Africa Youth Survey: Perceptions of China and US

 The Ichikowitz Family Foundation just published its massive African Youth Survey 2026.  It held face-to-face interviews with about 5,000 Africans aged 18-24 from 16 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.  

It covers many issues, but the focus here is perceptions of China and the United States.  African youth see China (79 percent) and the United States (81 percent) as the most influential foreign actors, although China's influence is seen as somewhat more positive.

The survey looked at the influence of the US, China, Brazil, EU, UK, Germany, France, India, and Russia.  The only country whose influence was seen as less positive than the United States (85 percent) was Russia (83 percent).  

About 3 in 5 youth are optimistic about Africa's future during the Trump administration, especially on military support and security.  Just under half believe the closure of USAID will negatively impact their country, with healthcare and disease prevention seen as the areas most affected.  

China and India are increasingly viewed as more favorable partners than the United States, a sentiment shaped in part by the return of the Trump administration.  

Diplomatic Solution Language Eludes Sudan Cease Fire Talks

 The International Crisis Group published on 17 April 2026 a statement titled "Latest Sudan Conference Shows Diplomacy Is Backsliding" by Comfort Ero and Alan Boswell.

Officials who gathered in Berlin on 15 April pledged 1.5 billion Euros for humanitarian aid to Sudan but failed to agree on a joint communique.  Blame for the inability to agree on a common approach to achieve a cease fire resulted because of differences in the US-led Quad, which includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt.

Negotiations foundered over Saudi Arabia's insistence on language stressing the need to preserve "state institutions", which would include Sudan's army, and the UAE's opposition to it.  The intra-Quad discord highlights the challenges facing US-led efforts to secure a truce, which are backsliding amid deteriorating relations between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Podcast with Germany's Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa

 The International Crisis Group posted on 8 December 2025 a 38-minute podcast titled "Global Disorder, Horn of Africa Turmoil.  Can Europe Keep Up?" with Alan Boswell and Heiko Nitzschke, Germany's special envoy for the Horn of Africa based in Nairobi.  

Maritime security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden looms large in the policies of Germany and Europe.  The Horn of Africa is increasingly being impacted by multilateralism.  Europe is only one among many engaged players in the Horn.  African countries in the region ultimately will determine the role that Europe plays.  Europe's strength is the reliability of its interest and engagement.  Its priority for the conflict in Sudan is to achieve a ceasefire and ameliorate the humanitarian crisis.

US foreign aid cuts sent shockwaves through European and Horn of Africa capitals.  European countries are trying to fill some of the gaps left by the United States, but they too are turning increasingly to private investment.  US policy in the region has also become more unpredictable.  A new order is emerging in the Horn, especially with greater involvement of the Gulf States and Türkiye.  Finally, Nitzschke expressed concern there is now a serious risk of renewed conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea. 

Efforts at UN to End Sudan Conflict

 The Associated Press published on 26 September 2025 an article titled "World Leaders Step Up Efforts Behind the Scenes at the UN to End the War in Sudan" by Edith M. Lederer.

The Quad (United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and UAE) met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and called for a ceasefire in Sudan followed and concluded within 9 months by a process that results in a civilian government having broad legitimacy.  A separate group convened by the African Union and European Union supported the Quad proposal and called on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan Armed Forces to reach a permanent ceasefire.  

PLA Navy Uses Laser on German Plane in Red Sea

 The China Global South Project posted on 18 July 2025 an article titled "Disorder as Strategy at the Gate of Tears" by Felix Brender.

This account provides additional information concerning the military-grade laser attack on a German surveillance plane patrolling the Red Sea by personnel on a PLA Navy frigate.  The incident forced the pilot of the German plane to return to Djibouti.  

Germany Protests Chinese Laser Attack over Red Sea

 The BBC published on 9 July 2025 an article titled "China Rejects German Claim It Targeted Military Plane with Laser" by Sean Seddon.

Germany officially protested to China that one of its warships in the Red Sea fired a laser beam at a German reconnaissance plane as it was contributing to European Union efforts to protect international shipping from Houthi missiles.  China responded that the German account was "totally inconsistent with the facts known to the Chinese side." 

