Semafor published on 3 August 2026 an article titled "Africa's Space Race Is Becoming Washington's Next China Challenge" by Yinka Adegoke.
Chinese companies have provided bundled satellite packages--combining hardware, launch services, financing, infrastructure and training--to more than 20 African countries. The US, by contrast, has focused on satellite data, technical training, and regulatory cooperation rather than hardware. This may leave Washington at a structural disadvantage.
The Middle East Monitor published on 19 July 2026 an article titled "Libya Joins China's Payment System, Reducing Reliance on US Dollar."
The governor of the Central Bank of Libya and the governor of the People's Bank of China agreed to connect Libyan commercial banks to China's Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS). This will facilitate international transfers using the Chinese yuan, reducing reliance on the US dollar by eliminating the need to process transactions through intermediary banks.
Ethiopia Insight published on 10 August 2026 a commentary titled "The Eritrea Script Exposes Ethiopia's Unity Farce" by Asfaw Gedamu, independent writer.
This is a critique of the National Dialogue process now underway in Ethiopia, and especially the absence of Tigray from the Dialogue. The author discusses the increasing distance between Tigray and the rest of Ethiopia and draws parallels with Eritrean independence. He concludes that the argument for Tigray remaining within the federation is becoming harder to sustain.
The Somali Media Network posted on 8 August 2026 a 42-minute podcast with me hosted by Ismail Gorse on the Horn of Africa.
This is a wide-ranging discussion of current issues in the Horn of Africa and US policy with a special focus on Somalia and Somaliland.
AEIs Critical Threats Africa File posted on 6 August 2026 an article titled "Tigray on the Precipice" by Michael DeAngelo and Liam Karr.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Ethiopian National Defense Forces engaged in western Tigray on 1 August, each accusing the other of initiating the conflict. The battle ended quickly but tension remains high in the region.
This is the full text of the interview by Omar Faruk Osman, Secretary-General of the National Union of Somali Journalists, with General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, the Commander of U.S. Africa Command in Mogadishu and posted on 31 July 2026.
Most of the interview focuses on US-Somali cooperation in combatting al-Shabaab and the Islamic State in Somalia. This is the interview where General Anderson also said, "there are no plans to build a base in Somaliland" and "U.S. policy is, and remains, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia. That has not changed."
The Czech Journal of Political Science published in its second issue of 2026 a review by Ondrej Voznak of our book titled "China's Relations with Africa: A New Era of Strategic Engagement."
AEIs Critical Threats Africa File posted on 6 August 2026 an article titled "Somalia" by Michael DeAngelo and Aaryaman Shah.
The United States is pursuing an increased dual track engagement with local Somali governments in Puntland and Jubaland together with unilaterally independent Somaliland as it continues to recognize the sovereignty of the central Somali government in Mogadishu.
The South China Morning Post published on 7 August 2026 an article titled "What China's Expanded Funding for HIV/Aids in Africa Means as US Cuts Health Aid" by Jevans Nyabiage.
As the United States reduces its funding in Africa for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention, China is modestly increasing assistance. US funding remains, however, much higher than that coming from China.
AEIs Critical Threats Africa File posted on 6 August 2026 an article titled "Red Sea" by Michael DeAngelo and Liam Karr.
Saudi Arabia announced on 30 July the formation of a Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance to protect shipping in the Red Sea and adjacent waterways following the Bab el-Mandeb Strait blockade of Saudi ships by the Houthi rebels in Yemen. So far, 14 nations have joined the task force.
The Congressional Research Service published on 6 August 2026 a report titled "China-Sub-Saharan Africa Ties and U.S. Policy" by Nicolas Cook, Lauren Ploch Blanchard, and Michael D. Sutherland.
This is a comprehensive overview of China's relations with Sub-Saharan Africa and guidance for US policymakers.
The Doha, Qatar-based Middle East Council on Global Affairs published in February 2026 an open access E-book titled "The Red Sea: Divided by Water, United by Opportunities" edited by Dalia Ghanem, Mehari Taddele Maru, Luigi Narbone, and Carlo Palleschi.
This book provides a comprehensive analysis that breaks down the silos between Middle Eastern countries (MECs) and the Horn of Africa (HOA). It argues that it is impossible to understand the region's trajectory by looking at one side of the Red Sea in isolation and examines interactions between the MECs and the HOA. It seeks to align visions and identify concrete steps toward realizing the vision of a region that, though divided by waters, is united by opportunities.
Somalia Today published an article dated 1 August 2026 titled "AFRICOM Chief Rules Out US Military Base in Somaliland" by Mohamed Bashir.
General Dagvin Anderson, head of the US Africa Command, said in an interview published by the US embassy in Mogadishu on 31 July that "there are no plans to build a base in Somaliland." He added that "US policy is and remains the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia. That has not changed."
The United States has maintained contact with Somaliland officials and supported development and security programs in the region without recognizing it as a separate state.
The UK government published on 16 July 2026 a press release titled "UK Sanctions Illicit Gold Networks Fueling Sudan's War Amid Crisis around El Obeid."
The UK government announced sanctions targeting the conflict gold trade in Sudan, procurement networks, and financial facilitators that are fueling the civil war in Sudan. The sanctions focus primarily on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and UAE-based companies, but they include the Sudan Armed Forces and one Hong Kong-based company.
