Quad Calls for Sudan Cease Fire and Cites Harm of External Military Aid

 The U.S. State Department posted on 12 September 2025 a "Joint Statement on Restoring Peace and Security in Sudan."

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the United States called on all disputing parties in Sudan to accept a humanitarian three-month truce followed immediately by a permanent cease fire.  They added that an end to external military support is essential to ending the conflict.

Large African Military Delegation Visits China

 The Sudan Times published on 6 May 2025 an article titled "African Military Officers Start 10-day Official Visit to China."

Nearly 100 senior military officers from over 40 African nations began a 10-day visit to China on 5 May.  The delegation will visit Beijing, Changsha, and Shaoshan.  The visit underscores China's soft power strategy of blending military diplomacy with development support.  

As UN Peacekeeping Mission Shuts Down in Mali, China Will Remain Engaged Economically

 The South China Morning Post published on 11 February 2024 an article titled "China Tipped to Keep Mali Ties Strictly Economic as UN Peacekeeping Mission Wraps Up" by Jevans Nyabiage.  

The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali is shutting down, which means that the Chinese peacekeepers assigned to it are also leaving the country.  China will retain its economic links with Mali, but likely leave external military engagement to Russia's Africa Corps.  

US Increases Military Aid to Somalia

 The Associated Press published on 1 March 2023 an article titled "US Increases Military Support for Somalia Against Al-Shabab" by Omar Faruk and Cara Anna.

The United States is increasing its military assistance to Somalia in its conflict with the al-Shabaab terrorist group and as the African Union reduces its engagement in the country.

Chinese Military Aid to Africa

 The South China Morning Post published on 15 November 2022 an article titled "Chinese Aid to African Security Forces Helps to Cement Ties, Study Says" by Jevans Nyabiage.  

Drawing on a recent study published in the Journal of Global Security Studies, the author discusses China's military aid to Africa.  China uses security assistance as an important foreign policy tool but has not tried to replace more traditional sources of aid.  China's donations are often linked to its broader commercial interests.  

China's Engagement in Ghana and Senegal

 The Peace Research Institute Oslo published in September 2022 a policy brief titled "China's Engagement in West Africa: The Cases of Ghana and Senegal" by Ilaria Carrozza and Marie Sandnes.

The brief compares China's engagement in Ghana and Senegal.  It found that China is engaged more deeply and across a wider range of sectors in Ghana than in Senegal.  

China Provides Military Equipment to Somalia

 Military Africa posted on 21 March 2022 an article titled "China Donates Military Vehicles and Equipment to Somalia" by Patrick Kenyette.

China donated almost $5 million in military equipment, mostly vehicles, to the Somali National Army for use in its fight against the al-Shabaab terrorist organization.

Comment:  Chinese construction projects in northeastern Kenya near the Somali border have periodically been subject to attack by al-Shabaab.  This donation may be China's way of reducing the effectiveness of al-Shabaab.  

Turkey, Libya, and Africa

Public Radio International posted on 2 January 2020 an interview with me titled "Is Turkey Seeking a Neo-Ottoman Empire?"

The focus of the interview is the recent decision by Turkey to send troops to Libya to support the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord against the forces of General Khalifa Haftar. It also looks at Turkey's wider interests in Africa.

A Strange Alliance: Russia and the Central African Republic

Defense One posted on 22 May 2018 an article titled "Russia is Back in Africa -- And Making Some Very Odd Deals" by Marcel Plichta, University of Glasgow.

The posting describes Russia's military support for the government of the Central African Republic (CAR) and its contact with rebel leaders in the country. Russia has had limited involvement in Africa in recent years; focusing on the troubled CAR seems a strange choice. The author concludes that whatever Moscow's endgame might be, capitalizing on the CAR's insecurity and the international community's inaction is giving Russia unprecedented influence in a country traditionally aligned with the West.

North Korea-Africa Cooperation

The Institute for Security Studies published on 30 November 2016 a major study titled "Cooperation between African States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" by Annie DuPre, Nicolas Kasprzyk, and Noel Stott.

Most African states have refrained from explicitly condemning North Korea's nuclear weapon and delivery system-related activities as a threat to international peace and security. The authors suggest this may be the result of the legacy of North Korea's military support of African liberation movements and the contemporary political and economic relations that many African states still have with Pyongyang. North Korea has built arms factories in the DRC, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Uganda. Namibia has contracted with North Korea to build military sites and ballistic missile manufacturing lines have been sold to Egypt and Libya.

On 30 November 2016, the UN Security Council in a unanimous vote of 15 members put new sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The three non-permanent African members--Angola, Egypt, and Senegal--voted in favor of additional sanctions.

Countering Extremism in Africa

The New York Times published on 15 August 2014 an important op-ed titled "Handmaiden to Africa's Generals" by Alex de Waal, director of the World Peace Foundation at Tufts University, and Abdul Mohammed, chairman of the InterAfrica Group in Ethiopia.  They focus especially on US policy and the situation in South Sudan and Nigeria.

I have a high regard for both authors.  They make a critically important point that the policy response to extremism and terrorism in Africa needs to focus more on addressing the root causes of the problem rather than military support for Africa's strong men.  Where I think the op-ed tends to veer off track is the implication that somehow Washington is responsible for significant fraud or the improper allocation of resources by certain African governments, even in countries where the United States provides little or no military assistance. 

What Is South Sudan's Wisdom Courting Russia?

The Juba-based Sudd Institute published on 10 June 2014 a brief commentary titled "What Is South Sudan's Wisdom Courting Russia?" by Abraham A. Awolich, a founding member of the Sudd Institute.  The paper analyzes the emerging relationship between Moscow and Juba.  It suggests that Russia may be willing to block UN sanctions against South Sudan while the United States and China take a tougher position against Juba.