<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

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Democratic Republic of the Congo

Djibouti

Equatorial Guinea

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Kenya

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Mali

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Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Rwanda

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

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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

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The Geopolitics of Trade

Economics

Global Trade

Politics

Over the next decade, Kenya and Tanzania will compete for the title of East Africa's leading trade gateway, particularly as global demand for Central Africa's critical minerals grows. 

The Geopolitics of Trade: The Race to Unlock East Africa, Part 1 

Malian trucks carrying fuel are seen waiting to cross the border between Cote d'Ivoire and Mali on Oct. 31, 2025. 

Energy

Military & Security

In the likely case that the junta fails to lift the blockade on Bamako by force, rising internal tensions could ultimately fragment the country's security forces, potentially enabling the al Qaeda affiliate JNIM to assert control over the capital.

Mali's Junta Fights for Its Life as Jihadists Tighten Their Noose on Bamako

A Nigerian soldier stands guard at a checkpoint at the entrance to Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria, on July 4, 2025. 

Trump wants Nigeria to take action against the armed groups targeting Christians in the country, but Abuja will face challenges in sustaining such operations, which could lead to unilateral U.S. military action if there are fresh instances of intercommunal violence.

Will the United States Take Military Action in Nigeria?

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Nepal

Fire rages through the Singha Durbar, the main administrative building for the Nepal government, in Kathmandu on Sept. 9, 2025, after youth protesters set fire to the building. 

Recent events in Nepal, Madagascar and elsewhere show how digitally coordinated, leaderless protests can succeed, but eventually face even larger challenges in sustaining the momentum for change.

Worldwide Gen Z Protesters May Be Disappointed With Their Success

Media

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Why are certain countries and regions more susceptible to youth protests?

Essential Geopolitics: Implications of the Growing Gen Z Protests in Africa

Argentina

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Supporters of Argentine President Javier Milei's Liberty Advances (LLA) party wave flags during a campaign rally in Rosario, Argentina, on Oct. 23, 2025.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Argentina Holds Midterm Elections, Trump Travels to Asia

U.S.-China Relations

Kenyan forces stand next to the coffin of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga during a funeral mass at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology on October 19, 2025 in Bondo, Kenya.

Social Issues

The death of veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga creates a significant power vacuum, fundamentally altering the political calculations ahead of the 2027 elections.


What Raila Odinga's Death Means for Kenyan Politics

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party reacts on stage during a rally in Dar es Salaam on Aug. 28, 2025, to officially launch the CCM's campaign ahead of the Tanzanian general election. 

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is highly likely to be reelected in the Oct. 29 ballot, which is unlikely to turn violent but could portend wider governance challenges in the medium term.

Previewing Tanzania's General Elections

Global Elections

Snapshots

Protesters face police from a distance near burning barricades in Antananarivo, Madagascar, on Oct. 9, 2025. 

President Andry Rajoelina's removal on the back of widespread, youth-led protests will likely deescalate tensions in Madagascar in the next few weeks, but it could inspire similar protest movements elsewhere in Africa and potentially beyond.

Africa Sees Its First Gen Z-Driven Coup in Madagascar

Israel

Palestinian Territories

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

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

Tanzanian prosecutors have charged at least 145 people with treason for their alleged roles in violent unrest during and after the country's disputed Oct. 29 general elections, Reuters reported Nov. 7, citing court filings.

Tanzania: Authorities Charge at Least 145 People With Treason for Post-Election Violence

Chief of Army Staff of the Nigerian military, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, told troops in the city of Maiduguri that they should prepare for a new offensive against jihadist groups in the northeast of the country, the Daily Post reported on Nov. 7. 

Nigeria: Army Chief Hints at Fresh Anti-Jihadist Push in Northeast As Pentagon Advances Military Planning  

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, said that it had accepted proposals by the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for a humanitarian truce and that it was looking to begin talks on a cessation of hostilities agreement, Sudan Tribune reported Oct. 6.

Sudan: RSF Accepts U.S. Proposals for Humanitarian Truce As Al-Burhan Doubles Down on Hostile Rhetoric 

The government of Ethiopia's Afar region accused the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF, which rules the neighboring Tigray region, of launching attacks in the Afar region and capturing six villages, Addis Standard reported on Nov. 5.

Ethiopia: Afar Regional Government Accuses TPLF of Crossing Border, Attacking Civilians

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau expressed his support for Malian security forces' fight against al Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, in a post on X dated Nov. 4, AP reported on Nov. 5. 

Mali: U.S. Official Expresses Support for Junta in Fight Against JNIM, Vows Further Cooperation

Attackers using rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and other weapons boarded the Greek-owned, Malta-flagged Hellas Aphrodite southeast of the Somali port town of Eyl, ABC News reported on Nov. 6. 

Somalia: Pirates Board Vessel off Somali Coast for First Time Since May 2024

U.S. Republican Rep. for West Virginia Riley Moore pushed back against China's stated opposition to recent threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to use force in Nigeria, stressing on X that China "would not dictate [U.S.] foreign policy," Sahara Reporters reported on Nov. 4.

Nigeria, U.S.: Trump Ally Doubles Down on Threats Amid Fresh Claims of Boko Haram Genocide of Christians

Leaders of political parties part of South Africa's coalition government adopted the country's Medium-Term Development Plan, vowed to accelerate reforms and ratified the terms of reference of the government's clearinghouse mechanism to resolve intra-coalition disagreements, News24 reported on Nov. 3.

South Africa: Coalition Government Agrees on Clearinghouse Mechanism, Policy Agenda 

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Tanzania: Authorities Charge at Least 145 People With Treason for Post-Election Violence

Nigeria: Army Chief Hints at Fresh Anti-Jihadist Push in Northeast As Pentagon Advances Military Planning

Sudan: RSF Accepts U.S. Proposals for Humanitarian Truce As Al-Burhan Doubles Down on Hostile Rhetoric

Ethiopia: Afar Regional Government Accuses TPLF of Crossing Border, Attacking Civilians

Mali: U.S. Official Expresses Support for Junta in Fight Against JNIM, Vows Further Cooperation

Somalia: Pirates Board Vessel off Somali Coast for First Time Since May 2024

Nigeria, U.S.: Trump Ally Doubles Down on Threats Amid Fresh Claims of Boko Haram Genocide of Christians

South Africa: Coalition Government Agrees on Clearinghouse Mechanism, Policy Agenda

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