Aljazeera published on 22 September 2026 an article titled "Sudan's Historical Famine Echoes Through Latest Hunger Crisis" by Al-Noor Ahmed Al-Noor.
The on-going civil war in Sudan has plunged the country into one of its worst modern food crises, with conditions deteriorating sharply since 2024. Unlike historical famines in Sudan, the current one is man-made. The warring parties are using control over food supplies as a tool of war, while international funding fails to respond to current needs.
Firstpost posted on 1 September 2026 a 15-minute podcast titled "Trump Targets Zambia, Ethiopia, and Kenya" with Alyson Le Grange.
The podcast reviews US ties with Zambia, Ethiopia, and Kenya as US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Frank Garcia, makes his inaugural visit to those countries. Le Grange discusses critical minerals in Zambia, Red Sea security with Ethiopia, and Kenya's status as the only US non-NATO ally in sub-Saharan Africa. She asks about Washington's "trade not aid" policy and wonders what Africa wants out of its relationship with the United States.
The Washington Examiner published on 31 August 2026 an article titled "America Saw No More Oil. China Saw an Atlantic Military Fortress" by Yagiz Sullu.
After oil production in Equatorial Guinea peaked and began to decline, American oil companies began their departure. China remained and began helping Malabo diversify its economy. Beijing may have in mind longer term security interests and possibly even a military base in the Atlantic.
The Foreign Service Journal published in its September/October 2026 edition an article titled "The Aid Transition Alliance: Running Toward a Disaster" by Susan Reichle.
The ill-advised decision by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to dismantle the US Agency for International Development may have killed the organization, but not its spirit. Former employees have created the Aid Transition Alliance, which brought together more than 2,000 Linkedin staff members to preserve USAID data, provide counseling to persons summarily fired, organize rallies, and even draft recommendations for a modernized US foreign assistance program for the future.
The Congressional Research Service published on 6 August 2026 a paper titled "China-Sub-Saharan Africa Ties and U.S. Policy" by Nicolas Cook, Lauren Ploch Blanchard, and Michael D. Sutherland.
China presents its engagement in Africa as promoting mutually beneficial economic development without imposing political conditions. In practice, China seeks to use integrated multidimensional engagement to advance its broader global strategic goals of expanding its international influence, strengthening its access to natural resources, and challenging US global leadership.
Economic activity is a central pillar of China's activity in Africa. Beijing's policy banks and state-backed lenders have extended numerous loans to African governments and other actors, making China a key bilateral creditor on the continent. China engages in education and media cooperation, and provides development aid via grants and concessional loans, technical assistance, and humanitarian programs. Security cooperation between China and African countries has grown, especially over the last decade.
The Congressional Research Service published on 6 August 2026 a report titled "China-Sub-Saharan Africa Ties and U.S. Policy" by Nicolas Cook, Lauren Ploch Blanchard, and Michael D. Sutherland.
This is a comprehensive overview of China's relations with Sub-Saharan Africa and guidance for US policymakers.
The Economist published on 30 July 2026 an article titled "How Many People Are Dying as a Result of USAID's Demise?"
Elon Musk, who is responsible for dismantling the US Agency for International Development (USAID), insists it has not cost any human lives. The influential publication, Lancet, estimates that by 2030, 14 million people will die as a result of USAID's demise.
The Economist explains that the drop in US health funding has been less cataclysmic than originally predicted and that early estimates of deaths drew on trends that may no longer be valid. While the early estimates of deaths are too high, Musk's notion of zero deaths is plainly wrong. Lives have been lost.
The American Security Project published on 24 June 2026 a commentary titled "From Aid Cuts to Ebola: A Predictable Crisis Unfolds" by Mohamed Siddiqui.
The dismantlement of USAID, removal of its on the ground personnel in the DRC and Uganda, and cutting of foreign aid funding for health programs has left international humanitarian groups to provide the bulk of the support for affected communities. The result has been predictable: a faster spread of Ebola and greater cost to bring it under control.
Space News published on 22 June 2026 a commentary titled "America Is About to Cede Africa's Space Industry to China, and Nobody's Talking About It" by Philip Dackiw.
As China advances its own space program, there is still an opportunity for US companies to forge space-based partnerships in Africa, which is looking at significant space-focused technological expansion. If the US does not seize this opportunity, China will.
Propublica published on 22 June 2026 an article titled "'A Huge Grab of Power': Trump Is Defying Congress on Foreign Aid" by Anna Maria Barry-Jester.
