2026 2026 2025 2024 November 2026 Ivory Coast. Alassane Ouattara’s democracy in name only Lou Morelles · 13 November A year after his fourth election, in October 2025 with 90 % of the vote, the Ivorian head of state is concentrating all power in himself and his party. Opposition leaders, when they are not being prosecuted, are scattered or in exile. Civic space, meanwhile, is shrinking ever further. (…) Legal troubles and Kabila’s return leave Tshisekedi under pressure on several fronts Colette Braeckman · 6 November Searches took place on 14 October at Belgian residences frequented by the Congolese head of state. Two days earlier, Joseph Kabila had announced that he was taking charge of the rebellion in eastern DR Congo. The two simultaneous events threaten the very stability of the country. Surprises, (…) October 2026 Paul Barril, the forgotten man of the genocide of the Tutsis of Rwanda Jean-François Dupaquier · 30 October Paul Barril, the former head of the GIGN turned mercenary chief, died on 20 October. A heavy body of evidence points to his role in 1994 alongside Agathe Habyarimana, the widow of the Rwandan president, and the interim government that carried out the genocide of the Tutsis, a role he always (…) Keda Ceramics, a Chinese giant under fire in Cameroon Jean Charles Biyo'o Ella · 28 October Between a degraded environment and unmet social and tax commitments, the Chinese ceramics giant’s industrial operation in the Kribi region is provoking anger and incomprehension among local communities. “Look where they started digging, right behind our houses,” says a resident of the (…) Burkina Faso: Ibrahim Traoré tramples Sankara’s legacy Evan Michel Traoré · 16 October Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in a coup on 30 September 2022, regularly invokes his illustrious predecessor. But in many respects his “Progressive Popular Revolution” has little to do with the principles laid down by the captain who was assassinated almost 40 years ago, on 15 October 1987. (…) Mali: influence thrives first on humiliation Bokar Sangaré, Aliou Diallo · 9 October Influence narratives in Mali owe their effectiveness not only to social media, algorithms or foreign powers. They also feed on a succession of defeats and collective frustrations. Early 2012. Images said to show the bodies of Malian soldiers killed at Aguelhok circulate on phones and on (…) “Ethiopia could face a famine as devastating as the one in 1984” Michael Pauron · 2 October Mehdi Labzaé, a researcher at France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), warns that the resumption of war in northern Ethiopia, combined with drought and blockades imposed by the federal government, could trigger a disastrous humanitarian crisis. In this interview with Afrique XXI, (…) September 2026 Senegal. In Casamance, the courts have ruled, but the zircon mining goes on Fanny Pigeaud · 25 September For twenty years, the people of Niafrang, in Casamance, have opposed zircon mining on their coastline. In November 2025, Senegal’s Supreme Court struck down the company’s permit. But extraction continues in defiance of that ruling, threatening the dunes, the mangrove and the village’s water (…) Zeinab Badawi: “African scholars’ accounts carry more weight” Victoria Brittain · 18 September With An African History of Africa, published in French on 18 September, the English broadcaster and film-maker of Sudanese origin sets out to tell the continent’s story through a lens other than a Western one — a project built on interviews with dozens of African researchers. Zeinab Badawi (…) In South Sudan, the drums of war return Fabrizio Floris · 9 September National elections are due to be held for the first time in December. But the warning signs of a return to civil war keep piling up: arms shipments, rising clashes and a mounting death toll… On the ground, there is little doubt left about where this is heading. “War is coming, and it will (…) Gabon. France’s stance ten years ago is under scrutiny Caroline Chauvet Abalo, Michael Pauron · 5 September On 31 August 2016, protests against Ali Bongo’s re-election were brutally suppressed. At the time, the French government considered this to be an internal matter and felt that it should not intervene. However, given the lack of any legal proceedings against those who instigated the violence, the (…) August 2026 Back to the Future in Madagascar Marine Jeannin · 28 August