<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

Americas

Asia-Pacific

South Asia

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

Economics

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.

Politics

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 States

Saudi Arabia

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

Iran

Russia

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

U.S.-Iran Relations

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 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

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.

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

U.S.-China Relations

Egypt

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed accused Sudan's internationally recognized government, Eritrea and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, of collaborating against Ethiopia with the support of unnamed external forces -- most likely Egypt -- in his first parliamentary address since his party's victory in the June 1 general election, Addis Standard reported on July 7.

Ethiopia: Abiy Denounces Anti-Ethiopia Coalition, Supports Two-Term Limits for Prime Minister

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, or FCCPC, to investigate U.S. technology companies Meta, Alphabet and X, as well as generative artificial intelligence companies operating in Nigeria, over their alleged anti-competitive practices, unauthorized exploitation of copyrighted news content and use of journalistic material from Nigerian news outlets to train generative AI models, Daily Trust reported on July 6.

Nigeria: Tinubu Orders Probe in U.S Tech Giants, AI Companies Over Alleged Anti-Competitive Practices

Al Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, launched coordinated attacks on July 4 with the Tuareg-led Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, on Mali's northern towns of Gao, Aguelhok and Anefis, thereafter seizing most of Anefis, where Malian security forces and Russia's paramilitary Africa Corps remain retrenched in the town's military camp as of July 6 following failed resupply attempts, Radio France Internationale reported.

Mali: JNIM and FLA Launch New Coordinated Attacks, Captures Most of Anefis

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has begun experimental trials of two treatments for Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus with support from the World Health Organization, Bloomberg reported on July 6.

Congo: Government, WHO Begin Treatment Trials Against Bundibugyo Virus

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in anti-migration demonstrations June 30 across South Africa, following an informal deadline set by anti-immigration groups for employers to terminate the employment of undocumented foreign nationals by that date, RFI reported July 1.

South Africa: Migrant Homes and Businesses Targeted in Anti-Migration Marches, Over 900 Arrested

The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel movement has increased its total manpower to around 30,000 troops in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, while Rwanda has deployed 14,000 and 18,000 more military personnel to the area, Bloomberg reported June 30, citing U.N. findings.

Congo: M23 Amasses 30,000 Troops in the East, Consolidates Parallel Administration 

Senegal's government on June 29 announced that it will hold a national referendum on a package of constitutional reforms after the National Assembly unanimously approved the proposed amendments, with all 129 lawmakers present voting in favor, RFI reported the same day.

Senegal: Lawmakers Approve Constitutional Reform, With Referendum to Follow

India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded a three-day visit to the Seychelles on June 29, during which the two countries signed 19 agreements on sectors ranging from maritime security, healthcare and digital public infrastructure, the Seychelles News Agency reported June 30.

Seychelles, India: Modi Completes State Visit, Secures Return of Military Advisers to Island Nation

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Ethiopia: Abiy Denounces Anti-Ethiopia Coalition, Supports Two-Term Limits for Prime Minister

Nigeria: Tinubu Orders Probe in U.S Tech Giants, AI Companies Over Alleged Anti-Competitive Practices

Mali: JNIM and FLA Launch New Coordinated Attacks, Captures Most of Anefis

Congo: Government, WHO Begin Treatment Trials Against Bundibugyo Virus

South Africa: Migrant Homes and Businesses Targeted in Anti-Migration Marches, Over 900 Arrested

Congo: M23 Amasses 30,000 Troops in the East, Consolidates Parallel Administration

Senegal: Lawmakers Approve Constitutional Reform, With Referendum to Follow

Seychelles, India: Modi Completes State Visit, Secures Return of Military Advisers to Island Nation

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