Bipartisan support for foreign aid remains in the US Congress despite the Trump administration's dismantlement of the US Agency for International Development and its effort to minimize US foreign assistance now administered by the State Department, which does not have the capacity to manage it in any event.
Devex Newswire posted on 4 March 2026 an article titled "US Aid Cuts Gut South Africa's HIV Fight" by Helen Murphy.
South Africa bears the world's largest HIV/AIDS burden. US foreign aid cuts and the dismantlement of USAID have ripped through its response to the disease, forcing clinics to close and leaving thousands of vulnerable patients scrambling for care. A State Department spokesperson responded that it is time for governments to take responsibility for the lives of people in their countries.
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.
The Independent published on 30 January 2026 an article titled "How UK Aid Cuts Help China Win the Battle for Hearts and Minds in Africa" by Dani Madrid-Morales, University of Sheffield.
The British and American retreat from Africa is being cleverly exploited by China to win the hearts and minds of Africans. Much of China's success is due to its all-out effort to dominate the media domain in Africa as Western outlets pull back.
CNN published on 4 February 2026 an article titled "One Year on from Dismantlement of USAID, Study Projects that Global Aid Cuts Could Lead to 9.4 Million Deaths by 2030" by Lauren Kent.
The Trump administration dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID) early last year. A new study by the Lancet medical journal projects that the human toll of these aid cuts could lead to at least 9.4 million additional deaths by 2030.
The Center for Global Development reports that the dismantlement of USAID may have led to between 500,000 to 1,000,000 lives lost in 2025 compared to previous years.
Foreign Affairs published on 16 January 2026 an article titled "Less Foreign Aid, More Climate Risk: The Massive Costs of Gutting USAID" by Alice Hill and Lindsey Doyle.
Modest investment in USAID-financed climate-resilience projects has been gutted by the Trump administration. Slashing funding and decimating the institutions that deliver it is neither fiscal prudence nor putting America first.
The Hill published on 8 January 2026 a commentary titled "What Americans Lost in the Dismantling of USAID" by J. Brian Atwood and Andrew S. Natsios.
The dismantlement of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is resulting in numerous deaths globally, many of them due to setbacks in food security and health care. The authors, former directors of USAID, urge Congress to create a new cabinet level U.S. Department for International Aid by transferring foreign assistance programs from a dozen departments and agencies.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute published in January 2026 a study titled "China and the Changing International Development Landscape" by Jingdong Yuan.
The current level of China's overseas development assistance makes it impossible for Beijing to fill the gap left by the dismantlement of the US Agency for International Development. Beijing is more willing to promote its development aid model of infrastructure-driven and trade-related growth.
Foreign Policy published on 16 December 2025 an article titled "The Trump Administration's Epochal Shift on Foreign Aid" by Deborah Kaliel and Phillip Palmer, both former USAID officials.
The Trump administration abolished the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and shifted its remnants into a State Department that was and still is inadequately staffed to handle the new responsibilities.
Comment: It should have come as a surprise to no one that the State Department was ill-prepared to add responsibility for running what is left of American foreign aid programs, especially following sharp reductions in State Department staffing. While USAID operated in missions overseas closely affiliated with the US embassy, all of the USAID offices closed at the demand of Elon Musk and DOGE. State Department personnel, unfamiliar with USAID programs, were expected to pick up the pieces. This was obviously not going to work, and US foreign policy is now paying a steep price for this mistake.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published on 10 December 2025 a report titled "The Painful, Seismic Shift in Humanitarian Aid -- And What's Next" by Allison Lombardo and Stewart Patrick.
For decades the United States was by far the world's largest humanitarian aid donor. In 2024, it provided 38 percent of total emergency assistance tracked by the United Nations. The dismantlement of the US Agency for International Development by the Trump administration changed all of this.
The Trump administration's proposed FY2026 budget cuts funding for humanitarian aid by 70 percent. It cut funding for the World Food Program by more than 90 percent and made huge cuts in funding for UNICEF and the International Organization for migration.
Africa is the biggest loser in these US cutbacks. The continent accounts for 10 of the 13 hardest hit countries.
The South China Morning Post published on 13 December 2025 an article titled "How China-built ECOWAS Headquarters Is Latest 'Concrete Symbol' of Africa Ties" by Jevans Nyabiage.
China gifted the $32 million headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, of the Economic Community of West African States. It is the latest example of building diplomacy and China's program to build influence with African countries.
