China-Morocco Academic Cooperation

 Edge News posted on 29 October 2026 an article titled "Morocco and China Inaugurate North Africa's First China-Africa Research Center."

Morocco and China inaugurated North Africa's first China-Africa Research Center at the National School of Administration in Rabat.  The partnership will support scientific research and knowledge sharing through basic and applied studies.  Both institutions will organize executive training programs in Morocco and China.  This is another step in combining Morocco-China academic collaboration with practical training and governance research.

Asking Hard Questions at the Russia-Africa Summit

 Nigeria's Vanguard published on 27 October 2026 an article titled "Nigeria Must Ask Russia Hard Questions" by Iyabo Aina.

As African leaders gather in Moscow for the third Russia-Africa Summit, the author urges that Nigeria ask why young Nigerians are being lured through deception to Russia to fight against Ukraine.  Another Russian program is attracting African women to Russia to assemble Iranian-designed attack drones for use against Ukrainians.  

Update on Fighting in Ethiopia

 AEIs Critical Threats Africa File posted on 27 October 2026 an update titled "Ethiopia War Security Review."

This account covers military action in Tigray and Amhara Regions from 23-27 October.  It also reports that Russia has offered to mediate between Ethiopia and Eritrea while China is sending a special envoy to the region to promote dialogue and deescalation.  

Threat to Red Sea Undersea Cables

 The Hudson Institute published on 28 October 2026 an analysis titled "Iran's Maritime Threat and the Conflict in the Red Sea" by Can Kasapoglu.

Working with its Houthi allies in Yemen, Iran may be able to damage undersea cables that pass through the Red Sea, which carry about 90 percent of the Europe-Asia capacity.  Multiple cuts in the cables could disrupt internet services, E-commerce, finance, and cloud computing across the globe.

Russia Steps Up Recruitment of Africans for Ukraine War

 The Insider posted on 26 October 2026 an article titled "Russia Expands War Recruitment in Africa, with Enlistment in Burundi Up 23-fold."

Russia has stepped up its recruitment of Africans to fight in its war against Ukraine.  After Kenya and South Africa tried to end Russian recruitment, Moscow turned to Burundi, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, and Madagascar, among others.  Ukraine reports that Russia has recruited 5,400 Africans from 43 countries to serve as mercenaries with Russian forces.

Togo Looks to China

 The Diplomat published on 27 October 2026 an article titled "Togo's China Pivot: Building a Strategic Gateway to the Sahel" by Ovigwe Eguegu.

Following a visit to China by its president, Togo looks to expand ties with China and serve as a gateway for landlocked Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.  The article cites the expansion of Togo's exports to China from $15 MILLION in 2024 to $ 18 MILLION in 2025.  

Comment:  The article failed to note that China's exports to Togo in 2025 totaled more than $4 BILLION.  It is important to put these bilateral relationships in perspective.  

The Future of US Diplomacy and the Foreign Service

 The American Foreign Service Association posted on 26 October 2026 a one-hour podcast titled "Navigating Diplomacy in the Upside Down" with Nicholas Burns, retired Foreign Service Officer and ambassador to China during the Biden administration.  

This is a discussion with Ambassador Burns on diplomacy, foreign policy, the State Department under Republican and Democratic administrations, and the future of the U.S. Foreign Service.  

China's Zero Tariff Policy Will Not Solve Ghana's Export Challenges

 Discovery Alert posted on 18 October 2026 an article titled "Ghana's Export Strategy Needs More than China's Zero Tariffs" by Muflih Hidayat.

China's recent zero tariff policy for African countries removes only a price barrier.  Rules of origin, standards, processing capacity, and financing will limit the ability of Ghana to export substantially more goods to China.

Sierra Leone Launches Chinese-backed Shipping Company

 The Maritime Telegraph published on 26 October 2026 an article titled "Sierra Leone Launches Chinese-backed Shipping Company with 50-Vessel Target."

Sierra Leone has launched the new Sierra Leone Ocean Shipping Company in partnership with China's Zhejiang Xiehai Group, which holds a 70 percent stake in the joint venture.  The state-owned Sierra Leone National Shipping Agency owns the remaining 30 percent.  The company plans to build a fleet of 50 vessels.

The Limitations of African Military Drone Warfare

 Unmanned Africa, a digital platform and defense intelligence blog, published on 14 September 2026 an analysis titled "Are Unmanned Systems a New Frontier of CT and COIN Operations in Africa?"

This is an insightful analysis of the use of military drones in Africa so far and their limitations unless African militaries improve the strategies for their employment and counter use.  

While unmanned aerial systems have given African militaries greater lethality and stronger intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support, their employment has not meaningfully changed the trajectory of the continent's conflict zones.  

