Somali Pirates Are Back in Business

 CNBC published on 20 August 2026 an article titled "Somali Pirate Menace Returns as U.S.-Iran War Stokes Regional Chaos and Saps Enforcement Resources" by Aparajita Saxena.

On August 17, pirates seized the cargo vessel Lutuf about four nautical miles off the Somali coast.  A month ago, they seized the MT Asana, a Tanzanian-flagged oil and chemical tanker, in the Gulf of Aden.  The upsurge in piracy may be driven by drought and food insecurity in Somalia and increased regional instability caused by the war with Iran.

Long-term Impact of South Sudan Flooding

 Deutsche Welle published on 4 August 2026 an article titled "South Sudan: How Climate Change Can Turn Toxic" by Buster Emil Kirchner and Marco Simoncelli.

Devastating flooding in South Sudan's Unity State in 2021 continues to have negative impacts on the environment and the wellbeing of people living in the affected area.  More than 50 of South Sudan's 400 oil wells remain submerged, which has contaminated water and farmland.  This has led to a variety of health problems.

South Sudanese Refugees Face Imminent Food Shortages

 Reuters published on 14 August 2026 an article titled "650,000 Refugees in South Sudan Could Lose Food Aid Within Weeks Due to Funding Squeeze, Say UN Agencies" by Olivia Le Poidevin.

Staff with the World Food Program and UN High Commission for Refugees report that 650,000 refugees in South Sudan, most of them from conflict in neighboring Sudan, may no longer receive food assistance due to a shortage of international funding.  

Somalis Flee Prolonged Drought and May Face Flooding Next

 The Associated Press published on 12 August 2026 an article titled "Thousands Flee Yearslong Drought in Somalia as Hunger Deepens and Aid Shrinks" by Mohamed Sheikh Nor and Omar Faruk.  

About two million people in southern Somalia are facing emergency levels of food insecurity as a result of drought over the past four years.  EL Nino conditions are likely to exacerbate the situation by creating flooding during Somalia's October to December rainy season.  International food assistance is in short supply.  

South Sudan Conflict Flies Under the Radar

 The Council on Foreign Relations Global Conflict Tracker posted on 12 June 2026 an updated background piece titled "Instability in South Sudan."

Ten million South Sudanese--nearly 84 percent of the population--need humanitarian assistance, as reports of airstrikes on civilian areas, sexual violence, and forced recruitment have escalated since March 2025.  

US Warns of Possible New Atrocities in Sudan

 The New York Times published on 23 June 2026 an article titled "U.S. Warns of 'Imminent' Atrocities in Sudanese City" by Matthew Mpoke Bigg and Brian O. Otieno.  

The U.S. State Department warned early this week that there are alarming indications of imminent "mass atrocities" in the event the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces takes the city of El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan region, from the Sudan Armed Forces.

Somalia Faces Severe Hunger as US Ends Most Humanitarian Aid

The International Crisis Group posted on 19 May 2026 a commentary titled "Somalia Barrels Toward Possible Famine amid Aid Cuts" by Chris Newton and Omar Mahmood.

Parts of Somalia face severe hunger and could slip into famine caused by a combination of drought, climate induced flooding, price hikes because of the Iran war, political infighting, and the al-Shabaab insurgency.  

Until recently, the largest provider of humanitarian assistance to Somalia was the United States.  But it has largely ended funding and other donors have not stepped forward to fill the void. 

World Bank Assessment of Sub-Saharan Africa's Growth Prospects

 The World Bank Group published in April 2026 "Africa Economic Update: Making Industrial Policy Work in Africa."

The World Bank projects that growth in Sub-Saharan Africa for 2026 will average 4.1 percent, the same as in 2025.  Downside risks, however, are emerging due in large part to disruptions caused by the war in Iran.  They include rising fuel, food, and fertilizer prices together with tighter financial conditions that are likely to push inflation higher, disrupt economic activity, and disproportionately affect the most vulnerable households which spend a larger share of their income on food and energy.

Sudan Begins Fourth Year of Civil War

 The New York Times published on 15 April 2026 an article titled "Sudan Enters Fourth Year of War Amid World's Most Severe Humanitarian Crisis" by Ephrat Livni ad Declan Walsh.  

The article describes the humanitarian crisis as Sudan enters its fourth year of civil war.  The international community recently pledged $1.3 billion in funding for Sudan, but only peace can bring this humanitarian disaster to a close.  

Podcast on Prospects for a Cease Fire in Sudan

 The International Crisis Group posted on 7 April 2026 a 42-minute podcast titled "After Three Years of War in Sudan, What Hope for a Ceasefire" hosted by Richard Atwood with Shewit Woldemichael and Alan Boswell.  

The Iran war has not yet had a significant impact on the situation in Sudan beyond driving up prices of everything and causing fuel shortages.  If the Iran war continues, it could have a huge negative impact on the food situation in Sudan.  

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) control most of Darfur and West Kordofan while the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) control most of the northeastern and eastern parts of the country.  Sudan is effectively partitioned between the RSF and the SAF.  The major battle fronts today are along the Chad border, South Sudan border, and Ethiopian border. 

The RSF political program has been a failure.  Noone has recognized the RSF government.  The SAF has improved its position and is the dominant actor in the country today.  While SAF fortunes have improved most Sudanese probably do not want the military to remain in power indefinitely.  

The RSF continues to receive strong support from the UAE while the SAF has a degree of support from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Eritrea.  The most worrying new dynamic is the deterioration of relations between the SAF and Ethiopia.  Differences over Nile water usage and Egyptian and Eritrean support for the SAF contribute to Ethiopia's concerns.  

