Hong Kong Gold Company Acquires Canadian Company with African Assets

 Discovery Alert, an AI -powered mining news publisher, posted on 27 January 2026 an article titled "Zijin Mining's $4 Billion Allied Gold Acquisition Reshapes African Mining" by Muflih Hidayat.  

Hong Kong's Zijin Gold International Company signed an agreement to acquire all outstanding shares in Canadian company Allied Gold for an equity value of about $4 billion in an all-cash deal.  Allied Gold has assets in gold mines in Ethiopia, Mali, and Cote d'Ivoire.  This acquisition represents a sophisticated deployment of Chinese capital in African mining consolidation.

What Game Is Russia Playing in Sudan?

 Eurasia Review published on 1 July 2024 a commentary titled "Sudanese Armed Forces Agrees to Russian Red Sea Base in Exchange for Weapons" by the Africa Defense Forum published by US Africa Command.  

The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) has revived talks with Russia for establishing a logistics and refueling base, "not a fully equipped naval facility," in the Red Sea.  This raises the question if Russia plans to shift its previous support for the Rapid Support Forces to the SAF or tries to play both sides of the conflict.  

Sudan's Worst Conflict Yet?

 Foreign Policy published on 24 April 2023 a commentary titled "Hemeti's Rise in Sudan Is a Threat to Regional Stability" by Yasir Zaidan, National University of Sudan.

The author argues that while Sudan has faced multiple civil wars before, this conflict is the most catastrophic because of its impact on civilians and state institutions.  The author concludes this "is a fight between the remains of national state institutions against a tribal, corrupt militia."

Comment:  This may become Sudan's most catastrophic conflict since independence, but one should not lose sight of the horrors of the long war against southern Sudan and the atrocities in Darfur.  

Podcast on War in Sudan

 The International Crisis Group (ICG) posted on 22 April 2023 a 52 minute podcast titled "War in Sudan" with Richard Atwood speaking with ICG senior Sudan analyst Shewit Woldemichael and Horn of Africa project director Alan Boswell.

Sudan has never seen a conflict like this where most of the fighting is occurring in Khartoum and other major cities.  It will likely result in a humanitarian disaster.  The longer it goes on, the more likely it will be internationalized.  The conflict demonstrates how unstable the power structure has been in Sudan.