<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

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Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Cabo Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Comoros

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Djibouti

Equatorial Guinea

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Nigeria

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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

Israel

Palestinian Territories

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France

Palestinians on Oct. 10 on Al-Rashid road headed toward Gaza City. U.S. President Donald Trump said he might visit the Middle East just as 20 hostages are meant to be released by Hamas after surviving two years in captivity as the White House pushes for the solidification of a frail ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

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: Trump Tries To Solidify the Gaza Ceasefire, a Presidential Vote in Cameroon

Europe

The Geopolitics of Trade

Economics

Global Trade

Persistent conflict and armed group control in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will sustain significant legal, financial and reputational pressures on companies sourcing critical minerals from the region for the foreseeable future.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Due Diligence and Congo's Critical Minerals

Media

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Asia-Pacific

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South Asia

Forecast Webcast

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2025 Fourth-Quarter Forecast.

2025 Fourth-Quarter Forecast Webcast

U.S.-China Relations

The fourth quarter will bring shifting trade tactics, evolving wars, and pivotal elections and flashpoints worldwide that will test governments’ stability and market confidence.

2025 Fourth-Quarter Forecast: An Excerpt

Algeria

Anti-riot police officers on April 8 in front of the Algerian Embassy in Bamako, Mali. While a full-scale military conflict remains very unlikely, Mali's legal challenge against Algeria ensures that diplomatic and security friction will define the relationship for the foreseeable future.

While a full-scale military conflict remains very unlikely, Mali's legal challenge against Algeria ensures that diplomatic and security friction will define the relationship for the foreseeable future.

Mali's ICJ Case Against Algeria Will Deepen Diplomatic Standoff in the Sahel

Nigerian soldiers from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) drive in pick-ups during training at the Sector 3 MNJTF military base headquarters in Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria, on July 5, 2025. 

War, Insurgency & Terrorism

Armed groups will continue to expand across Nigeria as the government struggles with domestic constraints and limits on regional security cooperation.

In Nigeria, Security Forces Struggle To Address Growing Militancy

Brazil

United Kingdom

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou leaves after the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on Aug. 27, 2025.

The Weekly Rundown: France's Bayrou Faces a Confidence Vote, Ethiopia Inaugurates Its Mega-Dam

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Geopolitical, security and environmental risks threaten to disrupt trade through crucial waterways, including the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the Suez Canal, the Danish and Turkish straits, and the Panama Canal.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Threats to Maritime Chokepoints Endanger Global Trade, Part 2

The flag of Somaliland is seen during a political rally in Hargeisa on Nov. 8, 2024.

The United States is growing more likely to recognize Somaliland's statehood to secure basing rights in the territory, which would likely roil U.S.-Somalia relations and risk plunging Somalia into crisis.

Assessing the Prospect of the U.S. Recognizing Somaliland's Independence

Diverse security risks threaten maritime chokepoints around the world, presenting unique challenges to international trade.

The Geopolitics of Trade: Threats to Maritime Chokepoints Endanger Global Trade, Part 1

Eritrean Minister of Information Yemane Gebremeskel denounced Ethiopia's recent accusations that Asmara and the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, had formed a pact to "wage war" against Ethiopia, instead claiming that Addis Ababa was plotting to undermine Eritrea's "independence and sovereignty," Addis Standard reported on Oct. 9.

Ethiopia: Eritrea, TPLF Deny Pact To 'Wage War' Against Ethiopia, But Tensions Set To Remain High

Minister for the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike and several former Nigerian heads of state skipped a Council of State meeting over disagreement with President Bola Tinubu's appointment of Joash Amupitan as the chair of Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, on Oct. 10, Sahara Reporters reported the same day. 

Nigeria: Wike Skips Council of State After Appointment of New INEC Chair

About 10 days ago, Malian authorities reportedly reached out to al Qaeda-affiliated Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, to negotiate an end to the group's economic blockade in southwestern Mali, which connects to Senegal, RFI reported on Oct. 9.

Mali: Junta Opens Talks With Jihadists Amid Economic Blockade, but JNIM Sets Conditions

The Burkinabe junta has announced the arrest of eight workers of a Dutch-based nongovernmental organization, including four foreigners, on espionage and treason charges, RFI reported on Oct. 8.

Burkina Faso: Junta Arrests NGO Workers, Including Foreigners, for 'Espionage'

Ukraine

Russia

Some Malian Tuareg rebels of the Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, have reportedly trained in Ukraine and are adopting tactics learned from the conflict with Russia, including the use of armed first-person view and fiber-optic drones for targeted attacks on Malian and Russian-linked forces, as well as deceptive measures like inflatable decoys, Jeune Afrique reported on Oct. 7.

Mali, Ukraine: Tuareg Rebels Allegedly Receive Discreet Training in Ukraine

The trial against the leader of Tanzania's opposition Chadema party, Tundu Lissu, on treason charges resumed on Oct. 6, Reuters reported the same day.

Tanzania: Treason Trial of Opposition Leader Resumes Three Weeks Ahead of General Election

Malagasy President Andry Rajoelina appointed Gen. Ruphin Fortunat Zafisambo as prime minister and tasked him with restoring public order and ensuring a reliable supply of water and electricity to households within six months, Radio France Internationale reported on Oct. 6.

Madagascar: President Rajoelina Names Army General as Prime Minister Amid Persisting Gen Z Protests

Joseph Kabila, who served president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2001 to 2019, has been sentenced to death in absentia by the high military court in Kinshasa, Jeune Afrique reported on Sept. 30.

Congo: Former President Kabila Sentenced to Death in Absentia

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Ethiopia: Eritrea, TPLF Deny Pact To 'Wage War' Against Ethiopia, But Tensions Set To Remain High

Nigeria: Wike Skips Council of State After Appointment of New INEC Chair

Mali: Junta Opens Talks With Jihadists Amid Economic Blockade, but JNIM Sets Conditions

Burkina Faso: Junta Arrests NGO Workers, Including Foreigners, for 'Espionage'

Mali, Ukraine: Tuareg Rebels Allegedly Receive Discreet Training in Ukraine

Tanzania: Treason Trial of Opposition Leader Resumes Three Weeks Ahead of General Election

Madagascar: President Rajoelina Names Army General as Prime Minister Amid Persisting Gen Z Protests

Congo: Former President Kabila Sentenced to Death in Absentia

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