The Interpreter, produced by Australia's Lowy Institute, published on 22 May 2026 a commentary titled "China's Influence in Africa Is No Longer Just Economic" by Isel Van Zyl.
The author argues that the cancellation of overflight permission by Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar for Taiwan's president to visit Eswatini, the only country in Africa that recognizes Taiwan, highlights that China's influence in Africa is no longer confined to the economic sector.
China's growing leverage in Africa is now expressed through diplomatic pressure, political signaling, and the ability to shape what governments, organizations, and even international conferences can and cannot do.
Comment: Beijing has exercised political influence in Africa for decades. One only need compare African country voting patterns in the UN General Assembly or consider the publicly stated policy of most countries on China's core domestic issues such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, human rights, and island building in the South China Sea.
The Emirates Policy Center published on 21 May 2026 an analysis titled "The US-Eritrea Rapprochement: Signs and Prospects."
The United States seeks to leverage Eritrea's position on the Red Sea to address maritime tensions and threats, while Asmara is counting on American receptiveness to overcome its isolation and strengthen its capacity to navigate Ethiopian and regional pressures.
The analysis concludes that interaction between the United States and Eritrea will probably remain restricted to functional engagement rather than evolving into a comprehensive and enduring partnership.
South Africa's Institute for Global Dialogue published on 16 March 2026 a commentary titled "Beyond Material: Russia's Appeal to Southern African States" by Philani Mthembu.
Although Russia is not a major economic partner in Africa, Moscow's increased focus on the continent has given southern Africa states greater autonomy and options on the global stage as they pursue their own national interests.
AEIs Critical Threats Africa File posted on 21 May 2026 an article titled "Sudan" by Michael DeAngelo.
Infighting between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leadership and three RSF field commanders resulted in their defection together with their troops to the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).
The SAF is using defections to fracture the RSF and rapidly integrate their troops into SAF combat operations. The SAF is pursuing a military victory and showing no interest in peace talks. Bringing defectors into its senior ranks may, however, complicate its command-and-control challenges.
The Guardian published on 21 May 2026 an article titled "US Is 'Simply Choosing Not to Stop' Ebola Outbreak after Massive Public Health Cuts, Experts Say" by Melody Schreiber.
Following the dismantlement of the US Agency for International Development and massive cuts in global and domestic public health efforts, the United States appears to be doing little to stem the outbreak of Ebola in central Africa.
The Raisina Hills, an independent digital news platform based in India, published on 20 May 2026 an article titled "Russia-China Challenge Western-led System in Joint Declaration."
The article assesses the joint declaration agreed to by China and Russia released on 20 May during Vladimir Putin's visit with Xi Jinping in Beijing. The article concludes that "the declaration suggests the Russia-China partnership is evolving beyond tactical cooperation into a broader attempt to shape the ideological architecture of a future world order."
The Respondents posted on 20 May 2026 an article titled "CCM, China's CPC Deepen Ties with Southern African Liberation Parties."
Tanzania's ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi hosted a meeting with the head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China and senior leaders from the ruling political parties in Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The parties launched the Research Centre for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
The Washington Examiner published on 20 May 2026 an article titled "US Competing with Russia, China, and Terror Groups for Influence across Africa" by Mike Brest.
Commander of US Africa Command General Dagvin Anderson told the House Armed Services Committee on 19 May that the United States is competing with Russia, China, and terror groups across Africa. This is being done with a 75 percent reduction in the US regional posture over the past decade, a situation which is compounded by additional drawdowns by our allies.
Rare Earth Exchanges published on 17 May 2026 an article titled "Africa Has Become the New Geopolitical Battleground for Critical Minerals."
The article summarizes a study that examines trade flows, foreign direct investment, military relationships, diplomatic agreements, mining policy, and strategic industrial initiatives shaping Africa's critical minerals economy. It evaluates how China, Russia, the United States, and Europe are accessing and responding to Africa's critical mineral wealth.
The entire study "In the Crosshairs: Twenty-first-century Rivalry for Africa's Critical Minerals" by Ron Matthews and Vlado Vivoda was published online on 11 May 2026 by the European Journal of International Security.
Ethiopia Insight published on 20 May 2026 a commentary titled "The AU Turned Pretoria into Abiy's Shield" by Desta Haileselassie Hagos, Howard University.
This account provides one interpretation for the failure to implement the Pretoria Agreement in a manner that ends conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray Region.
Aljazeera published on 19 May 2026 an article titled "Khartoum's Slow Recovery amid Cautious Return" by Al-Nour Ahmed Al-Nour.
The article describes a capital city under the control of the Sudan Armed Forces that is slowly returning to life following three years of civil war that still rages elsewhere in the country. It describes which sections of the city are showing signs of revival.
Foreign Policy posted on 18 May 2026 an article titled "The Gulf's African Aftershocks" by Liam Karr.
The war against Iran is deepening preexisting regional proxy conflicts in the Horn of Africa and making mediation in Sudan of ongoing conflict more difficult. It has also resulted in a reduction of Gulf State investment in the region and beyond.
GeopoWeb posted on 18 May 2026 an analysis titled "Africa, China, and Zero Tariffs: A Diplomatic Gesture Put to the Test by the Data" by Thierry Pairault.
Effective on May 1, China began a policy of zero tariffs on imports from all African countries except Eswatini, which recognizes Taiwan. Six African countries (South Africa, DRC, Angola, Guinea, Zambia, and Congo Brazzaville) now supply three quarters of China's imports from Africa. Most of these imports consist of minerals, metals, and crude oil, which already enter China duty free.