Modern Diplomacy published on 5 August 2026 a commentary titled "Cairo's Shadow War in Sudan: Drones, Borders and a Fading Army Ally" by Carla Davies.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been engaged in conflict with the Sudan Armed Forces for more than three years. Drones launched from inside Egypt have targeted the RSF inside Sudan for at least six months. Egypt's strong support for the Sudan Armed Forces is linked in part to a coordinated Egypt-Sudan effort to counter Ethiopia's position on Nile water issues.
The New York Times published on 5 August 2026 an article titled "China's A.I. Is Surging Across Africa. That Should Worry Silicon Valley" by Paul Mozur, Adam Satariano, and Aaron Krolik.
China's AI is surging in Africa where buyers look for the best possible system at the lowest possible cost. The Chinese systems are publicly available to download and modify without payment or approval. Xi Jinping is using AI as a form of Chinese soft power.
SABC News posted on 4 August 2026 an article titled "SA Moves to Complete R2 Billion Radioactive Waste Management Facility."
South Africa's National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute signed a memorandum of understanding with the China National Nuclear Corporation to work together and share experiences.
The ChinaMed Project published on 5 August 2026 an analysis titled "Chinese Officials, Experts and Media Discuss the Ceuta Crisis" by Leonardo Bruni.
On 31 July, some 60,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the Moroccan coast. This analysis discusses how Chinese officials and media have framed the Ceuta crisis, and if Chinese analysts see it as evidence that internal European Union divisions could weaken the bloc's ability to respond to external threats, such as China's assertive trade policies.
By avoiding discussing responsibility or causes of the migrant surge, Beijing showed its interest in maintaining good relations with both Spain and Morocco. The weakness of European solidarity was, however, a recurring theme.
Business Insider Africa published on 30 July 2026 an article titled "Ethiopia's $12.5 Billion Airport Has Become the Latest Investment Battleground between the U.S. and China in Africa" by Solomon Ekanem.
The United States is seeking a role for its private sector companies in the development of Ethiopia's new $12.5 billion Bishoftu Airport as it challenges China's commanding position of building infrastructure projects in Africa by its state-owned companies.
The United States sees this as an opening for its construction and engineering companies and an opportunity to sell more Boeing aircraft to Ethiopian Airlines. In addition, the Bishoftu Airport is a gateway to influence Africa's fast-growing aviation, logistics, and technology sectors.
The Economist published on 30 July 2026 an article titled "How Many People Are Dying as a Result of USAID's Demise?"
Elon Musk, who is responsible for dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID), insists it has not cost any human lives. The influential publication, Lancet, estimates that by 2030, 14 million people will die as a result of USAID's demise.
The Economist explains that the drop in US health funding has been less cataclysmic than originally predicted and that early estimates of deaths drew on trends that may no longer be valid. While the early estimates of deaths are too high, Musk's notion of zero deaths is plainly wrong. Lives have been lost.
Serrari posted on 4 August 2026 an article titled "Stanbic Bank Kenya Launches RMB Payments Through CIPS" by Montel Kamau.
Stanbic Bank Kenya has introduced direct Renminbi payment processing through China's Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS). Businesses importing goods or services from China can now settle eligible transactions without routing every payment through longer conventional correspondent-banking chains.
Comment: This is one more indication of China's currency making inroads in the banking system of the Global South.
China-Africa Security Radar published on 3 August 2026 an article titled "Fragmented Leverage: Why African States Call for Collective Bargaining but Prefer Bilateralism in Critical Minerals Negotiations" by Paa Kwesi Wolseley Prah.
The author explains how China and the United States seek advantage with African countries in bilateral negotiations in their quest for critical minerals. China exploits bilateral negotiations through processing dominance and bundled infrastructure-mineral deals. The United States pursues selective frameworks and corridor diplomacy.
Radio France Internationale posted on 3 August 2026 an article titled "Hundreds Flee Ethiopia to War-torn Sudan Following New Fighting in Tigray."
Hundreds of Ethiopians fled to Sudan following the outbreak of conflict on 1 August between federal government troops and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in western Tigray region. They joined thousands of Ethiopian refugees inside Sudan from the 2020-2022 war between the Ethiopian army and the TPLF.
Business Insider Africa published on 27 July 2026 an article titled "Africa's Second-largest Copper Producer Curbs Raw Copper Exports and Makes Demands of Chinese Firms" by Awogbemila Temitope.
The Zambian government has restricted unrefined copper exports to force foreign mining and industrial companies to build local processing plants. Chinese companies invest heavily in Zambia's mining sector and will be the most impacted by this policy change.
Netherlands-based Lighthouse Reports published on 30 July 2026 a report titled "Congo's Hidden Uranium Exports."
China imports 95 percent of the cobalt exported by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Uranium is present in significant quantities in DRC cobalt. Chinese companies mine the ore, which is then refined in China.
China has added significantly to its nuclear weapons stockpile in recent years. Lighthouse Reports argues that China's increase in weapons far exceeds the uranium it mines domestically or that which it receives on the basis of reported imports. It concludes that much of the uranium for nuclear weapons is imported surreptitiously from the DRC.
