This Week in Africa
December 12, 2025
Quote of the week
“Food has the ability to evolve in all the ways that life does, going beyond dreams, ideas, thoughts, intent, hope and good will. It lets us experience liberty from trauma.” – Yewande Komolafe, on Ọbẹ̀ onírù
DR Congo’s war
M23 advances to the city of Uvira, a strategic city that borders Burundi in South Kivu. Some analysts say the M23 now controls the city. More than 200,000 people were forced to flee. A new investigation finds that M23 is using rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war. The advance comes despite the recent peace agreement brokered by President Trump. Clearly, Trump has not ended the war, and the security strategy remains “myopic.” Paul Kagame praises Trump for de-emphasizing democracy, freedom, and human rights.
Failed coup in Benin
Coup plotters failed in their attempt to overthrow Benin’s government. The president vows retribution. West African troops overturned Benin’s coup but watched others pass by. Chris Ogunmodede reflects. Was the attempted coup a surprise?
Sudan’s civil war
The Rapid Support Forces have taken control of crucial oil fields in the strategic, southern oil-rich regions. The advance could contribute to a new major refugee exodus. Mass atrocities should not be a new normal. The UAE’s funding of the RSF is beginning to threaten their relationship to the West. Sudan’s civil war is worsening a major humanitarian crisis. Here are some thoughts about how to stop Sudan’s collapse. One way to move forward is to support Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms. The groups won the 2025 Chatham House Prize.
Lina Abushouk reflects on Khartoum, and argues that it must move beyond selfishness and think about the entire country.
Ethiopia’s ambitions
Ethiopia braces big projects, but its ambitions risk regional tensions. Yohannes Woldemariam outlines the ideological basis behind Ethiopia’s imperial ambitions.
Insecurity and instability
James Barnett examines religion, ethnicity, and the Jihadist search for a holy war in Nigeria. William Nomikos explains the Islamist siege in Mali. Alex Laskaris and Olivier Walther argue that Mali’s junta is the architect of its own disaster. Jon Temin examines the escalating violence against civilians in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Marten Boas’ Sahel: The Perfect Storm provides helpful background. Simone Schnabel outlines the challenges in the region.
Tanzania’s democratic erosion
Andy Currier calls for global accountability with respect to Tanzania’s democratic erosion. Dan Paget argues that Tanzania will never be the same.
Kenyans in Saudi Arabia
Abdi Latif Dahir and Vivian Nereim have spent months documenting the struggles of Kenyan mothers and children who are trapped in Saudi Arabia. The latest piece tells the story of a mother who is fighting to free her daughter from the country. Last month they published this excellent article where mothers tell their stories.
African international relations
Christopher Ogunmodede provides this critical assessment of ECOWAS’ role in safeguarding democracy in West Africa. Also check out his reflections on Africa, mulitateralism, and the shifting global order. This post assesses Museveni’s east African federation.
Challenges of democratization
Joseph Asunka argues that delivery jobs and justice are the real tests of Ghana’s storied democracy. Kristof Titeca explains Uganda’s elections and the politics of late Musevenism. Abubakar Sidiq Jaafar outlines what the African continent teaches us about democracy. Can deliberation cure the ills of democracy?
Struggle for rights and freedom
This is good: D.S. Battistoli’s an Africanist’s view of European philosophy. Alex Thurston comments on the major religious transition happening in Nigeria. Mahi takes a brief look at African women’s contribution to the anti-colonial struggle. Check out the 2025 Global Report on Internal Displacement.
Panashe Chigumadzi takes on the land question in South Africa.
Africa’s rapid urbanization
Gideon Abagna Azunre examines how residents actually participate in Ghana’s slum upgrading programs. Allen Xiao examines urban rhythms and mobile transport encounters in the Lagos Transport Systems. This is a cool article on density and expansion in Tanzania’s secondary cities. Michael Osei Asibey extends the dialogue of informality, e-waste, and nature-based solutions. Elmond Bandauko explains how Harare’s street traders create their own system to survive in the city.
Research corner
This is an interesting article on Chinese FDI, political events in recipient countries, and the innovation of African firms. This article examines the role of group identities and climate risks in farmer-herder relations in Senegal. Coordinated local action can help communities counter the environmental harms of galamsey in Ghana. This article quantifies the effect of partisanship on citizens collective action against corruption in African democracies. What does post-peak China in Africa look like?
Kai Thaler’s When Rebels Win: Ideology, Statebuilding, and Power after Civil Wars is out.
The week in development
Africa is shaping global energy, security, and supply chains in real time. This is why the US-DR Congo mining bill is bad news for China. African startups continue to raise significant money. Guinea has bet big on iron ore. Africa needs to generate more electricity. Ken Opalo provides his take on the Mission 300 electrification debate. The UN cuts its 2026 emergency aid budget in half. Data modelling reveals the heavy toll of USAID cuts on Africa.
Reproductive health, then and now.
Africa and the environment
Check out Mordecai Ogada’s Green & Evil: The New Empires and their Regents. South Africa’s food, energy, and water crisis are all part of the same problem. There is a fight for seed sovereignty in Kenya.
On the deadly trade-off of electronic waste recycling in Ghana.
Daily life
Cheers to Nairobi’s Drunken Lectures! Straight outta Langa. The beautiful and brutal Maragoli Hills.
And Ọbẹ̀ onírù takes Yewande Komolafe home to Lagos.
All the best,
Jeff and Phil