AEI's Critical Threats Africa File posted on 30 April 2026 an article titled "Somalia" by Michael DeAngelo.
Somali pirates have hijacked 3 vessels in Somali waters off Puntland since 21 April, the most in a 10-day period since 2012. The problem could get worse if the pirates renew ties with the al-Shabaab terrorist organization in Somalia or Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The Zambian Observer published on 30 April 2026 an article titled "President Hichilema Cancels World's Largest Digital Rights Conference."
Zambia cancelled at the last minute the world's largest conference (2,000 delegates) on human rights in the digital age organized by Access Now, RightsCon scheduled for May 5-8 in Lusaka. A Zambian official said the "postponement" of the conference was "essential to ensure full alignment with Zambia's national values, policy priorities, and broader public interest considerations."
News Diggers published on 30 April 2026 an article titled "Govt Cancels RightsCon Summit Citing Security Concerns on Some Delegates" by Mwenya Mofya.
In 2025, the conference took place in Taiwan. The News Diggers account reported that the conference was cancelled because the program included Taiwanese delegates who could potentially speak ill of China at a venue donated by the Chinese government.
B & FT Online posted on 29 April 2026 an article titled "Africa-China 2.0 with Paul Frimpong: Zero Tariff, Zero Excuses: Africa's Moment with China Has Arrived."
China's much heralded zero tariff policy for 20 more African countries, raising the total to 53 out of 54 countries on the continent, is an opportunity but will not guarantee significantly more African exports to China. African countries must develop new trade strategies to take advantage of the opportunity and meet remaining Chinese quality and safety standards.
The International Crisis Group posted on 30 April 2026 a 35-minute podcast titled "Somalia's Election Standoff and New Inflection Point" with Alan Boswell and Omar Mahmood.
Issues discussed include Somalia's latest electoral crisis, tensions with federal member states, the future of the African Union mission in Somalia, the fight against al-Shabaab, and the growing role of external powers, especially Türkiye in Somali politics, and Israel in Somaliland.
Omar Mahmood offers an especially clear explanation of the current electoral situation in Somalia. Technically, 15 May is the end of the current government's term, but the situation is actually more complicated. The current government argues it has one more year in power; the opposition says it ends on 15 May. In any event, there will not be elections on 15 May.
Reuters published on 29 April 2026 an article titled "Mali Turmoil Threatens Russian Push for Influence and Mineral Wealth in Africa" by Andrew Osborn and Anna Peverieri.
A series of reversals suffered by Mali's Moscow-backed military government has dented Russia's image and threatens its strategic and economic interests in Africa. Mali's military junta's future is now in jeopardy and Russia's military presence in Mali is also on the line.
Business Insider Africa published on 29 April 2026 an article titled "China Hands Over $56.5 Million ECOWAS HQ in Nigeria, Expanding Influence in West Africa" by Segun Adeyemi.
China gifted and built the new $56.5 million ECOWAS headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria in a ceremony held this week.
Vanguard published on 28 April 2026 an article titled "ECOWAS President Declared China W/Africa's Most Strategic Partner."
The president of the ECOWAS Commission described China at the ceremony "as West Africa's most strategic partner." Nigeria's minister of state for foreign affairs said the headquarters is "a powerful symbol of the deepening ties between Africa and China."
Comment: China buys a great deal of good will and influence in Africa by gifting and constructing key structures such as national parliaments, political party headquarters, presidential palaces, military barracks, and the headquarters for the African Union and ECOWAS.
The Sentry published in April 2026 an alert titled "$24M Property Safe Haven in Dubai Linked to the RSF."
A network of family members, sanctioned individuals, and entities linked to the leadership of Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) owns a $24 million real estate portfolio in Dubai consisting of over 20 properties. These properties, while legal, shed further light on the RSF's relationship with the UAE.
News Directory 3 published on 27 April 2026 an article titled "China Expands Direct Shipping Routes to Africa Boosting Trade Ties" by Ahmed Hassan.
Qingdao and Yantai ports in China have become key direct commercial shipping connections with ports in Africa in an effort to expand trade. Africa is becoming an important market for Chinese goods. More Chinese ports are likely to establish direct shipping links with African ports.
Ethiopia Insight published on 27 April 2026 a commentary titled "Abiy Is Quietly Dismantling Tigray" by Asmelash Yohannes Teklu, former senior advisor at the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front bears responsibility for its internal fractures, which the federal government is using to its advantage. As a result, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has secured outcomes through quiet, calculated maneuvering that advance his strategic interests while avoiding the scrutiny that a return to war would incite. Tigray remains deeply divided.