Since the coup d’état in October 2025, Russian mercenaries have been providing close protection for Colonel Michaël Randrianirina. This marked a strong comeback orchestrated by Moscow from as early as 2018, driven by a combination of nostalgia for the Soviet era, economic and geostrategic (…) July 2026 DR Congo. The dangers of pushing through a new political order Erik Kennes · 1 July In this article, the researcher questions Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi’s determination to impose a new constitution against the backdrop of the war raging in the east of the country. In the absence of a clear consensus and legitimacy, the researcher fears that this plan could lead to a (…) June 2026 Ronnie Kasrils. “One cannot overestimate the bravery of the Soweto generation” Victoria Brittain · 16 June Fifty years ago, hundreds of South Africans were murdered by the apartheid regime during the famous Soweto uprisings. For the former chief of ANC’s military intelligence, this event inspired a whole generation of new fighters and led, twenty years later, to the fall of the racist regime in (…) May 2026 Africa-France. Do you speak french army ? Raphaël Granvaud · 31 May Security issues were barely discussed at the “Africa Forward” summit held in Kenya on 11–12 May 2026. Yet Kenya has become one of France’s preferred partners in military cooperation. This relationship is no longer confined to the traditional Francophone “pré carré”. A closer look. The (…) Somaliland’s hopes and fears after recognition by Israel Théophile Simon · 20 May Tel Aviv’s declaration in 2025 rekindled hopes in Hargeisa of an influx of foreign investment. On the ground, however, optimism is colliding with the territory’s fragilities and the uncertainty created by the war in Iran. A convoy of tinted SUVs cuts through the dusty alleyways of Hargeisa, (…) Niger–Libya–Chad. At the tri-border, a fragile coexistence Amaury Hauchard, Ahatane Ag · 15 May This desert region has been a place of trade and transit since time immemorial. But the war in Libya, the coup in Niger, and shifting regional security alliances are reshuffling the deck. Between attempts at official customs control, smuggling, and the movements of rebel groups, this (…) Attacks in Mali. “A monumental shock in Malian history” Yvan Guichaoua, Michael Pauron · 4 May On 25 April, several cities in Mali, including the capital Bamako, were simultaneously attacked by two rebel groups, JNIM and the FLA. One of the most senior members of the military junta, in power since 2022, was killed. The scale of the event raises uncertainty about the ability of Assimi (…) April 2026 Eastern DR Congo: a cut-price peace and a muzzled press Colette Braeckman · 30 April As Rwandan troops withdraw from eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, even as President Paul Kagame continues to deny their presence, few among the local population feel reassured. They remain caught between Congolese forces and the AFC/M23 rebel movement, already accused of abuses, (…) War in Iran: the Maghreb stops short of condemning the United States Khadija Mohsen-Finan · 24 April Of the three Maghreb countries, Morocco has aligned itself most clearly with the US and Israeli strikes on Iran. More striking is the stance taken by Algeria and Tunisia, which, departing from their traditional positioning, appear keen to court the favour of US president Donald Trump. The (…) Sudanese civil war. The Nuba Mountains caught up in the fighting Marco Simoncelli, Buster Emil Kirchner · 17 April In Sudan’s remote south, war is closing in on a long-marginalised region, where civilians, medics and displaced families are once again paying the price. This report was produced between 14 and 18 March (photos by Marco Simoncelli). The air hangs heavy inside the tin-roofed wards of Mother (…) Mahmood Mamdani. “That narrative captures one side of Idi Amin” Victoria Brittain · 10 April In his book “Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State”, the Ugandan academic examines the careers of the two heads of state, the latter of whom has been in power for forty years. In doing so, he debunks a number of common misconceptions about the complex (…) Guinea’s bauxite boom: prosperity promised, fractures deepened Ludivine Blazy · 1 April In ten years, Guinea has become the world’s leading exporter of bauxite, the ore essential to aluminium production. But in the Boké region, national