Visual Explainer of Houthi Red Sea Attacks

 The International Crisis Group has just posted a visual explainer titled "The Houthis' Red Sea Attacks Explained."  It provides a nice visual summary of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea up to the recent response by the Trump administration.

Sudan Conflict Spills Over into South Sudan

 AEI's Critical Threats Africa File published on 20 March 2025 an article titled "RSF Attacks Spread to South Sudan" by Kathryn Tyson and John Reece.

There are indications that the civil war in Sudan is spilling over into South Sudan with the Rapid Support Forces supporting Salva Kiir's government and the Sudan Armed Forces backing South Sudan rebels.

Somalia: Al-Shabaab Steps Up Activity

 AEI's Critical Threats Africa File published on 20 March 2025 an article titled "Al-Shabaab Ramadan Offensive" by Liam Karr.

Al-Shabaab stepped up its terrorist activity during Ramadan in central Somalia and on the outskirts of Mogadishu.  It included an unsuccessful improvised explosive device (IED) attempt on the life of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.  

Will China and Russia Save U.S. AFRICOM?

 The China Global South Project published on 2 April 2025 a commentary titled "U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) on the Chopping Block: Can China Save It Again?" by Christian Geraud Neema Byamungu.

Some officials in the Trump administration do not believe Africa warrants a separate military command and want to put it back under the European Command.  Others argue this will only create new openings for adversaries like Russia and China.  The latter argument saved AFRICOM in the first Trump administration.  Will it do so again?

The Sorry Side of USAID's Dismantlement

 CNN posted on 2 April 2025 an eight-minute clip titled "USAID Worker Feels Her Country Abandoned Her and Her Family" with Jake Tapper and Charlee Doom.  

When you devote your life to the U.S. Foreign Service, this is not the way you want your career to end.  America is or, at least, should be better than this.  

US Airstrikes on Houthis Continue and Houthis Continue to Fire Back

 Stars & Stripes published on 2 April 2025 an article titled "Suspected US Airstrikes in Yemen Kill at Least 4 People Near Hodeida, Houthi Rebels Say" by Jon Gambrell.

US airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen are continuing and additional air assets, including B-2 bombers, are being moved into the region.  While no US warship has been struck, the U.S. Navy "has described the Houthi fire as the most intense combat its sailors have faced since World War II."

Comment:  This situation continues to raise the question whether the Houthi drone and missile attacks can be defeated by airstrikes alone.  

The Messy Collapse of American Foreign Aid

 Canada's The Walrus published on 1 April 2025 an article titled "The Messy, Brutal, Unthinkable Collapse of USAID" by Maya Elhawary.

The article describes the systematic dismantlement of the US Agency for International Development and what it may portend for the future of global foreign assistance.  

State Department Names Senior Advisor for Africa

 The U.S. Department of State announced on 1 April 2025 the appointment of Massad Boulos as "Senior Advisor for Africa."  He will make his first visit in this capacity to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda.  Boulos also serves as Senior Advisor to the President on Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs.

Responsible Statecraft published on 2 April 2025 an article titled "Trump Tasks First Time Envoy with the Most Complex Africa Conflict" by Dan M. Ford.

The article provides background on the conflict in the eastern DRC where Boulos has been instructed to seek a durable peace.  The author also notes that Boulos' son, Michael, is married to President Trump's daughter, Tiffany.  

Comment:  As "Senior Advisor for Africa," Boulos apparently is not filling the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Africa.  The Trump administration has not yet named anyone to fill the latter position.  The distinction between "Senior Advisor for Africa" and Assistant Secretary of State for Africa is not clear.  

South Sudan Is Returning to War

 Foreign Policy published on 1 April 2025 an analysis titled "South Sudan Is Returning to War" by Clemence Pinaud, Indiana University.

The author concluded that "there are currently no restraints on the government of South Sudan from returning to a full-blown war, and from targeting civilians based on their ethnicity."

American Academy of Diplomacy Supports Collective Bargaining Rights for National Security Agencies

 The American Academy of Diplomacy issued a statement on 1 April 2025 titled "Ending Collective Bargaining Rights for National Security Agencies is a Profound Mistake."

The American Academy of Diplomacy issued a statement that opposes the President's executive order ending collective bargaining rights for employees of national security agencies, including the Department of State.  The executive order opens "the federal workforce to intimidation, harassment, and mistreatment" and is an attempt "to politicize a professional workforce that has been a faithful and nonpartisan partner of our elected leadership for over 100 years."  

Congress Has a Choice on Sudan

 Foreign Policy published on 31 March 2025 a commentary titled "Congress Has a Choice on Sudan" by Gregory W. Meeks, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.  

The Trump administration cancelled emergency aid for Sudan on 26 February.  The author, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is calling on Congress to resume humanitarian aid to Sudan, among other steps for dealing with the catastrophe.

Are China and Russia on a Collision Course in Africa?

 Foreign Policy published on 31 March 2025 a commentary titled "Are China and Russia on a Collision Course in Africa?" by Jessica Moody.

China and Russia, although committed to countering Western influence, have fundamentally different objectives in Africa.  China seeks political stability to protect and advance its economic investments.  Russia thrives on instability and insecurity on the continent.  The two countries typically do not work together in Africa but keep out of each other's way.

Chinese Crew from Chinese-owned and Ghanaian-registered Fishing Vessel Released

 The Associated Press published on 31 March 2025 an article titled "China Says 3 Chinese Crew Members Suspected of Being Kidnapped from a Boat Off Ghana Are Safe" by Francis Kokutse.

Chinese-owned fishing vessels often register as Ghanaian in order to fish legally in Ghanaian waters.  Three Chinese crew members on one of these vessels were believed to have been kidnapped by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea but were subsequently declared to be safe by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Neither China nor Ghana has released details of the episode. 

