Sudan Armed Forces Stockpiles Chemical Weapons

 The Washington Post posted on 5 September 2026 an article titled "Trove of Documents Reveals Alleged Chemical Weapons Stockpile in Sudan" by Greg Miller and Elizabeth Dwoskin.

The Sudan Armed Forces has built a secret stockpile of chemical weapons that senior military officials sought to conceal after chlorine bombs were used against the Rapid Support Forces.  Sudan developed the weapons by diverting shipments of chlorine meant to provide safe drinking water, hiding warhead production sites on military bases, testing bombs in remote desert locations, and drawing up lists of targets where toxic gas could penetrate enemy defenses.  

UN Report on Foreign Fighers and Weapons Supporting Sudan War

 The UN Human Rights Council published on 1 September 2026 a report of the independent international fact-finding mission for Sudan titled "Fuelling Sudan's Conflict: Weapons, Fighters, and External Support Networks."

This is the most detailed UN report so far detailing external support for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).  It discusses Columbian mercenaries supporting the RSF, including the launching of drones, and the assistance of individuals and entities in the UAE.  It also identifies support received by the RSF from individuals or entities in Libya, Chad, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Puntland in Somalia.  It identifies less external support for the SAF but notes the use of drones manufactured in Turkey.  

It concludes that external support is sustaining military operations and expanding the capabilities of both the RSF and SAF, with grave consequences for civilians.  Increasingly sophisticated drone capabilities enabled both sides to strike far beyond immediate front lines.  The report called for the Security Council to extend the arms embargo now imposed on Darfur throughout Sudan.   

Sudan War: Drone Attacks in Chad and Upsurge in Blue Nile State

 AEIs Critical Threats Africa File posted on 3 September 2026 an article titled "The Sudanese War Threatens to Regionalize" by Michael DeAngelo.

The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) conducted its first drone strikes on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Chad, striking a 200-vehicle convoy 50 miles west of the Sudanese border, raising tensions with its neighbor.  The drones reportedly destroyed dozens of vehicles.  The SAF then attacked the remnants of the RSF convoy.

In the meantime, the RSF stepped up its attacks on SAF forces in Blue Nile State that borders Ethiopia.

China and Russia Oppose US Effort to Expand Sudan Arms Embargo

 Business Insider Africa published on 26 August 2026 an article titled "Russia and China Push Back as Trump Administration Seeks Arms Embargo Across Sudan" by Ayodeji Adegboyega.

The Trump administration is seeking to expand a two-decade-old UN arms embargo on Darfur to all of Sudan and to explicitly cover drones.  China, Russia, and the Sudan Armed Forces faction all oppose the initiative.

China Benefits from Pakistani JF-17 Thunder Aircraft Sales to Libyan National Army

 Military Africa published on 5 January 2026 an article titled "Pakistan to Supply 16 JF-17s and 12 Super Mushshak Aircraft to Libyan Faction."

Pakistan signed a $4 billion deal with Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) to supply advanced military hardware, including 16 JF-17 Thunder aircraft produced jointly by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group.  The LNA controls the east and south of Libya, including critical oilfields.  The LNA is a rival force to the United Nations-recognized Government of National Unity in Tripoli. The introduction of 16 JF-17s could radically alter the security landscape of North Africa.

The deal represents a sophisticated maneuver by Beijing to expand its influence in North Africa while avoiding direct violation of an arms embargo.  By routing these sales through Pakistan, China can sidestep regulatory and political scrutiny that accompanies sales into sanctioned territory.  Although the JF-17 incorporates Chinese radars, engines, and missiles, it is technically a Pakistani product.  The LNA also has received Chinese drones and WRJ-Q02 anti-drone guns.

Sudan's Collapse and Elusive Peace

 The International Crisis Group posted on 23 December 2025 a one-hour podcast titled "Reflecting on Sudan's Collapse and Elusive Peace Process" by Comfort Ero and Alex de Waal with Yasmine Farouk.