A modest quantity of African agricultural products will benefit from the zero-tariff policy. Landlocked African countries, which tend to be among the poorest, will receive little or no benefit from the zero-tariff policy because of transportation constraints. In addition, non-tariff barriers such as sanitary standards remain in effect. Thierry identifies several other barriers to increased African exports to China that will limit the impact of the zero-tariff policy. He also compares the impact of EU and Chinese imports from Africa.
Thierry concludes the zero-tariff policy has less to do with rebalancing trade between China and Africa than it is an effective diplomatic tool at little cost to China but also limited in its economic impact.
Aljazeera published on 14 May 2026 an article titled "Zimbabweans Lured into Russia's War as Families Plead for Their Return" by Enos Denhere.
This is a detailed account of the process Russia uses to recruit Zimbabweans, especially those who went to South Africa and failed to find employment, to fight on Moscow's side in the war against Ukraine. In many cases, recruiters used deception and false promises to lure the Zimbabweans.
CNN published on 16 May 2026 an article titled "As Global Crises Multiply, Scores of US Diplomats Say They Have Been Forced Out" by Jennifer Hansler.
An estimated 2,000 Foreign Service officers have been forced out or left by their own choice the U.S. Department of State in the past year. Of 195 ambassadorial positions overseas, 115 are currently vacant, an unprecedented situation this late in an administration.
This hollowing out of the State Department will have far reaching implications for the ability of the United States to project power and deliver on its foreign policy priorities.
The China-Africa Security Radar published on 17 May 2026 a commentary titled "Chinese Clean Tech Is Raising Alarm Bells in the West--Should Africa Be Worried Too?"
Western governments are raising concerns about the impact of Chinese-supplied digitally connected electric vehicles and solar power inverters connected to the internet. They have the potential to harvest large amounts of geospatial and personal data.
The United States and certain European countries are banning some of this Chinese equipment. China counters that these are excuses to protect less competitive Western products. These Chinese products are being woven even more deeply into African markets and raise questions about data protection.
Ethiopia Insight published on 16 May 2026 a commentary titled "Teddy Afro's Mourning Tent and Ethiopia's Fractured National Imagination" by Belete Addis Yemata, University of Melbourne.
Teddy Afro's new album Etorika and especially the opening song, Das Tal (loosely meaning "pitch the tent"), has drawn more than 140 million views on You Tube and ignited political arguments throughout the Ethiopian community. Reactions to Das Tal exposed political loyalty, politico-religious alignment, competing ideas of Ethiopia, and different opinions about Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The Middle East Monitor published on 12 May 2026 an article titled "Nearly 50,000 Displaced in Sudan's Blue Nile State Since Start of 2026."
The International Organization for Migration reported that almost 50,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of 2026 in Sudan's Blue Nile State as a result of fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Blue Nile State borders both Ethiopia and South Sudan.
The International Crisis Group posted on 15 May 2026 a 35-minute podcast titled "Sudan, and a Region and World in Upheaval" with Alan Boswell and Nasrine Malik, journalist and author.
The long-standing problem in Sudan is the control over resources by a certain group and the marginalization of the rest. The old Sudan is gone and cannot be reconstructed. The country requires a whole new approach, which may take years or more to achieve.
The United States and United Kingdom lack either the interest or ability to bring the civil war to an end. As the United States withdraws from Africa, the European Union is drifting and not ready to replace the void being left by the United States.
Nasrine Malik discussed the impact of the war in Iran on Africa generally. It has the potential to destabilize African economies. The Western conception of human rights is on the wane and being replaced by an individualistic approach to certain human rights challenges.
AEI's Critical Threats Africa File posted on 14 May 2026 an article titled "Sudan" by Michael DeAngelo.
Following drone attacks on the Khartoum airport by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) reciprocated by launching drone strikes on the RSF airport at Nyala. The two sides have also exchanged control over some territory with neither the RSF nor the SAF demonstrating the ability to make decisive gains.
The International Crisis Group published on 15 May 2026 an analysis titled "Power Struggle in Ethiopia's Tigray: Averting a Return to War" by Magnus Taylor.
The Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) under the control of Debretsion Gebremichael has seized control of the federal government supported Tigrayan administration in Mekele in a power grab. This is a direct challenge to the federal government of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The situation is further complicated because the TPLF has the support of neighboring Eritrea and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) government in Khartoum. For its part, the Abiy Ahmed government has been supportive of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, which is engaged in a civil war with the SAF. Egypt may also join the fray on the side of the TPLF in order to complicate life for Addis Ababa as it builds dams on the Blue Nile, raising concerns in Cairo.
The New York Times published on 14 May 2026 an article titled "Inside the Secret Mission to Fly Taiwan's President to Africa" by Chris Buckley and Amy Chang Chien.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's first attempt to visit Eswatini, the only African country that recognizes Taipei, was aborted when Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar at the last-minute revoked permission to overfly their airspace. This account details how Lai Ching-te managed subsequently to circumvent these denials by flying secretly on the royal jet that brought Eswatini's deputy prime minister to Taiwan for a visit.
The American Security Project published on 7 May 2026 a commentary titled "What's Holding the Houthis Back in Bab al-Mandeb?" by Laura Bucci.
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have so far refrained from attacking international shipping in the Red Sea following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. The author suggests this is due to ongoing reconstruction in Yemen following earlier attacks on the Houthis by the United States and Israel, an interrupted weapons supply chain from Iran, and concern that the U.S. and Israel would resume airstrikes. The author does not, however, rule out a resumption of Houthi attacks.
Devdiscourse, a media platform for development stakeholders, posted on 13 May 2026 an article titled "SA and China Deepen Partnership in AI Education, Technical Skills and Student Mobility."
South Africa and China have agreed to expand significantly cooperation in digital education, artificial intelligence (AI), vocational training, and student mobility following discussions in Hangzhou. This is part of a broader effort to align education systems with industrial transformation, technological innovation, and future workforce demands.
