<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

Red Cross volunteers wearing personal protective equipment lower the body of an Ebola victim into a casket at a health center in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 8, 2026.

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Military & Security

The escalating outbreak will likely persist for several more months, likely disrupting regional supply chains, mining investments in Congo and potentially Uganda's start of oil production.

Ebola Makes Deadly Comeback in Congo

The Geopolitics of Natural Resources

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

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed delivers remarks during the official inauguration ceremony of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Guba on Sept. 9, 2025.

Politics

Prime Minister Abiy will likely be reelected without sustained unrest, but escalating tensions in Tigray could still fuel a worsening security crisis in the Amhara and/or Oromia regions in a less-likely, higher-impact scenario.

Previewing Ethiopia's General Elections

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers a speech on April 18, 2026.

Ramaphosa will likely attempt to delay his upcoming impeachment process to facilitate the rise of a reformist ANC successor, though he still may preemptively resign, which would likely result in the collapse of South Africa's coalition government.

South Africa's Top Court Shows Ramaphosa the End of the Road

United States

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

China

France

United Kingdom

Boats on April 28, 2026 on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions between the United States and Iran will remain elevated, especially around the strait, following the May 7 U.S.-Iran exchange of attacks and Iranian attacks against the United Arab Emirates.

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

The Weekly Rundown: Elevated Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, France Convenes an Africa Summit

U.S.-China Relations

U.S.-Iran Relations

Trucks haul away ore from a pit in the Chinese-owned Tenke Fungurume Mine, one of the largest copper and cobalt mines in the world, in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo on June 17, 2023.

Greater access to Congo's mining sector will likely help the U.S. further secure its cobalt and copper supplies, but ongoing security concerns in the Central African country and China's dominance over global mineral processing will limit the extent of these gains.

Trump Goes Hunting For Congo's Minerals

Media

Podcasts

Why is the United States involved in the mediation process? 

The Decision Advantage: Key Drivers of the Congo-Rwanda Conflict

A digital illustration of Mali’s flag.

Recent attacks by al Qaeda affiliate JNIM pose a significant challenge to the junta's legitimacy, elevating the immediate threat of another military coup and signaling a progressive fragmentation of state authority as the jihadist group expands its reach.

Jihadist Onslaught Puts Mali on the Brink of Spiraling Chaos

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud sits in his office as he speaks to journalists at Villa Somalia, the palace and principal workplace of the president, on April 22, 2025, in central Mogadishu, Somalia.

President Mohamud's attempt to extend his term could prompt opposition forces to form a parallel administration and lead to a federal military intervention in Jubaland state.

Somalia Descends Into Another Constitutional Crisis

South Asia

IMF officials participate in an economic outlook briefing in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 2026.

Energy

The sharp increase in global oil and fertilizer costs will force import-reliant, low-income nations in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa to choose between fiscal discipline and maintaining social stability.

Iran War Price Shocks Will Hit Low-Income Energy Importers Hardest

Zimbabwe's National Assembly voted 216-42 to approve constitutional amendments extending presidential terms from five to seven years, Bloomberg reported on June 18.

Zimbabwe: Parliament Approves Plans To Extend President Mnangagwa's Term to 2030

Unknown attackers targeted Niger's Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey for over two hours, leading to gunfire and explosions that killed at least 35 people, 22 of whom were assailants, before security forces regained control, RFI reported on June 18. 

Niger: At Least 35 Killed Following Gunfire, Explosions at Niamey's Main Airport

Egypt

Speaking alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, U.S. President Donald Trump said Ethiopia's Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or GERD, on the Blue Nile was causing "tremendous problems" for Egypt and that Cairo had been "very unfairly treated," adding that the Nile waters would be a focus of his talks with al-Sisi on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in France, Addis Standard reported on June 17.

U.S., Egypt, Ethiopia: Trump Reiterates Support for Egypt in Nile Dispute With Ethiopia

U.S. multinational oil and gas company ExxonMobil signed a preliminary agreement to supply liquefied natural gas to the planned Zululand Energy Terminal, or ZET, in Richards Bay, South Africa, Reuters reported on June 17.

South Africa: ExxonMobil LNG Supply Deal Unlikely To Result in Thaw With Trump Administration

Humanitarian organizations, including the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, say the true scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains unclear, with the peak potentially not yet reached and the outbreak possibly lasting up to a year, Reuters reported on June 16.

Congo: Ebola Outbreak May Persist up to a Year Amid Persistent Regional Spillover Risks

The Abuja Federal High Court directed Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission to deregister five opposition parties, including presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar's African Democratic Congress, or ADC, and prevent them from partaking in Nigeria's 2027 general election for failing to meet electoral performance thresholds set out in the Nigerian Constitution, the Daily Trust reported on June 15.

Nigeria: Federal High Court Orders Electoral Commission To Deregister Leading Opposition Party

Saudi Arabia

The Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, is no longer seeking to purchase Iranian weapons and is instead looking to build closer ties with the United States and Saudi Arabia to end Sudan's civil war, Bloomberg reported on June 16, quoting a senior SAF source. 

Sudan: SAF Official Claims Halt to Purchases of Iranian Weapons in Push To Woo Trump Administration

Leaders for the Ijaw, Urhobo and Itsekiri communities of Nigeria's southern Delta state agreed on June 12 to rotate the House of Representatives seat for the Warri II federal constituency between the Ijaw and Itsekiri communities and raise the number of wards for Itsekiris in the Warri South West local government area from four to nine, THISDAY and The Guardian Nigeria reported on June 14.

Nigeria: Tensions Linger in Delta State Despite Federal Government-Brokered Deal 

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Zimbabwe: Parliament Approves Plans To Extend President Mnangagwa's Term to 2030

Niger: At Least 35 Killed Following Gunfire, Explosions at Niamey's Main Airport

U.S., Egypt, Ethiopia: Trump Reiterates Support for Egypt in Nile Dispute With Ethiopia

South Africa: ExxonMobil LNG Supply Deal Unlikely To Result in Thaw With Trump Administration

Congo: Ebola Outbreak May Persist up to a Year Amid Persistent Regional Spillover Risks

Nigeria: Federal High Court Orders Electoral Commission To Deregister Leading Opposition Party

Sudan: SAF Official Claims Halt to Purchases of Iranian Weapons in Push To Woo Trump Administration

Nigeria: Tensions Linger in Delta State Despite Federal Government-Brokered Deal

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support