Sudanese polarization and alienation of society in Sudan now makes peace unusually hard.  Sudan has effectively collapsed as a recognizable state.  There can only be a solution at the international level, making it more difficult to resolve.  Sudan is now an international civil war.  The personal involvement of President Trump in resolving the Sudan conflict increasingly appears not to be useful.  

Somali Arms Flows Hinder Peace

 Ethiopia Insight published on 29 September 2025 a commentary titled "Weapons of Discord" by Adam Daud Ahmed, Horn of Africa security analyst.

Somalia's federal system of government has resulted in the indiscriminate flow of arms to clan militias, which has exacerbated conflict in the country.  The author suggests the United Nations needs to introduce conditional arms controls.  

Eritrean President Emerges as Winner of Ethiopia's Civil War

 The Sentry published in June 2025 an extensive report titled "Power and Plunder: The Eritrean Defense Forces Intervention in Tigray."

This account documents Eritrean Defense Force support for the Ethiopian National Defense Force in their joint war to topple the Tigrayan Defense Force in Tigray Region from late 2020 until the signing of the Pretoria Agreement in 2022.  The study concludes that Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has emerged as the clear winner of the post-conflict status quo.  

Upcoming Vote on South Sudan Arms Embargo

 The International Crisis Group (ICG) posted on 6 May 2025 a commentary titled "UN Readies for Critical Vote on South Sudan's Arms Embargo" by Maya Ungar.  

The UN Security Council will vote in late May on whether to renew the arms embargo on South Sudan for 12 months.  Even as the internal security situation deteriorates, the South Sudan government opposes the embargo.  The ICG argues that removing the arms embargo now could stoke escalating violence in South Sudan. 

US Seeks Tougher Measures against Yemen's Houthi Rebels

 The Guardian published on 16 December 2024 an article titled "US Seeks Stronger UN Powers to Intercept Red Sea Shipments to Yemen's Houthis" by Patrick Wintour.  

The United States is seeking global support to give the UN clearer powers to interdict ships in the Red Sea heading for Houthi-controlled Yemen ports in an effort to weaken their ability to conduct attacks on international shipping.  The US is also considering redesignating the Houthis as a terrorist group.  

Arms from UAE and Iran Fuel Civil War in Sudan

 The Washington Post published on 15 October 2024 an article titled "Sudan's Civil War Fueled by Arms Shipments from UAE and Iran" by Katharine Houreld and Hafiz Haroun.  

In spite of a UN arms embargo, the UAE continues to supply arms to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces while Iran does the same for the Sudan Armed Forces.

UN Fact Finding Mission Calls for Neutral Force to Defend Civilians in Sudan

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published on 6 September 2024 a press release titled "Sudan: UN Fact-Finding Mission Outlines Extensive Human Rights Violations, International Crimes, Urges Protection of Civilians." 

The three experts from Tanzania, Nigeria, and Jordan/Switzerland found an appalling range of human rights violations and international crimes in Sudan and called for immediate steps to protect civilians.  The experts were especially critical of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.  They underscored the need to expand the arms embargo in Darfur and the immediate need to create "an independent and impartial force with a mandate to safeguard civilians."

The Associated Press published on 6 September 2024 an article titled "UN Investigators Urge Impartial Force as Sudan War Crimes Intensify." 

The article reports on the UN Fact-Finding Mission press release but points out that the experts did not specify which countries are complicit in war crimes nor suggest which countries might join a neutral force to protect civilians in Sudan.

New Weapons from What Countries Fuel Sudan Conflict?

 Amnesty International posted on 29 July 2024 a report titled "New Weapons Fuelling the Sudan Conflict."

The existing United Nations arms embargo on Darfur is completely ineffective.  Recently manufactured weapons and military equipment from Russia, China, Turkiye, and the United Arab Emirates are being imported in large quantities into Sudan and then diverted to Darfur.  Recently transferred small arms and ammunition from Serbia, Yemen, and China are being used on the battlefield by various parties to the conflict.  All states are prohibited from transferring or permitting private actors to transfer weapons to a party to an armed conflict where there is a clear risk it would contribute to the commission of international humanitarian law violations.