Massad Boulos, President Trump's special envoy for Africa, continues to seek a ceasefire as part of the Quad (US, Egypt, UAE, and Saudi Arabia).  The effort is currently lacking high level pressure.  RSF and SAF positions on a ceasefire remain far apart.  Both sides believe they hold a strong military position.  Only major outside pressure on them will likely change the situation.

There is considerable concern among the outside actors about the role of Islamist forces in the SAF, which complicates a resolution.  In the meantime, the Sudan conflict continues to destabilize the Red Sea region.  

Ethiopia's Little-Known Conflict in the Lower Omo

 African Arguments posted on 4 March 2026 a commentary titled "Ethiopia's Smaller Wars: Destitution, Conflict Escalation, and Military Abuses in Lower Omo" by Lucie Buffavand.

Me'en and Mun people (also known as Bodi and Mursi) are agro-pastoralists who live in the lower Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia.  These two small ethnic groups have been engaged in conflict since 2023.  Cattle rustling and competition for food is behind much of the conflict.

Rethinking Aid in Sudan and South Sudan

 The Rift Valley Institute published in 2026 a paper titled "Rethinking Aid in Sudan and South Sudan."

More than 30 grassroots and international non-governmental organizations convened in Kampala, Uganda, in November 2025 to discuss the future of development and humanitarian aid to Sudan and South Sudan in view of the dramatic contraction of assistance, especially as a result of the dismantlement of USAID.  They proposed numerous recommendations to deal with the crisis.  

International Pressure Needed to End Sudan Conflict

 Foreign Policy published on 20 November 2025 an article titled "The Dire Need for International Pressure to End the War in Sudan" by John Haltiwanger.

The secretary-general of the Danish Refugee Council, Charlotte Slente, recently met with Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad.  She concluded that the international community must put pressure on the belligerents in Sudan to end the atrocities and genocide.  

Dismantle USAID and Make Famine More Likely

 The International Crisis Group published on 28 February 2025 a commentary titled "U.S. Aid Cuts Make Famine More Likely and Easier to Hide" with contributions by Chris Newton and Delaney Simon.  

The Trump administration has put a 90-day hold on most U.S. foreign aid, with devastating effects on the system built over decades for preventing famine.  The result may be more and deadlier famine, with greater impunity for parties using starvation as a weapon of war.

The dismantling of USAID represents more than just a retreat in foreign assistance.  It threatens infrastructure built over decades that, among other things, has served as a means of mitigating the most brutal effects of conflict.  

Increasing Famine and Food Insecurity in Sudan

 The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification published on 24 December 2024 a report titled "Sudan: Acute Food Insecurity Snapshot."

Twenty months into the conflict, Sudan continues to slide into a widening famine crisis characterized by widespread starvation and a significant surge in acute malnutrition.  The situation marks a widening of the food and nutrition crisis, driven by the devastating conflict, which has triggered mass displacement, a collapsing economy, the breakdown of essential social services, and severe societal disruption, combined with poor humanitarian access, food insecurity and malnutrition.  

On the Ground Report from Omdurman, Sudan

 The International Crisis Group posted on 7 November 2024 a 32-minute podcast titled "Inside Sudan's Catastrophic Civil War" with Elissa Jobson and Mohanad Hashim, Sudanese journalist with the BBC.

Mohanad Hashim travelled by road from Port Sudan on the Red Sea to Omdurman, across the White Nile from Khartoum, escorted by troops from the Sudan Armed Forces. He provides insightful analysis of the situation in Sudan.  

The devastation in this part of Sudan is near total.  He said the younger generation of Sudanese believes a new Sudan needs to be formed; the previous generation of leaders is not up to the task.  He concludes that neither side can win a military victory; it is a war of attrition. 

Somalia: Limitations of Social Assistance

 The Institute of Development Studies Bulletin published on 28 October 2024 a study titled "Can Social Assistance Strengthen the Social Contract in Somalia?" by Julie Lawson McDowall and Ruby D. Khan.

The study challenges the view that externally funded and designed social assistance programming in Somalia might help renew the social contract between the government and Somali nationals.  For many living outside Mogadishu, the federal government is irrelevant or predatory, and other local forms of authority are more important with existing elite bargains likely to reinforce existing societal fractures.  On the other hand, social assistance has the potential to make a small contribution if there is thoughtful design, greater inclusion, and long-term donor commitment.  

Sudanese Soldiers Target Volunteer Community Kitchens

 Reuters published on 8 October 2024 an article titled "Sudan's Warring Sides Target Local Aid Volunteers Fighting Famine" by Nafisa Eltahir and Khalid Abdelaziz.

The article documents repeated attacks on community kitchens operated by volunteers dedicated to feeding hungry Sudanese in a war zone.  Soldiers from both the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan Armed Forces have attacked the volunteers, forcing some of them to shut down their kitchens or even leave Sudan.  

The Challenge of Declaring Famine in Sudan

 The Center for Strategic and International Studies published on 11 September 2024 a question and answer titled "Conflict, Hunger, and Famine in Sudan" with Zane Swanson, Anita Kirschenbaum, and Caitlin Welsh.  

This piece discusses the challenges of making a formal declaration of famine in Sudan, which must come from an independent state or international body, like the United Nations.

Sudan's Nuba Mountains Offer Relative Security but Growing Humanitarian Needs

 Refugees International published in August 2024 a report titled "The Nuba Mountains: A Window into the Sudan Crisis" by Daniel P. Sullivan.

Amid the turmoil in Sudan, the Nuba mountains bordering South Sudan, and long controlled by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement North, has become a haven of relative security, but far from untouched.  An estimated 700,000 internally displaced people from other parts of Sudan have arrived in the Nuba mountains.  As a result, it is both necessary and possible to scale up the humanitarian response.