ambitions are deepening social and environmental fractures. This reporting was done between 9 and 12 December 2025. Photopgraph : Hadrien Degiorgi (…) March 2026 Senegal’s Hidden Debt and the IMF’s Blind Spots Fanny Pigeaud · 27 March Since the revelation in February 2025 of a significantly underestimated public debt, Senegal has been plunged into a major economic crisis. With the actual debt-to-GDP ratio now exceeding 100%, questions are being raised about the role of the International Monetary Fund: did it ignore the (…) In Sicily, the Fall reclaim control of the narrative on exile Julie Déléant · 12 March In the heart of downtown Palermo, Maldusa, an aid organization co-created by members of the Senegalese Baye Fall community, seeks to give exiles the opportunity to reclaim their own stories. With the support of local activist circles, it has now established itself as a reference on the island (…) February 2026 How Kenya’s Seed Ruling Freed Indigenous Farmers from Fear Robert Amalemba · 27 February By invalidating, in November 2025, one of the harshest laws in the region that criminalized the exchange and sale of native seeds, the High Court of Kenya simultaneously freed both the seeds and the farmers. Beatrice Wangui, an indigenous farmer in Gilgil, a small Rift Valley town, no longer (…) Sudan. The Kadamoul, a Social and Political Symbol Louise Aurat, Fouad Ibrahim Shousha · 20 February Initially worn for climatic reasons, the kadamoul has, over the past few decades, taken on many other uses. This scarf, common among desert peoples, carries a strong symbolic, political, and cultural significance that the parties to the war tearing the country apart for nearly three years have (…) In Goma, civilians caught between an armed group and an absent state Richard Moncrieff, International Crisis Group · 12 February The Director of the International Crisis Group for the Great Lakes region discusses the consequences of the Rwanda-backed M23’s continued grip on the city of Goma. Caught between threats from the armed group and coercive measures imposed by Kinshasa, the population has little choice but to (…) Israel’s recognition of Somaliland: a double-edged sword Brendon Novel · 5 February This decision offers Somaliland representatives an unprecedented opportunity to promote the country’s independence, without, however, guaranteeing significant diplomatic or economic dividends. Hargeisa’s integration into an Israeli-Emirati regional arc secures a new geopolitical centrality for (…) January 2026 Starlink in Africa: A Political Object and a Tool of Technological Hegemony Georges Macaire Eyenga · 30 January Low Earth Orbit satellite internet deployed by billionaire Elon Musk risks making the continent dependent. Although this project is promoted as an alternative to failing local services, in reality only a wealthy minority will be able to access it. Across the continent, the Internet has (…) The New Empires of France in Africa Nathalie Prévost · 23 January Between doomsday claims regarding France’s economic decline in Africa and the idealized immutability of colonial exploitation, a report published by the association Survie attempts to untangle myth from reality and assesses the current state of French economic interests on the continent. The (…) “We Don’t Need New Masters - Only Genuine Partners.” Dan Sanaren, Mathieu Pourchier · 16 January In a comparative survey conducted in West and Central Africa on the rejection of France — in which Afrique XXI was a partner — ‘Tournons la page’ and the Centre for International Studies (CERI) at Sciences Po notably questioned African activists about their perceptions of world leaders. Poutine, (…) Women’s pens give a voice to those who leave. Ndèye Fatou Kane · 8 January From the “Madame Tirailleur” to the contemporary narratives of African women authors, exile serves as a common thread. African women’s literature is full of these experiences of departure and the quest for a better life elsewhere. African women have been writing and producing remarkable (…) Somaliland: A Potential U.S. Recognition Amid the Gaza Crisis Brendon Novel · 2 January The ambiguity surrounding the Somaliland government’s position on an alleged U.S.–Israeli “plan” to deport the Gazan population to its territory has fuelled rumours of an impending rapprochement between Israel and Somaliland, despite the ongoing genocide. This stance appears primarily aimed at (…)