US Calls on Iran to Halt Weapon Shipments to Yemen's Houthis

 The Associated Press published on 14 May 2024 an article titled "Iran's Weapon Transfers to Yemen's Houthis Escalate Red Sea Attacks, US Calls for Action."

The US called on Iran this week to halt its transfer of an "unprecedented" amount of weaponry to Yemen's Houthi rebels, enabling them to carry out attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.  

Sudan: Ethnic Cleansing in West Darfur

 Human Rights Watch published on 9 May 2024 a 218-page report titled "'The Massalit Will Not Come Home': Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes Against Humanity in El-Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan."

The report documents that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and their allied mainly Arab militias, including the Third-Front Tamazuj, an armed group, targeted the predominantly Masalit neighborhoods of El Geneina in relentless waves that began in April 2023.  The attackers committed other serious abuses such as torture, rape, and looting.  More than half a million refugees from West Darfur have fled to Chad since the beginning of this violence.

South Sudan's Oil, China, and the Environment

 The Elephant, a civil society platform, published on 18 February 2022 a commentary titled "China, Oil and the South Sudan Resource Curse" by Mary Ajith Goch.

The author discusses the environmental implications of oil extraction in South Sudan by the China National Petroleum Corporation, concluding that "it will not be easy to bring order to the sector, especially after more than three decades during which the oil companies explored and produced crude oil without proper government oversight."

Should the US Impose More Sanctions on Parties to Conflict in Ethiopia?

 World Politics Review published on 27 August 2021 a commentary titled "The U.S. Needs Sharper Tools to Stop the War in Ethiopia" by Cameron Hudson, Atlantic Council.  

So far, US efforts to stop the conflict in Ethiopia have consisted only of limited visa restrictions on officials on all sides, withholding new investment guarantees, and delaying new funding for multilateral development projects.  The author argues it is time for the US to impose real costs on the contending parties, including an arms embargo and an effort to seek a UN Security Council arms embargo.  He adds it should also put sanctions on more individuals and companies, possibly including Ethiopian Airways and the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, that are implicated in the conflict.  

Comment:  The problem with this approach is that the government of Ethiopia would face most of the sanctions and it is questionable whether the sanctions would help end the conflict anyway.  At the same time, all sides to the conflict need to be jolted back to the reality that they are tearing Ethiopia apart.  The current trajectory will lead to losers everywhere; there will be no winners.  

The Challenges of China-EU Security Cooperation in Africa

 The Asia Europe Journal published in 2021 an article titled "The Challenges of China-European Union Security Cooperation in Africa" by Niall Duggan and Obert Hodzi.

China and the EU share the same goals in Africa--a stable and secure Africa.  The barriers to security cooperation include an EU arms embargo on China, conceptual gaps between the EU and China in human rights and sovereignty, and increasing levels of competition for natural resources.  

Russian MiG-29s Operating in Libya?

The Washington-based Middle East Institute (MEI) posted on 26 May 2020 a commentary titled "Why Did Russia Deploy Fighter Jets to Libya?" by Anton Mardasov, non-resident scholar at MEI.

Russia has been supporting the forces of Khalifa Haftar in Libya by means of the private security company, Wagner Group, which has close ties to the government.  On 26 May, the U.S. Africa Command accused Russia of deploying MiG-29s to support the private military contractors operating on the ground.

The Washington Post published on 26 May 2020 an article titled "Pentagon Accuses Moscow of Sending Fighter Jets to Back Libyan Warlord" by Sudarsan Raghavan and Robyn Dixon.

State of Somalia 2019

The Mogadishu-based-Heritage Institute for Policy Studies just published its State of Somalia Report 2019. It focuses on the main developments and key trends in politics, security, economy, social services, and the role of external actors throughout 2019.

During 2019, the political situation was characterized by major upheavals and a deepening rift between the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and the Federal Member States. Talks between Somaliland and the FGS remained frozen.