<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

Brazil

United States

Egypt

Iran

Saudi Arabia

China

Russia

India

(From left to right) Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attend a plenary session at the BRICS summit in Kazan on Oct. 24, 2024.

Economics

The bloc's push to develop an independent payment system for trade will not immediately undermine the U.S. dollar's global dominance, though it could reduce the effectiveness of U.S. sanctions.

The Implications of an Independent BRICS Payment System

Media

Podcasts

Politics

Which Sub-Saharan countries face the highest risk of protests and unrest in the coming months?

The Decision Advantage: The Outlook for Security in Sub-Saharan Africa

U.S.-Iran Relations

Americas

Asia-Pacific

South Asia

A thermometer reading a high temperature is shown over an image of Earth.

Environment, Science & Technology

Military & Security

The compounding effects of the weather event and disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz are set to drive global inflation and strain agricultural output well into next year.


How the 2026 El Nino Climate Event Will Affect the Global Economy and Security

Protesters march outside Parliament to honor victims of the June 25, 2024, protest on June 25, 2026, in Nairobi, Kenya.

Despite declining public approval, President William Ruto remains well-positioned to leverage state resources and exploit opposition divisions to secure his standing ahead of next year's general election.


Kenyan Opposition Struggles To Unite Against Ruto Ahead of 2027 Elections

Snapshots

United Arab Emirates

Sudan's de facto leader and army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, waves to spectators after attending a soccer match at Kober Stadium in Khartoum on May 15, 2026.

The outbreak of the Iran war has redirected Western and Arab diplomatic attention away from Sudan, worsening the country's long-running civil war.

Humanitarian Disaster Looms in Sudan as RSF Prepares New Offensive

Middle East and North Africa

Europe

Eurasia

Cyber

Energy

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Social Issues

A fragile truce in the Middle East, persistent energy-driven inflation, shifting U.S. trade policy and escalating regional pressures from Europe to Africa will collectively shape geopolitical risk in the third quarter.

2026 Third-Quarter Forecast: An Excerpt

Colombia

Vessels at anchorage June 18 in Bandar Abbas, Iran, along the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding signed June 17 is highly likely to remain in effect over the coming week, and negotiations toward a final deal will begin.

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

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. and Iranian Talks, Colombia's Presidential Runoff

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.

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.

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 endorsed a report from the Eskom Restructuring Task Team outlining plans to establish an independent Transmission System Operator, or TSO, and to strengthen the independence of the state-owned National Transmission Company of South Africa from Eskom, Engineering News reported on July 31. 

South Africa: Government Advancing Power Sector Reforms Agenda

Turkey

Yemen

Pakistan

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense announced the formation of a 14-member military coalition -- including Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Somalia and Sudan -- to protect freedom of navigation through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden amid ongoing Houthi attacks against Saudi vessels and oil facilities, Al Jazeera reported on July 30.

Saudi Arabia: Defense Ministry Announces Maritime Coalition for Red Sea Shipping

The Democratic Republic of Congo announced that the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, known by its French acronym FDLR, signed a protocol committing to disarmament and demobilization, including relocation to designated cantonment sites, as part of efforts to implement the U.S.-backed peace agreement between Kinshasa and Kigali, Reuters reported on July 29. 

Congo, Rwanda: FDLR Disarmament Deal Highlights Persistent Tensions Over Eastern Congo's Security

Uganda is convening a summit of officials from countries contributing troops to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM, on July 29-31, Garowe Online reported on July 29.

Somalia: AUSSOM Troop Contributors Hold Summit After U.S. Vows to Pull Funding 

The Constitutional Court of the Democratic Republic of the Congo validated a law establishing the framework for a potential referendum on constitutional reforms, removing a legal obstacle to President Felix Tshisekedi's administration pursuing changes to the country's constitutional framework, Jeune Afrique reported on July 28.

Congo: Constitutional Court Validates Referendum Law, Fueling Debate Over Term Limits

Uganda's Nation Media Group, which owns the Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda, KFM and Dembe FM, resumed operations on July 28 after nearly a month-long shutdown ordered by army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of President Yoweri Museveni, Reuters reported on July 28.

Uganda: Media Group Resumes Operations Following Government-Ordered Closure

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party is demanding that Kenyan President William Ruto select his running mate from within ODM in exchange for supporting his reelection bid in August 2027, with ODM figures backing either Cooperatives Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya or Mining Secretary Ali Joho Hassan for the role, Nation reported July 29.

Kenya: ODM Pressing Ruto for Running Mate Position as DP Kindiki Faces Mounting Pressure

Chinese investment announcements in Africa under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative rose to $33.5 billion in the first half of 2026, an increase of more than 250% when compared to the first half of 2025, Semafort reported on July 27 based on a July 26 report from the University of Queensland's Asia Pacific Center for Industry Transitions and the China-based Green Finance & Development Center.

Africa: Chinese Investments in Africa More Than Triple in First Half of 2026, Report Finds

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

South Africa: Government Advancing Power Sector Reforms Agenda

Saudi Arabia: Defense Ministry Announces Maritime Coalition for Red Sea Shipping

Congo, Rwanda: FDLR Disarmament Deal Highlights Persistent Tensions Over Eastern Congo's Security

Somalia: AUSSOM Troop Contributors Hold Summit After U.S. Vows to Pull Funding

Congo: Constitutional Court Validates Referendum Law, Fueling Debate Over Term Limits

Uganda: Media Group Resumes Operations Following Government-Ordered Closure

Kenya: ODM Pressing Ruto for Running Mate Position as DP Kindiki Faces Mounting Pressure

Africa: Chinese Investments in Africa More Than Triple in First Half of 2026, Report Finds

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