025. 

The Tanzanian government's harsh repression of opposition voices will maintain risks of civil unrest and siphon security forces away from outer regions, creating power vacuums in the south for jihadists to exploit.

Ongoing Repression in Tanzania Shows No Signs of Letting Up

Colombia

Cuba

Mexico

Venezuela

Greenland

China

Taiwan

Europe

Norway

Ukraine

Russia

India

Pakistan

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Global Trade

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Social Issues

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026 highlights high-impact, low-probability risks and trends from the annual forecast presented in more extreme terms.

RANE's Top 10 Risks for 2026

U.S.-China Relations

U.S.-Iran Relations

Canada

Denmark

The Greenlandic flag on Jan. 8, 2026, on the roof of Tivoli Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ukraine security talks and a Gaza peace plan will be in the spotlight at Davos.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Elections in Uganda and Benin, Canada's Carney Goes to China

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa approved the deployment of 2,200 military personnel to the provinces of the Western Cape, Gauteng, Free State, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape to tackle violent crime and illegal mining, Reuters reported on March 13. 

South Africa: Ramaphosa Approves Deployment of 2,200 Troops to Combat Crime

Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said a government review showed that British major BP's contract to develop the Grand Tortue Ahmeyim's natural gas project was unfair and "one-sided," Reuters reported on March 12.

Senegal: Sonko Lambasts BP Contract Amid Growing Resource Nationalism

EU funding for the Rwandan deployment in northern Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, is set to expire in May, and discussions about a possible renewal have reportedly not yet been planned, Bloomberg reported on March 12.

Mozambique: EU To Decide on Renewal of Funding for Rwandan Deployment in Cabo Delgado

Cabinet ministers and leading cadres of Senegal's ruling Patriots of Senegal party, or PASTEF, are siding with Prime Minister and PASTEF leader Ousmane Sonko after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye expressed his support for the "Bassirou President" coalition on March 7, Radio France Internationale reported on March 10.

Senegal: PASTEF Cadres Rally Behind Sonko Amid Escalating Divisions With Faye

Somaliland's Minister of the Presidency Khadar Hussein Abdi said the breakaway region was advancing talks with Israel for a strategic security partnership that could involve Israel building a military base, Bloomberg reported on March 11.

Somaliland: Government Advances Defense Partnership With Israel, Raising Prospect of Houthi Retaliation

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

South Asia

The International Energy Agency announced on March 11 that members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development would release 400 million barrels of oil from emergency stockpiles. 

Global: IEA Announces Record-High Release From Strategic Oil Reserves

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

The United States is nearing an agreement with Mali that would enable it to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, flights over Malian airspace to gather intelligence on jihadist groups operating in the country, Reuters reported on March 9 based on conversations with a current U.S. official and one former U.S. official.

Mali: U.S. Reportedly Nearing Deal To Resume ISR Operations

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

South Africa: Ramaphosa Approves Deployment of 2,200 Troops to Combat Crime

Senegal: Sonko Lambasts BP Contract Amid Growing Resource Nationalism

Mozambique: EU To Decide on Renewal of Funding for Rwandan Deployment in Cabo Delgado

Senegal: PASTEF Cadres Rally Behind Sonko Amid Escalating Divisions With Faye

Somaliland: Government Advances Defense Partnership With Israel, Raising Prospect of Houthi Retaliation

Global: IEA Announces Record-High Release From Strategic Oil Reserves

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

Mali: U.S. Reportedly Nearing Deal To Resume ISR Operations

Forecasts

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