Global China Pulse published on 20 April 2026 an article titled "Queering Chinese in Africa: The Unintended Sexual Migration of Chinese Gay Men" by Cai Chen, Universite libre de Bruxelles.
In an unusual piece of research, the author examines the migration trajectories, motivations, and experiences of three self-identified gay Chinese men who have lived in one or more African country.
The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies published on 15 April 2026 a paper titled "Instability in the Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia Borderlands" by Christopher Hockey, Timothy Kimaiyo, and Martine Zeuthen.
The paper provides critical insights into the complex dynamics of instability in the Kenya-Somalia-Ethiopia borderlands. It highlights the interconnected challenges of violent extremism, gender-based violence, ethnic tensions, political instability and resource pressures, offering practical recommendations for future interventions.
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.
ABC News posted on 31 December 2025 an article titled "The Strategic Plays that May Have Driven Israel's Recognition of Somaliland" by Eric Tlozek.
Israel probably recognized Somaliland for the following reasons: to establish a presence to monitor Houthi activity in nearby Yemen, as a location for possible resettlement of Gazans from Palestine, and to counter the influence of Turkiye in the region.
The People's Map of Global China published on 25 November 2025 a paper titled "Madagascar" by Xuefei Shi, a development researcher based in Bergen, Norway.
This is a nice summary of the relationship between Madagascar and China. It covers historical ties as well as the current relationship.
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.
The Washington Post published on 20 November 2025 an article titled "Inside a Thriving Chinatown Neighborhood in the Heart of West Africa" by Rachel Chason.
This is the story of transforming a section of Bamako, Mali into a Chinese neighborhood and the hopes and fears of the Chinese migrants.
The Conversation published on 26 October 2025 an article titled "Ethiopian Quarter: How Migrants Have Shaped a Thriving Shopping District in South Africa's City of Gold" by Tanya Zack.
Entrepreneurial migrants from Ethiopia and Eritrea created a major shopping center in Johannesburg, South Africa, by repurposing abandoned buildings into more than 3,000 tiny shops that draw on global supply chains, mainly Chinese wholesalers. The model has effectively turned the inner city into an inland port.
The Hill published on 17 June 2025 a commentary titled "Trump's Attack on USAID Is Only Part of His Attack on Africa" by Brian Atwood, former USAID administrator.
The Trump administration is adopting policies that will exacerbate Africa's challenges and make it poorer and more dangerous.
France 24 posted on 23 April 2025 an 11-minute interview titled "Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts Are a 'Slow-running Disaster', Former USAID Administrator Says" with J. Brian Atwood.
Atwood discusses the downsides of dismantling the US Agency for International Development. As more people suffer in the Global South due to cuts in foreign aid by the United States and other donors, there will be additional pressure to migrate to developed countries. There will be increased challenges in combatting global health threats such as Ebola, putting everyone at risk. While countries like China will take propaganda advantage of the slashing of US foreign aid, they are not in a position to fill the gap.
The Hill published on 19 March 2025 a commentary titled "The Challenging but Compelling Political Case for USAID" by J. Brian Attwood, USAID administrator in the Clinton administration.
The author makes the domestic and international case for retaining the US Agency for International Development while acknowledging that it is a hard sell for many Americans who do not understand why the United States spends tax dollars on foreigners.
The Times of Israel published on 25 August 2024 an article titled "Far-right Minister Calls for Expulsion of Eritrean Asylum Seekers after Deadly Brawl" by Sam Sokol.
An estimated 20,000 Eritreans now live in Israel seeking asylum from National Service or as economic migrants. Eritrean pro-regime and anti-regime factions recently clashed in Tel Aviv, resulting in two deaths. Israel is trying to incentivize African migrants and asylum seekers to leave Israel.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute published in May 2024 a report titled "Burning Ground: Tackling Climate Change and Conflict in South-central Somalia" by Kheira Tarif.
The report explains how climate action can be used as a platform for reducing violent conflict over natural resources, fostering cross-clan collaboration on climate-smart infrastructure and nature-based solutions; and forging or strengthening relationships between formal authorities and rural communities.
The US-based Institute for the Study of War published on 16 May 2024 an analysis titled "Russian Outreach Across Africa" by Liam Karr.
Much of the analysis focuses on the recent increase in Libya of Russian soldiers and equipment. Explanations for this activity include the Kremlin's desire to acquire a naval base at Tobruk in eastern Libya where it would pose a threat to NATO countries, using Libya as a platform to supply Russian military operations in African countries to the south, positioning itself to resolve the stalemate between the Government of National Accord in western Libya and Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army in eastern Libya, and weaponizing migrant flows from Africa to Europe.
Critical Threats Africa File published on 21 March 2024 an analysis titled "Niger Cuts the United States for Russia and Iran" by Liam Karr.
Niger is unlikely to compromise on its efforts to expand ties with Russia and Iran to maintain its military partnership with the United States. The military regime in Niger has apparently concluded that Russia and Iran are better positioned to help ensure regime security than the United States and France, which was pushed out earlier.
Increasingly, it appears Russian troops or mercenaries with the Africa Corps, previously known as the Wagner Group, are headed to Niger like they recently deployed to Burkina Faso to protect the regime.
Humanitarian Outcomes published in October 2023 a study titled "Somali Capacities to Respond to Crisis Are Changing; How Are Humanitarian Actors Responding?" by multiple authors.
Somalia is often seen from the outside as a failed state, home of terrorists and pirates, chronically corrupt, and prone to famine and crisis. But in the decade since the 2011 famine, Somali capacities to respond to crisis have grown, and international aid needs to support those capacities more effectively. This study focused on the resilience capacities of Somali citizens and systems, and how the humanitarian system has engaged with them.
The Conversation published on 29 January 2024 a commentary titled "Niger and Russia Are Forming Military Ties: 3 Ways This Could Upset Old Allies" by Olayinka Ajala, Leeds Beckett University.
The author looks at the prospects for engagement in Niger of Russia's new Africa Corps (previously the Wagner Group) and the implications this would have for relations with the European Union, France, US, and key countries in Africa.
The Heritage Institute published in September 2023 conference proceedings titled "Climate Change and Conflict in the Horn: Challenges, Responses and New Mandates."
These 15 papers focus primarily on Somalia. They conclude that climate and weather variability are threatening agricultural and livestock production systems on which the livelihood of over 70 percent of Somali society depends. Civil conflicts undermine domestic production, impede investments in the key economic sectors and increase rural urban migration as well as the costs of production. Al-Shabaab remains the defining feature of Somalia's unending conflict landscape. Weak governance compounds the effect of climate shocks. Inadequate climate finance will limit the ability of countries in the Horn of Africa to mitigate climate change impacts.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute published in September 2023 a study titled "Climate, Peace and Security Fact Sheet: Somalia (2023)" by Kheira Tarif, Asha Ali, Kyungmee Kim, Thor Olav Iversen, Minoo Koefoed, and Katongo Seyuba.
The fact sheet examines the convergence of climate change and violent conflict in Somalia. It offers recommendations for the international community to address these issues.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with the East African Community (EAC) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) recently published the 172 page report titled "The State of Migration in East and Horn of Africa" for 2022.
The focus of the report, written by 50 authors and contributors from the region, is the mobility dimensions of regional integration. It takes stock of achievements and challenges in advancing regional integration and human mobility in East Africa and the Horn of Africa,
The report concludes that while several bottlenecks to advancing regional integration and mobility persist including unequal socio-economic conditions in and between states, fear and misperceptions of opening borders, infrastructural and border management capacity gaps, the benefits of regional integration and human mobility far outweigh the costs.
