<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

Iran

Ukraine

Russia

Iranian flags flutter along the corniche seafront of the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran, on Aug. 10, 2026. 

Economics

Military & Security

Politics

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.-Iran MoU Set To Expire, SADC Summit

Morocco

Oman

China

Europe

Spain

Migrants wait to receive water on a beach in the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Aug. 2, 2026.

Environment, Science & Technology

The Weekly Rundown: Extreme Weather in China and Europe, More Migrant Crossings Into Spain

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (C) on Oct. 26, 2023, looks on as members of the Ethiopian National Defense Force parade on Ethiopian Defense Force Day in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The latest confrontation between the Ethiopian military and the Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front could signal more frequent clashes between the two sides that risk merging northern Ethiopia's conflicts with Sudan's civil war and could trigger a severe military escalation.

The latest confrontation between the Ethiopian military and the Tigray Peoples' Liberation Front could signal more frequent clashes between the two sides that risk merging northern Ethiopia's conflicts with Sudan's civil war and could trigger a severe military escalation.

Clashes Between the TPLF and Ethiopian Military Threaten Spiraling Violence in Tigray

Egypt

Saudi Arabia

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

The Electoral Commission of Zambia announced that it suspended vote counting for the country's Aug. 13 general election following the theft of paper ballots and violence against some of its officials before resuming the count several hours later, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 14.

Zambia: Electoral Commission Briefly Paused Vote Count as Opposition Claims Victory 

Chadian President Mahamat Deby Itno on Aug. 14 signed two decrees granting a full presidential pardon to opposition leader and former Prime Minister Succes Masra and eight other political figures, following his announcement four days earlier that he would pardon certain prisoners, Jeune Afrique reported on the same day.

Chad: President Pardons Main Opposition Leader and Eight Other Political Figures

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, claimed to have recaptured the strategic border town of Kurmuk from the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, Sudan Tribune reported on Aug. 13.

Sudan: RSF Recaptures Kurmuk Border Town Amid Allegations of Ethiopian Aerial Support 

India and the five-member Southern African Customs Union signed terms of reference to begin negotiations on a preferential trade agreement, Reuters reported on Aug. 12.

India: New Delhi Revives Trade Pact Talks With Southern African Customs Union

South Africa's National Union of Mineworkers, or NUM, said it is preparing legal action against President Cyril Ramaphosa's plans to transfer South Africa's power transmission assets from state-owned utilities company Eskom to a new and independent Transmission System Operator, or TSO, adding that it would consider calling for strikes if the government pursued these plans, Engineering News reported on Aug. 12.

South Africa: NUM Vows Action Against Transfer of Eskom's Power Transmission Assets 

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, and the allied Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, or SPLM-N, took large parts of the town of Geissan in the southeastern Blue Nile state, with clashes reportedly still ongoing, Sudan Tribune reported on Aug. 11.

Sudan: RSF Launches Offensive on New Axis in Blue Nile State, SAF Says Attack Launched From Ethiopia

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu signed a decree offering as much as $11.50 per barrel in tax credits for new deepwater oil projects and up to $8 per barrel of oil equivalent for new nonassociated gas projects, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 11. 

Nigeria: Tinubu Signs Decree Offering Sweeping Tax Credits for Deepwater Oil, Nonassociated Gas Projects

Researchers at Stanford and the Arc Institute used artificial intelligence to create 16 novel viral genomes, Science reported on Aug. 6.

Global: Scientists Use AI To Create 16 Novel Viruses

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Zambia: Electoral Commission Briefly Paused Vote Count as Opposition Claims Victory

Chad: President Pardons Main Opposition Leader and Eight Other Political Figures

Sudan: RSF Recaptures Kurmuk Border Town Amid Allegations of Ethiopian Aerial Support

India: New Delhi Revives Trade Pact Talks With Southern African Customs Union

South Africa: NUM Vows Action Against Transfer of Eskom's Power Transmission Assets

Sudan: RSF Launches Offensive on New Axis in Blue Nile State, SAF Says Attack Launched From Ethiopia

Nigeria: Tinubu Signs Decree Offering Sweeping Tax Credits for Deepwater Oil, Nonassociated Gas Projects

Global: Scientists Use AI To Create 16 Novel Viruses

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