Ecofin Agency published on 27 April 2026 an article titled "China-Africa Trade in 2026: Cooperation, but Not on Equal Terms" by Idriss Linge.
As exports to the United States fall sharply, China is turning increasingly to Africa to export its consumer and industrial products. During the first quarter of 2026, China-Africa trade reached $92 billion, up 27 percent year on year. But while Chinese exports to Africa rose 32 percent, African exports to China increased by only 18 percent. Africa's trade deficit with China for the quarter reached $29 billion, nearly $10 billion higher than a year earlier.
The zero-tariff policy announced for Africa by Xi Jinping beginning 1 May 2026 is largely cosmetic and will make little difference in the trade relationship because 95 percent of African exports to China already enter the country duty free.
BBC News posted on 27 April 2026 an article titled "Pirates Seize Another Vessel off Somali Coast as Threat Level Increased" by Harry Sekulich.
After a long period of inactivity, at least 4 vessels have been targeted by pirates off northern Somalia in the past week. Pirates seized an oil tanker with an international crew and a Somali-flagged fishing vessel.
The Global Affairs Forum of the Africa Governance Centre, an independent think tank based in Accra, Ghana, is hosting a panel discussion on 7 May dealing with the implications of the Iran conflict for global stability and African strategic interests. It begins at 9:00 am Eastern Time in the United States and Canada. You can register for the event at this link.
The panelists are:
--Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, High Representative for Silencing the Guns, African Union
--Amb. David Shinn, adjunct professor of international affairs, George Washington University
--Dr. Isaac Olawale Albert, professor of African history, peace and conflict studies, University of Ibadan
--Dr. Victor Kofi Afetoriom Doke, research fellow and lecturer, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre
--Dr. Paa Kwesi Wolseley Prah, postdoctoral fellow, Lingnan University, Hong Kong
The Taipei Times published on 26 April 2026 an article titled "Lin Chia-lung Visits Eswatini as Envoy."
Following the cancellation of overflight permission by Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar for the president of Taiwan to attend the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession to the throne, Taiwan's foreign minister arrived in Eswatini as his country's special envoy at the celebration.
Addis Ababa's Capital newspaper published on 26 April 2026 an article titled "Addis Ababa Hosts Inaugural China-Africa Entrepreneurs Summit, with AU Calling for Youth-led Growth" by Groum Abate.
The African Union in Addis Ababa hosted the inaugural China-Africa Entrepreneurs Summit focused on trade, investment, industrial cooperation, and entrepreneurship. Remarks by Ethiopia's president and the AU Commission Chairperson underscored the importance of yet another formal link between China and Africa.
The South China Morning Post published on 25 April 2026 an article titled "China and Mozambique to Map Critical Minerals in Insurgency-Hit Cabo Delgado" by Jevans Nyabiage.
During a state visit to China, Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo signed a wide-ranging joint communique dealing with cooperation on critical minerals, natural gas, and rare earths. China also agreed to provide more support, not spelled out, for combatting an insurgency in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado region.
Nigeria Startup News posted on 24 April 2026 an article titled "Ecobank Moves to Enable Direct Yuan Payments for Africa-China Trade by 2026" by Paulinus Sunday.
Pan-African Ecobank is in discussion with the Bank of China to establish a settlement framework that would allow payments to be made in Chinese yuan by the end of 2026, reducing dependence on the U.S. dollar. Ecobank's yuan settlement plan signals a growing shift towards a more diversified and multipolar payments ecosystem for African trade.
Academicjobs.com posted on 23 April 2026 an article titled "China-Taiwan Tensions Escalate: African Airspace Denials Force President's Africa Trip Cancellation."
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te was set to attend the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III's accession to the throne in Eswatini. The president cancelled the visit at the last minute when Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar revoked overflight permission for the presidential aircraft.
Taipei charged that Beijing pressured the three countries to revoke the overflight permission. Beijing did not acknowledge any role but praised the action of the three countries. The United States condemned China's intimidation campaign.
Ecofin Agency published on 20 April 2026 an article titled "China-Africa Trade: Windfall Gains for Resource Giants in Q1 2026, but a Deeper Structural Reality Behind" by Idriss Linge.
