Africa

Abdalla Hamdok’s career as Sudan’s prime minister is a roller-coaster of a story. 66-year-old Hamdok, who holds a doctorate in economics from Britain’s Manchester University, was a well-respected technocrat when, following the overthrow in April 2019 of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, he was called on to lead the government. An …

Can Washington successfully pressure Beijing to join multilateral peace efforts? Since November of 2020, Ethiopia has been suffering from a deadly internal conflict that has claimed an estimated 50,000 lives and displaced over two million. The United States, the African Union and others in the region have attempted to secure …

In November 2020, the Moroccan government sent its military to the Guerguerat area, a buffer zone between the territory claimed by the Kingdom of Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The Guerguerat border post is at the very southern edge of Western Sahara along the road that goes …

Egypt has sought rapprochement with Somalia in hopes of countering Turkey’s growing influence. Egypt is working to step up its influence in Somalia and support the Somali government in solving its internal disputes to counterbalance the Turkish and Ethiopian presence in Mogadishu. In December 2021, the Cairo International Center for …

With high optimism and high desire to strengthen its geopolitical influence, Russian authorities are gearing up to hold the second African leaders’ summit in St. Petersburg scheduled early November 2022. The gathering, as expected, will focus on enhancing further constructive cooperation and advancing integration processes within the framework of the …

In 2011 the Libyan people, with a little help from their friends, overthrew the dictator who had ruled them for some 50 years – Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. It is well within the bounds of possibility that by now the Gaddafi regime could again be in power in Libya, with a …

Many analyses of Tunisia post July 25 have concentrated on assessing President Kais Saied’s reshaping of the political system in terms of where they place Tunisia in a binary classification system of “democracy” or “authoritarianism/dictatorship.” Some of these transitology studies are slightly more nuanced, inserting a linearity or hybridity to …

Egypt announced its support for the UN initiative to resolve the political crisis in Sudan and called for the quick formation of a government. Egypt called on the parties to the political conflict in Sudan to take part in choosing a new, consensual transitional prime minister in preparation for the …

Over the past several years, international policymakers, primarily in the West, as well as journalists and commentators have frequently called attention to Russia’s renewed interest in expanding its footprint in Africa. These discussions of “Russia’s return” to Africa are usually couched in a fearmongering, manichean framework of competition, ostensibly within …

In early March, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov embarked on a five-country tour of sub-Saharan Africa. During his trip, Lavrov signed new trade agreements with Russia’s two long-standing partners in southern Africa, Angola and Mozambique. He also strengthened Moscow’s diplomatic ties to Zimbabwe’s new government and highlighted the role Russia …