Eritrea

Ethiopia

Sudan

Military & Security

Sudan's Sudanese Armed Forces-backed government accused Ethiopia of allowing its territory to be used to conduct drone attacks inside Sudan and said such actions represented "a clear act of aggression," Sudan Tribune reported on March 2.

Sudan: SAF Denounces Drone Strikes From Ethiopian Territory

South Sudan

Economics

Energy

Politics

The minister of information for the Ruweng administrative area of South Sudan's Unity state, James Monyluak, said a least 90 civilians and 79 security forces were killed in an attack on Abiemnom county, located along the border with Sudan, which he blamed on youths from the neighboring Mayom county and elements of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-In-Opposition, or SPLM-IO, Reuters reported on March 2. 

South Sudan: Deadly Attack Near Sudan Threatens Escalation With Opposition, Disruptions to Oil Production

Chad

Uganda

United Arab Emirates

Chad closed its eastern border with Sudan amid severe clashes between forces loyal to the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, in the locality of Tina in Sudan's North Darfur state, with RSF forces allegedly clashing with Chadian security forces near the locality, Reuters reported on Feb. 23.

Sudan: Chad Closes Border Amid Severe Clashes, SAF Lambasts Museveni's Meeting With RSF's Hemedti

Ethiopia is hosting a major training and logistics camp of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the border with Sudan in its western Benishangul-Gumuz region, Reuters reported on Feb. 10, with eight sources stating that the United Arab Emirates had financed the camp's construction.

Ethiopia, Sudan: Ethiopia Harboring UAE-Financed RSF Training Camp in the West

U.S. Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos announced that the Quad, which regroups the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, had agreed on a peace document acceptable to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan Tribune reported Feb. 4.

Sudan: U.S. Advisor Claims Progress Toward Humanitarian Truce, Despite Ongoing SAF-RSF Clashes

Saudi Arabia

Saif al-Nasr Haroun, the infrastructure minister with Sudan's Sudanese Armed Forces-backed government, said the SAF would grant priority to Saudi companies in reconstruction projects to repair infrastructure damaged by the civil war, with a focus on port and rail initiatives, Sudan Tribune reported on Jan. 27.

Sudan: SAF-Backed Government Vows To Prioritize Saudi Companies in Reconstruction Projects

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, and Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, or SPLM-N, launched an attack on the localities of Al-Sillik and Milkan in the southeastern state of Blue Nile from South Sudanese territory, Sudan Tribune reported on Jan. 25.

Sudan: RSF and Allies Launch Offensive Into Blue Nile State From South Sudan

United States

Egypt

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sweilem said Ethiopia should pay Egypt compensation due to its management of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, claiming that the dam had reduced Egypt's use of Nile waters from its allocated 55 billion cubic meters to 38 billion cubic meters, Addis Standard reported on Jan. 20. 

Egypt, Ethiopia: Cairo Demands Compensation Over GERD Following Trump Mediation Proposal

Columns

On Geopolitics

Somalia

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Lebanon

Libya

Syria

Turkey

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

Assessments

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

Sub-Saharan Africa

Benin

Burkina Faso

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mali

Mozambique

Niger

Nigeria

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

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

Saudi-backed forces are seen on the outskirts of Yemen's Hadramawt province, where the UAE-backed secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) recently launched an offensive, on Jan. 3, 2026. 

Social Issues

The Gulf nations' growing battle for influence is straining bilateral ties and fueling proxy conflicts in places like Yemen and Sudan, though both sides will likely avoid any escalation that could harm their economies.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE Pursue Divergent Paths in a Multipolar World

Residents wave Somaliland flags as they gather to celebrate Israel's announcement recognizing Somaliland's statehood in downtown Hargeisa, on Dec. 26, 2025. 

Israel establishing military facilities in Somaliland would invite Houthi attacks against the territory and raise the likelihood of renewed disruptions to Red Sea shipping.


Israel's Recognition of Somaliland Raises the Stakes Along the Red Sea Corridor 

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

Shipping containers are offloaded from a vessel at Berbera Port in Somaliland on Aug. 31, 2021.   (ED RAM/AFP via Getty Images)

The UAE is expanding its influence across East Africa through large-scale investments and security partnerships, aiming to consolidate its status as a global trade hub and counter regional competitors, at the risk of entangling regional states in broader geopolitical contests.

The UAE's Long Game in East Africa

A photo of Khartoum, Sudan, with columns of smoke rising in the background.

The SAF's military victory in Khartoum marks a turning point in the country's civil war, but a firm resolution remains out of reach as the RSF fights to consolidate control in the west.

What Next for Sudan After the Army Retakes Khartoum?

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (right) waves as he arrives in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 9, 2024, for the launch of new peace talks with rebel groups.

Rising political tensions risk collapsing the peace deal that ended the country's last civil war, while escalating clashes in the north risk drawing in involvement from Sudan's warring parties.

South Sudan Hurtles Toward Another Civil War

Sudanese army soldiers patrol an area in Khartoum on Nov. 3, 2024.

The warring sides' deep distrust and their external backers' competing interests portend a protracted conflict that may expand into South Sudan and Chad, and heighten jihadist activity.

The Security Implications of Sudan's Ongoing Civil War

Sudan is a huge country between Northern and Central Africa which, prior to the independence of South Sudan, was the continent's largest country. Its position has long drawn the attention of outsiders, and once facilitated the birth of powerful empires and city-states.     Since declaring independence from the United Kingdom in 1955, Sudan has struggled to manage its expansive territories and ethno-regional divisions. Khartoum, the country's capital, can be viewed as a relatively isolated city-state that must command the vast spaces and people that surround it. Such a mentality helps explain Khartoum's disastrous management of the country's various rebellions and insurrections. Until recently, the country's leadership has preferred to adopt a belligerent approach to dealing with the country's many outstanding conflicts.     Because Sudan's borders do not fully align with its various ethnic groups, its internal ethnic conflicts have fueled regional conflict as well. Ethnic groups in the Darfur region of eastern Sudan spill over into neighboring Chad, driving the two countries to wage proxy warfare against each other for years by arming and financing rebels intent on revolution.     Sudan's proximity to the Middle East &mdash; as well as its cultural and religious makeup &mdash; has allowed it to build ties with powers there. Though this has benefitted Sudan by allowing it to attract investment from companies such as Saudi Arabia, it has also engendered greater scrutiny.

SITUATION REPORTS

Sudan: SAF Denounces Drone Strikes From Ethiopian Territory

South Sudan: Deadly Attack Near Sudan Threatens Escalation With Opposition, Disruptions to Oil Production

Sudan: Chad Closes Border Amid Severe Clashes, SAF Lambasts Museveni's Meeting With RSF's Hemedti

Ethiopia, Sudan: Ethiopia Harboring UAE-Financed RSF Training Camp in the West

Sudan: U.S. Advisor Claims Progress Toward Humanitarian Truce, Despite Ongoing SAF-RSF Clashes

Sudan: SAF-Backed Government Vows To Prioritize Saudi Companies in Reconstruction Projects

Sudan: RSF and Allies Launch Offensive Into Blue Nile State From South Sudan

Egypt, Ethiopia: Cairo Demands Compensation Over GERD Following Trump Mediation Proposal

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support