<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

Cote d'Ivoire

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Djibouti

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Gabon

Gambia

Ghana

Guinea

Guinea Bissau

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Madagascar

Malawi

Mali

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia

Niger

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

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

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

Military & Security

Politics

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

Israel

Japan

France

United Kingdom

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

Israel-Hamas Conflict

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

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

Americas

Middle East and North Africa

Asia-Pacific

Europe

Eurasia

South Asia

The Geopolitics of Trade

Economics

Energy

Environment, Science & Technology

Global Trade

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

United States

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

Russia

Members of the Unity for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC) rebel group gather at the DDR (disarmament, demobilization and reintegration) site in Maloum, the Central African Republic, on July 24. 2025.

The dissolution of key rebel groups and the reintegration of ex-fighters could stabilize the country after years of conflict, but the process will remain fragile amid funding challenges and potential attacks from non-signatories.

Central African Republic's New Peace Deal Holds Promise, but Challenges Persist

Columns

On Geopolitics

United Arab Emirates

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 Tigrayan flag waves at the entrance of a hospital in Tigray's regional capital, Mekele, on Oct. 10, 2024. 

The ruling TPLF's apparent rapprochement with Eritrea and the rise of anti-TPLF groups are raising the risk of an Ethiopian-Eritrean proxy conflict in Tigray that could eventually spur a larger military escalation.

Ethiopia's Tigray Region Faces a Brewing Storm Amid Shifting Alliances

Media

Podcasts

What does the country's latest corruption scandal mean for President Cyril Ramaphosa and South African politics? 

Essential Geopolitics: The Outlook for South Africa's Coalition Government

Snapshots

Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara arrives at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium on June 22, 2025, in Abidjan. 

President Ouattara's decision to seek a fourth term in Cote d'Ivoire's upcoming election, amid leading opposition candidates' inability to run, is fueling rising political tensions and increasing the risk of a post-election crisis.

Cote d'Ivoire Gears Up for a Heated Election Season 

The High Court of Tanzania directed the country's electoral commission to allow Luhaga Mpina, the presidential candidate of the opposition ACT-Wazalendo party, to run in the Oct. 29 general election, The Chanzo reported on Sept. 11.

Tanzania: High Court Reinstates ACT-Wazalendo Flagbearer as Party Cleared To Run in Zanzibar 

South Sudan's First Vice President Riek Machar has been suspended and charged with treason, crimes against humanity and murder over his alleged links to the White Army, an ethnic Nuer militia, Reuters reported on Sept. 11. 

South Sudan: Vice President Machar Suspended Amid Escalating Violence

Egypt

Egypt is reportedly set to deploy troops to Somalia under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission (AUSSOM) to counter the al Qaeda-affiliated militia al Shabaab, which maintains strongholds in central and southern Somalia, Garowe Online reported on Sept. 9.

Somalia, Egypt: Cairo Prepares To Deploy Troops in Somalia, Identifies Key Military Bases

Tadesse Werede, the leader of Tigray's interim regional administration, warned against a "visible cloud of war" in the region and urged the Ethiopian government to fully implement the November 2022 Pretoria Agreement, which ended the Tigray war, Addis Standard reported on Sept. 9.

Ethiopia: Tigray Interim Administration Reiterates Need for Full Implementation of 2022 Peace Deal

Keith Bowen, a senior manager at the National Transmission Company of South Africa, or NTCSA, laid out the company’s roadmap ahead of the launch of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market, which he said was scheduled to go live in 
Keith Bowen, a senior manager at the National Transmission Company of South Africa, or NTCSA, laid out the company's roadmap ahead of the launch of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market, which he said was scheduled to go live in April 2026, Engineering News reported on Sept. 9.

South Africa: NTCSA Unveils Key Steps for Transition to Competitive Electricity Market

Ugandan security forces violently abducted Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, the deputy spokesperson of the opposition National Unity Platform, or NUP, while he was leaving a court hearing in Kampala on Sept. 8, The Monitor reported on Sept. 9.

Uganda: Abduction of Opposition Figure Portends Rising Political Tensions

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially inaugurated the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, or GERD, in Ethiopia's western Benishangul-Gumuz region, and the dam reached its full operating capacity of 5,150 MW, up from 3,400 MW previously, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 9.

Ethiopia: Abiy Inaugurates Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Unveils Plans for Nuclear Power Plant

Venezuela

Algeria

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Libya

Saudi Arabia

On Sept. 7, OPEC+ agreed to increase its oil production quota by 137,000 barrels per day in October, though it did not publish any guidance on production levels beyond October.

OPEC+: Bloc To Lift Oil Production Further in October

Sub-Saharan Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

Tanzania: High Court Reinstates ACT-Wazalendo Flagbearer as Party Cleared To Run in Zanzibar

South Sudan: Vice President Machar Suspended Amid Escalating Violence

Somalia, Egypt: Cairo Prepares To Deploy Troops in Somalia, Identifies Key Military Bases

Ethiopia: Tigray Interim Administration Reiterates Need for Full Implementation of 2022 Peace Deal

South Africa: NTCSA Unveils Key Steps for Transition to Competitive Electricity Market

Uganda: Abduction of Opposition Figure Portends Rising Political Tensions

Ethiopia: Abiy Inaugurates Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Unveils Plans for Nuclear Power Plant

OPEC+: Bloc To Lift Oil Production Further in October

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support