This Week in Africa
December 5, 2025
Quote of the week
“Cities ask for your body.” – Elnathan John
Peace agreement in DR Congo
Trump hosted Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi in the US to sign a peace agreement. Meanwhile, fighting continues in eastern DR Congo. M23 suspends its mayor in Goma. The US and DR Congo eye a minerals pact. The Oakland Institute argues that the peace deal was never really about peace.
Sudan’s civil war
Alex Thurston talks to Cameron Hudson about Sudan and diplomacy. Trump’s peace plan is likely to fail. Sudan offers Russia its first naval base in Africa. This is what the “Libya-ification” of Sudan could mean. Lovise Aalen and Mai Azzam discuss the role of civil society organizations who are helping save lives. Check out the article here. Nathanial Raymond and Hamid Khalafallah discuss documenting atrocities in Sudan.
Tension between Ethiopia and Eritrea
This post outlines the shifting contours of conflict in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia’s National Dialogue needs time.
Trump and Somalia
Trump called Somalis “garbage” this week as he faces political pressure at home. Ilhan Omar responds. Somalia’s president says it’s better for him not to respond.
African international relations
This is cool: Non-Western visions of the international order.
Lesotho emerged out of the broken borders of empire. Mbaye Bashir Lo wonders what comes next after the post-colonial settlement, which has left Africa vulnerable to conflict, external pressure, and intellectual dependency. Innocent Batsani-Ncube examines parliamentary spaces and Chinese influence in Africa. This is a must-read investigation into the diplomat who was accused of sexual abuse but kept his job. What’s behind renewed piracy off Somalia’s coast?
Struggle for rights and freedom
Mali’s junta is the architect of its own disasters. A prominent opposition leader in Cameroon dies in custody. Kenyan MPs accuse British soldiers of decades of sexual abuse. Tunisia arrests an opposition figure in widening crackdown. A pastor and bride were abducted in latest kidnappings in Nigeria. Isaac Samuel examines slavery in African history. Lots of great news links at the Sawahil Newsletter.
On the rise of citizen engagement across Africa.
Africa’s rapid urbanization
Learn more about electronic waste and the toxic circular economy in Ghana. Herders are pivoting to an unusual city life in the Sahel. Osman Ouattara discusses the importance of net zero emissions in African neighborhoods. Johannesburg’s produce market has supplied the informal sector for decades. Growing old in Freetown. Mogadishu is amidst a construction boom. Reframing the public realm in Kibera.
Elnathan John, on cities.
Political change in African cities
Make sure to check out Soeren Henn, Aimable Lameke, Mastaki Mugaruka, and Vincent Tantuma’s article “Urbanization and decentralization in the Congo: Examining governance in rural towns.” It is part of our World Development special issue on Political Change in African Cities.
Research corner
Read this article about Senegal being caught between political instability and democratic consolidation. Who debates, who wins in Liberia?
Check out Amon Chizema’s The Land Remembers. I am looking forward to Miriam Driessen’s Immunity on Trial: Ethiopian Courts, Chinese Corporations, and Contestations over Sovereignty.
The week in development
Is venture capital the wrong model for Africa? The US and EU critical minerals project could displace thousands in the DR Congo. Malengo finds that sending people to university abroad works. African economies remain unstable and poor. D.S. Battistoli on reproductive health, then and now. Get all your economic and investment updates with Africa in Brief.
And Dishant Shah outlines the African middle class.
Africa and the environment
Africa’s booming rice cultivation is fueling regional warming. Parliaments must respond to climate change with urgency. Sharks and rays gain sweeping protections from wildlife trade.
Daily life
Howard French on the making of Mamdani. Meet the hidden Kenya workers training China’s AI models.
All the best,
Jeff and Phil