Cutting Foreign Aid Is a Costly Mistake

 The Washington Post published on 17 June 2025 a commentary titled "The Retreat from Aid Is a Costly Mistake" by Eduardo Porter.

While the Trump administration has thrown foreign aid into the woodchipper, other Western countries including the UK, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden have cut development assistance budgets.  Their cuts have not been as dramatic as the US dismantlement of USAID, but the author explains why these changes are a mistake.   

Egypt Expects $300 Million in Budget Support from Beijing-based Bank

Egypt Today published on 28 April 2025 an article titled "Egypt Moves Closer to Securing $300 Million from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank."

Egypt's Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation recently commented that his government is completing the paperwork for $300 million in budget support from the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.  

Dried-up Aid Pulls Sudan Further into Chaos

 The Council on Foreign Relations published on 14 April 2025 a commentary titled "A Third Year of War: Dried-Up Aid Pulls Sudan Further into Chaos" by Mariel Ferragamo.

People are dying more of hunger and disease in Sudan than bullets.  The health care system is collapsing.  The dismantlement of USAID was followed by the shutting down of 80 percent of the local emergency kitchens.  Other donors have also cut back on aid to Sudan.  

UK to Co-host Conference on Sudan

 The Guardian published on 9 April 2025 an article titled "UK to Co-host Global Conference with Aim of Resolving Sudan's Civil War" by Patrick Wintour.

The United Kingdom, together with Germany and France, is co-hosting in London on 15 April the foreign ministers of nearly 20 countries and organizations in an attempt to establish a group that can drive the warring factions in Sudan, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), closer towards peace.  The SAF and RSF have not been invited to the London conference.  There is no mention of participation by the United States.  

China and the United States Have High Positive Leadership Ratings in Africa

 Penkelemesi, a newsletter dedicated to analysis of African politics, economy, and international affairs, published on 21 May 2024 an article arguing that Africa's international relations transcend the simplistic binary framework of U.S.-China relations by Chris O. Ogunmodede.  

A 2024 Gallup Rating World Leaders report found the median approval in Africa of China at 58 percent and the United States at 56 percent.  Some analysts have framed this result as the United States losing influence to China.

The author argues this is a misinterpretation of public opinion data that have consistently demonstrated positive and similar views of both China and the United States in Africa.  Most Africans want to have good relations with both countries.

African Perception of Chinese Leadership Edges Ahead of US

 Gallup published on 26 April 2024 an article titled "U.S. Loses Soft Power Edge in Africa" by Benedict Vigers.

Gallup just published the results for 2023 of approval ratings in 36 of Africa's 54 countries on leadership in the United States, China, Russia, and Germany.  In 2023, China nudged ahead of the United States by two points compared with 2022.  Both the United States and China remained well ahead of Russia, which did restore its position following a drop in the aftermath of its attack on Ukraine.  

The view of U.S. leadership improved significantly in Ghana, Mauritania, Cote d'Ivoire, and Tunisia but declined sharply in Kenya, Gambia, and Uganda.  China's position was much stronger in Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, and Guinea, but fell sharply in Gambia and Uganda.  The approval rating for the United States, China, and Russia is down significantly from where it was in 2011.

Pledges at International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan

 The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs published on 15 April 2024 a press release titled "International Humanitarian Conference for Sudan and Neighboring Countries."

France, Germany, and the European Union hosted in Paris on 15 April an international humanitarian pledging conference for Sudan and refugees in neighboring countries.  The conference raised $2.2 billion.

The press release included a listing of the individual financial pledges.

The World Bank pledged the most at $555 million, followed by the EU ($385 million), Germany ($265 million), the United States ($162 million), and France ($119 million).  Notably absent from the pledging conference were China, Russia, and all Arab countries except for the UAE ($100 million), Saudi Arabia ($61 million), and Qatar ($25 million).  

Who Leads FDI in Africa? It's Not China

 Ernst and Young Global Limited published in November 2023 "A Pivot to Growth: EY Attractiveness/Africa."

This is a trends and insights report that provides readers with a deeper understanding of the investment flows into the African market.  The section showing which countries provide the most FDI to Africa is especially revealing and underscores recent trends that are not well appreciated.  