For African militaries, the problem is not simply the acquisition of new technologies, but the failure to translate them into effective military capabilities and tactical success at the theatre level.  African militaries must rethink how unmanned systems are integrated into broader force structures and operations.

African militaries have given insufficient attention to counter-drone capabilities.  Their procurement record suggests that unmanned system acquisition remains weighted towards offensive platforms, with less emphasis on capabilities for detecting, tracking, jamming, and intercepting small, low-flying armed commercial-off-the-shelf systems.

The analysis concludes that the drone revolution will not transform counterterrorism and counter-insurgency operations in Africa.  Drones and other unmanned systems can provide important operational advantages, but their contribution to decisive outcomes depends on how effectively they are integrated into the wider force.

China Leads Drone Transfers to Africa

 Military Africa posted in 2026 a major report titled "Drone Procurement in Africa."

The report covers drone (both armed and unarmed) procurement in Africa from 2010 until 2026.  The African countries procuring the most drones of all types and uses during this period were Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Algeria, and Libya LNA.  Those procuring the most armed drones were Morocco (102), Egypt (92), Algeria (86), Nigeria (71), Libya LNA (40), and Ethiopia (36).  

China was the largest supplier with 587 drones shipped to 20 African countries, most of them sent after 2020 to Egypt, Libya LNA, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Algeria.

Israel was the second largest source with 325 drones to 12 African countries, most of them to Morocco, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia, and Libya GNA.

Turkey was third largest supplier with 291 drones to 11 African countries, including both sides of conflict in Libya and Ethiopia.

The United States supplied 247 drones to Africa during this period but significantly reduced deliveries after 2020.  

Iran provided 37 drones almost exclusively to conflict zones in Sudan, Libya LNA, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.  Russia supplied 27 drones to Mali, Libya LNA, and Ethiopia.

Sudan Shifts to Drone Warfare

 Aljazeera published on 22 October 2026 an article titled "How Sudan's Shift to Drone Warfare Is Fuelling a Civilian Crisis."

Drone attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan Armed Forces have killed more than 160 people in recent days.  Both sides use drones in a deliberate shift towards long-range preemptive operations.  Both sides also accuse the other of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure.  The supply chain for the drones originates in Belarus, Iran, China, Russia, Sudan, and Türkiye.

Fixing Sanctions on Sudan

 African Arguments published on 20 October 2026 an article titled "Why Sanctions Are Not Stifling Sudan's War Economy and What We Can Do About It" by Suliman Baldo.

While sanctions on Sudan have had some impact, more often the belligerent parties in the country have found ways to maneuver around them.

The author identifies five measures to fix sanctions.  Pay more attention to subsidiaries and joint ventures established to work around sanctions. Target the entire support ecosystems around the primary bad actors.  Expand the embargo on Darfur to all of Sudan.  Engage countries such as Kenya, Egypt, and the UAE to ensure the logistic hubs facilitating evasion are eliminated.  Unwind overcompliance by banks in areas that are not targeted by sanctions to facilitate access by those in need of assistance.

Ethiopia: Developments in Tigray Region

 AEIs Critical Threats Africa File posted on 23 October 2026 an update titled "Ethiopia War Security Review."  

This update covers the period 20-23 October and discusses the fighting in Tigray and Benishangul-Gumuz Regions and recent regional and international engagement.

Africa-China Climate Cooperation

 The Diplomat published on 23 October 2026 an article titled "The Next Chapter of Africa-China Climate Cooperation" by Yike Fu.

The author says China is shifting from contractor-led cooperation in Africa toward longer-term investment partnerships.  Africa-China climate cooperation is increasingly extending beyond individual renewable energy projects toward the development of integrated green industrial value chains.  Climate cooperation is also increasingly being built through and reinforcing African initiatives and institutions.

China and Djibouti Concerned about Red Sea Shipping but Leave Action to Others

 The Diplomat published on 23 October 2026 an article titled "China, Djibouti Express 'Serious Concern' Over Threats to Red Sea Shipping" by Shannon Tiezzi.

During a visit to Beijing, the Djiboutian foreign minister met with his Chinese counterpart.  They issued a joint communique on the threat to shipping in the Red Sea.  It made clear that the onus is on other countries to solve the problem.  Neither China nor Djibouti plans to take any action.  

Somalia: Conflict in South West State

 AEIs Critical Threats Africa File posted on 22 October 2026 an article titled "Somalia" by Michael DeAngelo, Ziv Zellars, and Liam Karr.

South West State opposition forces seized several key towns in the state in a dispute over control of the state government.  The Somali federal government and the state government claim the opposition group is collaborating with al-Shabaab.  The conflict has taken on wider regional implications.

