Warfronts posted on 6 July 2026 a 14-minute video titled "This Country Trusted Russia--Then It All Fell Apart" with Simon Whistler.
This is a highly critical account of Russia's Wagner Group and Africa Corps engagement with the Mali military in an effort to prop up the military government.
China-Africa Security Radar published on 16 February 2026 an analysis titled "Beijing Rejects U.S. Allegations of Financing Terror in Nigeria's Illegal Mining Sector--The Reality Is More Complex."
Prominent Republican members of the US Congress have sponsored a bill that alleges Chinese individuals and companies involved in illegal mining pay "protection money" to Fulani militias and other armed groups to secure access to lithium and gold deposits. The bill links these militias to terrorist violence that has impacted Nigerian Christian communities.
The Chinese embassy in Abuja issued a strongly worded statement refuting allegations that Chinese nationals are funding militant groups to gain access to minerals in Nigeria's Middle Belt and northwestern region.
China-Africa Security Radar concludes that it is generally agreed there is illegal Chinese mining in Nigeria, but the culprits are pragmatically paying "rent" to armed groups to access the minerals.
The Hudson Institute published in November 2025 an analysis titled "A Better Understanding of Nigeria's Problems" by James Barnett.
This is a reasoned analysis of the current situation in Nigeria and useful discussion of President Trump's recent social media post to send US troops into Nigeria "guns-a-blazing." The author concludes: "Insisting on a heightened and visible military posture would face international risk and political resistance within Nigeria."
The BBC published on 6 November 2025 an article titled "Are Christians Being Persecuted in Nigeria as Trump Claims?" by Olaronke Alo, Chiamaka Enendu, and Ijeoma Ndukwe.
President Trump's claim that Nigeria, which is about equally divided between Muslims and Christians, is persecuting Christians apparently stems from attacks in northern Nigeria by the jihadi organization Boko Haram that began in 2009. The BBC looks at the numbers killed over the years and concludes Boko Haram probably has killed more Muslims than Christians. In any event, the government of Nigeria strongly opposes Boko Haram.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) published on 3 December 2021 an analysis titled "Russia's Influence in the Central Africa Republic" by Pauline Bax.
From a military point of view, Russia's mercenary intervention force, the Wagner Group, has served President Touadera well. In the long term, however, the CAR government will have to muster the political will to extend its extremely limited services beyond the capital of Bangui if it is to maintain control over the areas its troops have recaptured from the rebels. The military force is too small to push out all the armed groups and keep them out, and its relations with MINUSCA are too fraught to accomplish much beyond securing the mining zones.