From 2018 through 2022, the country financing the largest total number of projects in Africa was the United States, followed by France, United Kingdom, Germany, and China.  In 2022 alone, the United States led in total number of FDI projects at 93, followed by 78 for France, 64 for the UK, 60 for the UAE, 44 for Switzerland, 37 for Germany, and 21 for China.

When measured in terms of capital investment in 2022, the UAE led with $49.9 billion, followed by France at $26.5 billion, India at $22.2 billion, and the UK at $19.2 billion.  US capital investment in 2022 ranked 5th at $6.8 billion, followed by Canada at $5.1 billion, and China at $2.6 billion.

When looked at over a longer period of time, China does better.  Cumulative FDI between 2016 and 2022 puts China in fourth place by total projects and second by capital investment, behind the UAE.  Chinese FDI has also created more jobs per project than any other country.  But the trend is clear, Chinese FDI in Africa is on the decline.  

The Military Coup in Niger Explained

 For an excellent account of the military coup d'état in Niger and its aftermath, see "The Niger Coup's Outsized Global Impact" published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on 31 August 2023 and authored by Gilles Yabi.  

African Loans and the Debt Database

 The Kiel Institute for the World Economy published in April 2023 a paper titled "Who Lends to Africa and How? Introducing the Africa Debt Database" by David Mihalyi and Christoph Trebesch.  

The African debt boom was mainly driven by large sovereign bond issuances in London and New York, as well as growing lending by Chinese state-owned banks.  The average interest rate for multilateral lenders was 1 percent, for bilateral lenders other than China 1.3 percent, for Chinese lenders 3.2 percent, and for private sector lenders (sovereign bonds) 6.2 percent.  

Tardy Evacuation of Americans from Sudan

 The New York Times published on 28 April 2023 an article titled "U.S. Begins Overland Evacuation of American Civilians from Sudan" by Declan Walsh, Eric  Schmitt, Edward Wong, and Abdi Latif Dahir.

After a fast and professional evacuation using Chinook helicopters and special forces personnel of American diplomats from the U.S. embassy compound in Khartoum, the U.S. has belatedly begun to organize an evacuation by road for other Americans more than 500 miles away to Port Sudan on the Red Sea.  This follows by almost a week evacuations by air from an airfield north of Khartoum and by road to Port Sudan conducted by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom among others.  

The State Department issued on 29 April 2023 a statement titled "Evacuation Efforts of U.S. Citizens from Sudan."  It identifies what the U.S. government is doing to evacuate private citizens from Sudan.

Comment:  While U.S. policy normally does not include mass evacuations of U.S. citizens from conflict zones, the situation in Sudan would seem to qualify as an exception as was the case for evacuation of Americans from Afghanistan.  

Account of US and Other International Evacuations from Sudan

 The New York Times published on 23 April 2023 an article titled "U.S. Pulls Diplomats from Sudan, and an Exodus Begins" by Declan Walsh, Charlie Savage, and Eric Schmitt.

An exodus of foreign nationals from Sudan is underway as some Sudanese blame international diplomats for allowing the crisis to occur.  The article provides details on the evacuation of American diplomats from Khartoum.  

US Prepares for Evacuation of Its Nationals from Sudan

 The New York Times published on 20 April 2023 an article titled "U.S. Positioning Troops for Evacuation of American Embassy in Sudan" by Helene Cooper, Elian Peltier, and Farnaz Fassihi.

While it is currently not safe to undertake a US-government coordinated evacuation from Sudan because of the breakdown of security, it is deploying more troops at its base in neighboring Djibouti on a contingency basis.

Comment:  As Deputy Chief of Mission at the US embassy in Khartoum in the mid-1980s and required to play a key role in two evacuations of US citizens under much less hostile conditions than what the embassy faces today, I can attest to the challenges.  The Khartoum airport is closed and damaged and the capital is far from the border of any neighboring country, many of which have their own issues.  An evacuation would require the acceptance of the two contending forces.

Ghana, China, and Debt Relief

 Reuters published on 4 February 2023 an article titled "China Must Join Ghana Debt Restructuring Effort Soon, Germany's Lindner Says" by Christian Akorlie and Cooper Inveen.  

Ghana is trying to restructure its $39 billion external debt in an effort to obtain a $3 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.  Germany's finance minister singled out China during a visit to Ghana to do its part to restructure the country's debt.