Ethiopia: Update on Fighting in Tigray Region

 AEIs Critical Threats Africa File posted on 22 October 2026 an update titled "Ethiopia" by Michael DeAngelo, Liam Karr, and Alexander Brown.  

This is an update on the fighting in Tigray Region, documenting small successes by both the Ethiopian National Defense Forces and the rebel Tigrayan forces.  Neither side has landed a knockout punch.  

Africa Advances Its Interests in a Competitive World

 The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published on 22 October 2026 an analysis titled "Africa in Demand: How the Continent Is Advancing Its Interests in a Competitive World" by Fonteh Akum.

Africa is in high demand as interest-driven external powers seek partnerships that enhance their diplomatic, economic, and technological edge.  At the same time, African actors are increasingly hedging and diversifying partnerships according to their own security, infrastructure, and energy agendas.  These dynamics demonstrate that external actors and African stakeholders can form partnerships that advance both their interests--diplomacy is not mutually exclusive or zero sum.

Geopolitical dynamics--marked by both rising middle powers and ongoing great power competition between the United States and China--are shaping both external counterparts' approaches toward Africa and African states' engagement with the world.  The continent's mineral endowments are an object of increasing great and middle power attraction, and so are its security markets for defense cooperation.

Ethiopia: Growing Factions in Tigrayan Leadership

 Ethiopia Insight published on 22 October 2026 a commentary titled "Tsadkan's 'Reforms' Have Fragmented Tigray's Unity" by Negasi Awetehey, Axum University and University of Geneva.

The focus of this commentary is on the schisms in Tigrayan leadership and especially the Tigray People's Liberation Front.  It looks particularly at the role of General Tsadhan Gebre Tensae, chief of staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force during the first half of Meles Zenawi's position as prime minister.  

Chinese and Djiboutian Foreign Ministers Pledge to Expand Cooperation

 The Ground Narrative, an independent digital media platform, posted on 22 October 2026 an article titled "When Ports Meet Power: What China's Deal Means for Djiboutian People."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Djibouti's Foreign Minister Abdoulkader Houssein Omar in Beijing where they pledged to expand cooperation on trade, infrastructure, and security.  China established a military base in Djibouti in 2017.  The article underscores Djibouti's significant debt owed to China.

What is Impact of China's Global Security Initiative?

 The British Academy and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published in September 2026 an analysis titled "China's Global Security Initiative and the Future of the International Security Order" by Jamie Gruffydd-Jones.  

Four years after introduction of China's Global Security Initiative it is not clear how this opaque proposal will challenge the current security order.  This paper shows that the initiative's features that have demonstrated the most promise--China becoming a more involved actor, with an approach to global security focused on domestic and non-traditional challenges--do not necessarily challenge the current order.

While there is an undeniable risk that China's state-centered approach will further promote tools of authoritarianism, there is limited evidence so far that China is seeking to create an alternative authoritarian-led international security order.

Russia's Military Engagement in Africa

 The Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), a government agency, published in September 2026 a report titled "Beyond Wagner: Russia's Military Engagement in Africa in the 2020s" by Anna Ida Rock.

This is a major study prepared for the Swedish Ministry of Defense on Russia's military engagement in Africa.  It includes detailed accounts of Russian naval port calls in Africa, the value of recent arms sales, lists of military cooperation agreements, efforts to establish military bases, and the activities of the Wagner Group and Africa Corps.  It contains a wealth of recent information on Russia's military activities in Africa.

China's Security Strategy and Ethiopia

 The International Political Science Review published on 10 October 2026 an article titled "Shaping Power and Strategic Security Framing: China's Global Security Initiative in Africa, the Development-Security Nexus, and the Case of Ethiopia" by Nele Noesselt.  

This academic study concludes that Ethiopia illustrates the reach and the limits of China's discursive strategy.  Ethiopia demonstrates that even substantial economic dependence on Chinese loans and investments does not necessarily translate into sustained political alignment with Beijing's security priorities.

China's expanding global role has generated new constraints and vulnerabilities.  Persistent security risks affecting Chinese companies abroad combined with ongoing domestic economic restructuring have prompted Beijing to quietly recalibrate its overseas investment strategy.

Update on Conflict in Ethiopia

 AEIs Critical Threats Africa File published on 20 October 2026 an update titled "Ethiopia War Security Review."

This update covers the fighting in Ethiopia from 16-20 October.  Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) continue their battle with Tigray rebels in Tigray Region.  Ethiopian rebel forces in Oromia and Benishangul-Gumuz Regions carried out their first significant attacks since the recent outbreak of fighting in Tigray Region.  The United States and Russia have separately proposed mediation.