<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

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia

A farmer sprinkles fertilizer over a crop of cauliflower on the outskirts of Bangalore, India, in November 2020.

Economics

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

The Strait of Hormuz blockade is straining global supplies of nitrogen- and phosphorus-based fertilizers, which could lead to lower crop yields, higher food prices and fiscal strain for agricultural producers if the disruptions persist.

Assessing the Iran War's Impact on Global Fertilizer Supplies

Rwandan soldiers patrol in Mocimboa da Praia, northern Mozambique, on Aug. 12, 2021. 

Military & Security

Rwanda is unlikely to withdraw all its troops from Cabo Delgado in the short term, but a partial drawdown is possible if the EU doesn't approve fresh funding, which would degrade Mozambique's capacity to counter jihadist militants in the gas-rich region.

Will Rwanda Withdraw Troops From Northern Mozambique?

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

The Geopolitics of Demographics

Politics

Social Issues

Demographics may not be destiny, but it does play a major role in questions of national power.

The Geopolitics of Demographics: An Introduction

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

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.

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.

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.

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

More shipping vessels are docking at the Kenyan port of Lamu amid Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and concerns about a new escalation by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, Bloomberg reported on March 19.

Kenya: Lamu Port Emerges as Transshipment Hub Amid Hormuz Strait Closure

France

The chiefs of staff of the French, Ivorian and Beninese militaries discussed jihadist activity in northern Benin and Cote d'Ivoire and strengthening trilateral counterterrorism cooperation on March 19, Radio France Internationale reported on March 20.

West Africa: France, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire To Deepen Counterterrorism Coordination

Haiti

Chad plans to deploy 800 police officers and gendarmes to Haiti by June as part of a U.N.-backed international Gang Suppression Force aimed at supporting Haitian authorities against powerful armed gangs, Reuters reported on March 20.

Chad: 800 Troops To Be Deployed to Haiti

Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby ordered the military to retaliate against any Sudanese armed groups after a drone strike killed at least 16 civilians near the Sudan-Chad frontier, Sudan Tribune reported on March 18.

Chad: President Authorizes Military Response to Sudanese Cross-Border Strikes

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo agreed to take "concrete steps" to support the advancement of their December 2025 peace agreement, the U.S. State Department announced on March 18.

Congo, Rwanda: U.S. Announces Agreement on Implementation of 2025 Peace Deal

The Republic of the Congo's President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, aged 82, has been reelected for a fifth term with 94.82 % of the March 15 vote, extending his nearly 42-year rule, according to provisional results announced on state television, Reuters reported on March 17.

Congo: President Nguesso Extends 42-Year Rule With Resounding Election Win

The government of Somalia's South West state suspended all cooperation and relations with the federal government, accusing it of arming local militias seeking to remove the state's president, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, Reuters reported on March 17. 

Somalia: South West State Severs Ties With Federal Government Amid Reported Armed Clashes

Ethiopia's Ministry of Transport and Logistics has called to accelerate the country's transition to electric transport and reduce its reliance on imported fuels, Addis Standard reported on March 17.

Ethiopia: Government To Accelerate Transition to EVs, Alternative Energy Amid Iran-Linked Disruptions

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Kenya: Lamu Port Emerges as Transshipment Hub Amid Hormuz Strait Closure

West Africa: France, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire To Deepen Counterterrorism Coordination

Chad: 800 Troops To Be Deployed to Haiti

Chad: President Authorizes Military Response to Sudanese Cross-Border Strikes

Congo, Rwanda: U.S. Announces Agreement on Implementation of 2025 Peace Deal

Congo: President Nguesso Extends 42-Year Rule With Resounding Election Win

Somalia: South West State Severs Ties With Federal Government Amid Reported Armed Clashes

Ethiopia: Government To Accelerate Transition to EVs, Alternative Energy Amid Iran-Linked Disruptions

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