USAID Effectively Being Dissolved

 CNN posted on 28 March 2025 an article titled "State Department Formally Notifies Congress It Is Effectively Dissolving USAID" by Sean Lyngaas and Jennifer Hansler.

The State Department formally notified Congress on 28 March that it is effectively dissolving USAID and expects the transfer of any remaining functions to the State Department to be accomplished by 1 July.  While court cases contesting the closure of USAID may go forward, the organization will disappear.  

Shutting Down American Soft Power

 The Washington Post published on 25 March 2025 a commentary titled "Trump Is Liquidating America's Reserves of Soft Power" by Joseph Nye.

Power is the ability to get others to do what you want.  In foreign policy, success is determined by the use of hard power and soft power.  By gutting institutions such as the Voice of America and US Agency for International Development, the United States is losing much of its soft power leverage.  

The Voice of America Is Silent

 CBS News published on 30 March 2025 an article titled "Voice of America Journalists Speak Out after Trump Administration Shuts Down Network" by Bill Whitaker.

Thanks to the Trump administration, the Voice of America is silent for the first time since 1942.  This article provides reaction from within the VOA.

Comment:  This is one of the most significant self-inflicted foreign policy setbacks since the end of World War II.  

The Complexities of Conflict in South Sudan

 The International Crisis Group posted on 28 March 2025 a 44-minute podcast titled "South Sudan on the Brink of Another War" hosted by Richard Atwood with Alan Boswell and Daniel Akesh.  

They examine what's behind recent clashes between government forces and opposition-linked militias, which began in Upper Nile State before spreading to other parts of the country.  They also look at President Salva Kiir's government shakeup and how the war in neighboring Sudan has compounded tensions in South Sudan.

DOGE Fires US Institute of Peace Washington Staff

 The New York Times published on 29 March 2025 an article titled "Many at U.S. Institute of Peace Fired as Trump Seeks Nonprofit's End" by Aishvarya Kavi.  

Elon Musk's DOGE fired on 28 March nearly all of the US Institute of Peace's (USIP) staff members in the United States.  DOGE plans to "relocate" international staff by 9 April.  USIP is effectively closed, although court cases will follow.  

The Washington Post published on 29 March 2025 an article titled "DOGE Fires Nearly All Staff at U.S. Institute of Peace Headquarters" by Abigail Hauslohner and Derek Hawkins.  

This account provides some additional detail on this development.

China Walks Fine Line in DRC-Rwanda Dispute

 The BBC posted on 26 March 2025 an article titled "DR Congo Conflict Tests China's Diplomatic Balancing Act" by Jack Lau.

Chinese companies are significantly engaged in the mineral-rich eastern DRC where a Rwanda-supported M23 rebel group is militarily opposing DRC security forces.  China has for years maintained good relations with both countries and remained neutral in the dispute.  Until recently, China cited unnamed "foreign forces" as supporting the M23 rebels. Now it is naming Rwanda as the source of that support and publicly hoping that the government will end the relationship.  China provides weapons to both countries.  

Gold Mining Finances Sudan's Civil War

 Agence France Presse published on 27 March 2025 an article titled "Sudan's Booming Wartime Gold Trade Flows Through the UAE."

Sudan's gold mining has become the lifeblood of the civil war, with nearly all of the trade channeled through the United Arab Emirates, enriching both the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.  The UAE denies its involvement in the gold trade.  

Implications for the Region of Ethiopia-Somalia Reconciliation

 The Emirates Policy Center published on 26 March 2025 an analysis titled "Ethiopia-Somalia Rapprochement and Its Potential Geopolitical Implications."

Somalia's recent rapprochement with Ethiopia could lead to a more balanced foreign policy, reducing Mogadishu's involvement in regional power struggles.  Ethiopia has strengthened its military presence and security role in Somalia while Egypt will have a smaller presence than originally projected.  Ethiopia has frozen but not abandoned its MOU with Somaliland.  

Review of Our China-Africa Book

 The June 2025 issue of Pacific Affairs contains a review by Deborah Brautigam of our book titled China's Relations with Africa: A New Era of Strategic Engagement.

USAID's Final Mission

 The New York Times published on 28 March 2025 an article titled "Final Cuts Will Eliminate U.S. Aid Agency in All but Name" by Karoun Demirjian, Stephanie Nolen, Michael Crowley, and Elizabeth Dias.  

An email to USAID employees titled "U.S.A.I.D.'s Final Mission" detailed an elimination of an agency that once employed about 10,000 people before Trump's return to the White House.  Terminated employees can apply for positions to implement whatever remains of foreign aid programs being transferred to the State Department.  The layoffs are even more drastic than the Trump administration envisioned for USAID in February.  

Somalia Offers Port Deal to US

 Semafor published on 28 March 2025 an article titled "Somalia Offers US 'Control' over Strategic Ports" by Amanda Sperber.  

Somalia's government has offered the United States "exclusive operational control" over strategic ports on the Gulf of Aden in an effort to preclude a decision by Washington to recognize the independence of Somaliland.  The offer includes the port of Berbera under the control of Somaliland and Bosaso under the control of Puntland.  

US Airstrikes Weaken but Do Not Break Houthis in Yemen

 The Wall Street Journal published on 27 March 2025 an article titled "Houthis Weakened but Not Broken by First Round of Trump Strikes" by Saleh al-Batati, Carrie Keller-Lynn, and Sudarsan Raghavan.  

The Trump administration's airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen have not yet achieved the US goal of deterring the US-designated terrorist group.  Since the US airstrikes began on 15 March, the Houthis have launched missiles and drones at the USS Harry S. Truman, an aircraft carrier stationed in the Red Sea.  Houthi missile launches are down but the Houthis have demonstrated in the past an ability to adapt to new challenges.