A small number of African countries--DRC (cobalt), Angola (oil), Guinea (bauxite), and South Africa (critical minerals) in the first quarter of 2026 captured the bulk of the gains in exports to China. The deeper story points to a structural shift in how Africa is being integrated into China's global economic strategy.
The growing trade between China and Africa is driven by Africa's extractive sectors with limited industrial spillovers and constrained economic transformation. Africa is becoming a critical outlet for Chinese industrial exports. The key question going forward is whether African economies can leverage this situation to move up the value chain.
AEI's Critical Threats Africa File posted on 23 April 2026 an analysis titled "Ethiopia" by Michael DeAngelo.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) under the control of hardliner Debretsion Gebremichael, announced its intention to reinstate the pre-Tigray war regional government, which would effectively void the Pretoria peace agreement that ended the Tigray war in 2022.
TPLF control of Tigray region would increase the risk of large-scale armed conflict between the federal government and the TPLF.
The Christian Science Monitor published on 15 April 2026 an article titled "After 3 Years of War, Sudanese Civilians Pay the Price" by Sophie Neiman and Guy Peterson.
This account focuses on the Sudanese conflict in the Nuba Mountains where the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces is aligned with the SPLM-N against the Sudan Armed Forces.
The Wall Street Journal published on 22 April 2026 an article titled "U.S. Seeks to Reset Ties with Reclusive but Strategically Vital African State" by Robbie Gramer and Summer Said.
The Trump administration is exploring ways to reset relations with Eritrea, beginning with the lifting of sanctions. The administration's special envoy for Africa, Massad Boulos, first met with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki late last year in Cairo.
The US war in Ian has elevated the importance of freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, where Eritrea has a long coastline.
The Sentry published in April 2026 a study titled "Doubling Down: Russia's Military Network in West Africa."
Russia's Wagner Group withdrew from Mali in June 2025, largely handing over operations to the Kremlin-controlled Africa Corps, which has about the same number of troops as Wagner and many of them are former Wagner fighters. Some core leadership also remains the same.
The Africa Corps has been moving a large quantity of weapons into Mali, which suggests that Russia is doubling down on Mali, despite the concurrent withdrawal and multiple failures of the Wagner Group.
AEIs Critical Threats Africa File published on 21 April 2026 an article titled "US Competes with Russia and Others as It Engages African Autocrats" by Liam Karr, Yale Ford, and Zoe Sommer.
The Trump administration has put the United States in more direct competition with Russia in Africa, especially in states that have come under military control. The US is primarily pursuing security-related interests and exploring opportunities for cooperation on critical minerals.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published in April 2026 a study titled "Russia in Africa: Examining Moscow's Influence and Its Limits" edited by Nate Reynolds, Frances Z. Brown, Frederic Wehrey, and Andres S. Weiss.
The collection of essays explores Russia's role, its appeal, and its limitations across very different parts of the continent--from West Africa and the Sahel to Southern Africa. It dives into Russia's interests and tools and explains how they vary over time and between places. It explores the agency and interests of African governments and citizens.
The collection contains the following essays:
--Introduction by Frances Z. Brown and Nate Reynolds
--Moscow's Dual-Track Africa Playbook: Transactional Security Deals in the Sahel, Enduring Political Capital in Southern Africa by Priyal Singh
--The Drivers and Limits of Russia's Appeal in West Africa and the Sahel by Jean-Herve Jezequel
--Russia's Geopolitical Hedging in the Sahel and West Africa by Anouar Boukhars
--Russia Risks Falling into the Sahel Security Trap by Hanna Rae Armstrong
--Battle for the Narrative: Africa in the Crosshairs of Russian Influence by Bah Traore
--Russia Eyes Expanded Role in Coastal West African States by Beverly Ochieng
--The Bear Down South: Russia's Relations with Southern Africa by Steven Gruzd and Friedrich von Treskow
--South Africa's Relationship with Russia: Navigating Historical Legacies, Domestic Change, and Geopolitical Complexities by Ray Hartley
--Beyond Material: Russia's Appeal to Southern African States by Philani Mthembu
The BBC published on 22 April 2026 an article titled "Taiwan President Cancels Trip after African Countries Revoke Flight Permits" by Yvette Tan.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te cancelled a trip to Eswatini, accusing China of putting pressure on other countries to bar his aircraft from flying over their territories. A Taiwan official said Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar revoked Lai's flight permits after "intense pressure" and economic coercion from Beijing.
