Burkina Faso

Mali

Niger

Military & Security

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

Sub-Saharan Africa

United States

Syria

Laos

Economics

Politics

The Trump administration expanded its travel ban to include full restrictions on several sub-Saharan African countries, including Mali and Burkina Faso, Laos, Syria and individuals with Palestinian Authority-issued passports, as well as partial restrictions on several Caribbean and other African countries, the White House announced on Dec. 16.

U.S.: Trump Expands Travel Ban, Effective Jan. 1

Mozambique

Nigeria

South Africa

The Financial Action Task Force, or FATF, removed South Africa from its anti-money laundering and terrorism financing "grey list" after assessing that it had met all the necessary actions proposed in a 2023 plan, News24 reported on Oct. 24.

Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mozambique Removed From FATF 'Grey List'

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'

Cote d'Ivoire

On the night of Aug. 24-25, unidentified armed men from neighboring Burkina Faso attacked the Ivorian border town of Difita in Tehini department, potentially marking the first deadly assault in Cote d'Ivoire linked to jihadist activity since 2021, Jeune Afrique reported on Aug. 26. 

Cote d'Ivoire: Four Killed and One Missing in Attack Near Burkinabe Border

South Sudan

Angola

Benin

Cameroon

Cabo Verde

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Djibouti

Ethiopia

Gabon

Gambia

Ghana

Liberia

Malawi

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

Tanzania

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Antigua and Barbuda

Dominican Republic

Saint Lucia

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Egypt

Cambodia

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

Kyrgyzstan

Bhutan

The U.S. State Department issued a memo giving 36 countries 60 days to meet new department requirements or be added to a travel ban implemented on June 9, The Washington Post reported on June 14.

U.S.: Trump Administration Considers Adding 36 More Countries to Travel Ban

Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced Russia's plans to further support the junta governments in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso by training troops, providing military equipment and assisting in the creation of a joint armed force, Bloomberg reported April 3.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Russia To Increase Military Support to Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso

The Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, announced that Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso had formally exited the regional bloc, Reuters reported on Jan. 29.

West Africa: Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso Formally Exit ECOWAS

Assessments

Sudan

Togo

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

Madagascar

Rwanda

Canada

Paraguay

Venezuela

Iran

Israel

Lebanon

Morocco

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Turkey

Yemen

Australia

China

Timor-Leste

Indonesia

Japan

Mongolia

Myanmar

Philippines

South Korea

Thailand

Vietnam

Europe

Bulgaria

Ukraine

Afghanistan

India

Nepal

Pakistan

Flight routes.

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

As 2026 approaches, we look back at the previous year and consider the top five patterns and trends as measured by geopolitical impact.

2025: A Geopolitical Review

Chad

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

Columns

On Geopolitics

Central African Republic

Comoros

Guinea

Mauritania

Republic of the Congo

Algeria

France

A Gabonese brigade participates in a training exercise as part of a military program linked to the Franco-Gabonese partnership at the French military base Camp de Gaulle in Libreville on March 19, 2025. 

France's reduced influence in Africa will create space for local and foreign actors to take on greater leadership roles, but their inability to fill the security vacuum left by France's withdrawal would threaten to destabilize the region.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 2: The Age of Multi-Alignment 

A picture released on July 12, 1963, of then-French President Gen. Charles de Gaulle (2L) and Jacques Foccart (L) greeting African, Malagasy and French overseas territories veterans arriving in Paris for French Bastille Day celebrations.

After decades of cultivating tight-knit relationships with francophone African countries, France has effectively ended its forward military presence in West and Central Africa amid shifting political dynamics in both regions, which will weaken its influence on the continent but enable Paris to reallocate resources towards Europe's security.

France, Africa and the Future, Part 1: A New Balance of Power 

Kenya

Middle East and North Africa

Libya

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Burkina Faso's junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore during a welcoming ceremony at the second Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on July 27, 2023.

Competition against the West will fuel Russia's outreach to Africa, but jihadist expansion in the Sahel will eventually force Moscow into tough policy decisions.

What the Future Holds for Russia in Africa

The Geopolitics of Water

Environmental conditions in the Sahel are likely to worsen due to desertification, rapid population growth and political instability. 

The Geopolitics of Water: The Role of Desertification in Conflict in the Sahel

A staff member walks past a stage before a press conference at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, on Feb. 27, 2023. 

The exit will worsen all three countries' economic outlook, especially if they decide to also leave the West African Economic and Monetary Union, which would likely fuel jihadist activity in the Sahel.

What Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso's Exit From ECOWAS Means for West Africa

Argentina

Mexico

Hong Kong SAR, China

Taiwan

United Kingdom

Poland

Spain

Italy

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Bangladesh

In this scorecard, we take a critical look at our successes and slip-ups in forecasting geopolitical events over the past year.

Grading Our 2023 Annual Forecast

Media

Graphics

A general view of a military crest of the French army in Niamey, Niger, on July 15, 2022.

French and U.N. troop withdrawals from the Sahel will open the door to jihadist attacks and external actors.

The Sahel's Security Environment Amid French and U.N. Troop Withdrawals

Snapshots

Protesters in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, wave Russian and Burkinabe flags on Oct. 4, 2022. 

Many of the drivers that led to the recent coups in the Sahel are present in other African countries, granting Russian-sponsored influence operations more inroads.

Africa's Instability Creates Fertile Ground for Russian Disinformation

Ibrahim Traore, Burkina Faso's interim president, attends a ceremony in Ouagadougou on Oct. 15, 2022.

The junta's failure to maintain stability and resolve underlying grievances will raise the risk of future coups and provide possible inroads for more Russian influence.

What an Alleged Coup Attempt Means for Burkina Faso's Stability

SITUATION REPORTS

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

U.S.: Trump Expands Travel Ban, Effective Jan. 1

Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mozambique Removed From FATF 'Grey List'

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

Cote d'Ivoire: Four Killed and One Missing in Attack Near Burkinabe Border

U.S.: Trump Administration Considers Adding 36 More Countries to Travel Ban

Sub-Saharan Africa: Russia To Increase Military Support to Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso

West Africa: Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso Formally Exit ECOWAS

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