<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

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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

United States

Venezuela

Israel

Myanmar

Europe

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Russia

The Bulgarian flag and the European flag waving in the wind.

Economics

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

The Weekly Rundown: Bulgaria Adopts the Euro, U.S.-Venezuela Tensions Persist

Syria

Afghanistan

A destroyed church is seen in Mosul, Iraq.

The Islamic State's main threat to the West in 2026 will remain its ability to inspire lone-actor violence, though in the coming years the group's African, Afghan and Syrian branches may become increasingly capable of directing mass casualty attacks in Western countries.

The Islamic State's Enduring Threat to the West

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

South Asia

A container ship arrives Oct. 10 at the Port of Oakland, California. In 2026, political calculations among major global players will significantly shape international affairs.

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

In 2026, political calculations among major global players will significantly shape international affairs.

2026 Annual Forecast: A Global Overview

Chile

France

The Ukrainian flag is projected on the facade of Berlaymont, the European Commission headquarters, in Brussels on Nov. 18 to commemorate the Nov. 18, 2024, Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Weekly Rundown: A European Council Decision on Ukraine Financing, South Africa Braces for Commission Findings

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (center), flanked by his wife (left) and Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh (right), attends the official inauguration ceremony of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, on Sept. 9, 2025.

Worsening tensions over sea access and Eritrea's ties to groups opposed to the Ethiopian government raise the risk of intensifying proxy clashes that could quickly escalate into a larger military confrontation.

Assessing the Risk of an Ethiopia-Eritrea War in 2026

A photo taken on Dec. 8, 2025, shows an armored vehicle at the entrance of a blocked road in Cotonou, Benin, near the headquarters of the state broadcaster Benin TV.

The coup attempt will increase political and security risks ahead of Benin's 2026 elections, while the swift, Nigeria-led ECOWAS intervention suggests Abuja is assuming a more assertive regional role with tacit French backing following Paris's troop drawdown.

Benin's Foiled Coup Signals Strengthening Franco-Nigerian Coordination in West Africa

Hong Kong SAR, China

Protesters help an injured demonstrator near burning barricades amid clashes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Oct. 29, 2025. 

The Weekly Rundown: Unrest in Tanzania, an EU Summit in Ukraine

U.S.-China Relations

Snapshots

Yemen

Yemenis stand under a billboard depicting the seizure of an Israeli-linked ship in the sea by Yemen's Houthi-run coast guards during a demonstration staged in solidarity with the people of Gaza and against U.S. President Donald Trump's deal to end the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 3, 2025, in Sanaa, Yemen. 

While the partnership provides tactical benefits, structural limitations on Houthi resources and al Shabaab's financial independence suggest the relationship will remain opportunistic.

The Outlook for Cooperation Between Yemen's Houthis and Somalia's al Shabaab

Japan

South Korea

United Kingdom

Banners bearing portraits of leaders of the G20 on Nov. 20 in Johannesburg. The South African government has focused the G20 summit's agenda on issues key to African countries.

The Weekly Rundown: A High-Stakes British Budget, South Africa Hosts the G20

Sudanese Armed Forces soldiers are seen on the now-disabled Shambat Bridge in Khartoum. 

While the likelihood of a humanitarian truce between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary RSF is rising, meaningful progress beyond a tentative permanent ceasefire currently appears unlikely.

Sudan Slips Toward De Facto Partition

Egypt

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a joint declaration with Somaliland's President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi that Israel recognized Somaliland's sovereignty as an independent state, the first country in the world to recognize the breakaway region, The Jerusalem Post reported on Dec. 26.

Israel, Somalia: Israel Recognizes Somaliland's Sovereignty

United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates will provide $1.2 billion to build a section of the proposed 700 kilometer (435 mile) Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Nigerian presidency said on Dec. 26. 

Nigeria: Government Secures $1.2B in Funding for $12B Coastal Highway Megaproject

The United States carried out strikes in Nigeria's Sokoto state, killing multiple members of the Islamic State in coordination with Nigerian authorities, United States Africa Command said in a press release on Dec. 25. 

U.S.: Washington Carries Out Strikes in Northwestern Nigeria Targeting Islamic State

Interim Burkina Faso leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore pledged large-scale joint military operations against armed groups across the Sahel in the coming days in his new role as head of the Alliance of Sahel States, Al Jazeera reported Dec. 24.

Sahel: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Announce Large-scale Counterterrorism Operations

In a rare video message released Dec. 22, influential Malian religious leader Imam  Mahmoud  Dicko called on Malians to "rise up and come together" and end restrictions on freedoms and widespread hardship, RFI reported Dec. 23.

Mali: Leading Imam Issues Rare Video Appeal for Malians To Rise Up

Russia has delivered an arms shipment to Madagascar's military government, Bloomberg reported Dec. 22.

Madagascar: Russia Delivers Weapons Shipment to New Junta 

Following a meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Egyptian presidential office issued a statement on Dec. 18 that outlined a series of "red lines" regarding Sudan's civil war, namely the preservation of Sudan's territorial integrity, the rejection of parallel government entities and the preservation of state institutions.

Egypt: Cairo Outlines 'Red Lines' in Sudan, Secures SAF Support on Nile Tensions

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu presented the 58.18 trillion naira ($40 billion) budget for 2026 to a joint session of the National Assembly, with 5.41 trillion naira for defense and internal security, the single largest sectoral allocation, 6.0 trillion naira for education and health care, and 3.52 trillion naira for infrastructure, The Punch reported on Dec. 19.

Nigeria: Tinubu Presents 2026 Budget to National Assembly

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Israel, Somalia: Israel Recognizes Somaliland's Sovereignty

Nigeria: Government Secures $1.2B in Funding for $12B Coastal Highway Megaproject

U.S.: Washington Carries Out Strikes in Northwestern Nigeria Targeting Islamic State

Sahel: Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Announce Large-scale Counterterrorism Operations

Mali: Leading Imam Issues Rare Video Appeal for Malians To Rise Up

Madagascar: Russia Delivers Weapons Shipment to New Junta

Egypt: Cairo Outlines 'Red Lines' in Sudan, Secures SAF Support on Nile Tensions

Nigeria: Tinubu Presents 2026 Budget to National Assembly

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