From Sudan’s worsening crisis and increasing jihadist violence in the Sahel to Libya’s evolving energy debates — explore the latest developments shaping North Africa and the Sahel’s political, economic, and security landscapes.
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On Our Radar
The headlines shaping politics, security, and economics across North Africa and the Sahel.
ABC NEWS
Deadly conflict in the Sahel sends herders fleeing to Africa’s coastal cities
Expanding jihadist violence in the Sahel is forcing pastoralist communities from Burkina Faso and Mali to abandon their herds and seek precarious livelihoods in coastal hubs like Abidjan, straining urban services and deepening social vulnerability.
SMALL WARS JOURNAL
Approaching the War on Terror in the Sahel
An essay arguing that U.S. counterterrorism strategy has neglected the Sahel, calling for a recalibrated approach as ISIS- and al-Qaeda-linked groups expands across Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso amid a broader Trump-era shift toward transactional, inward-focused foreign policy.
NEWSGHANA
EU envoy calls Ghana partnership indispensable amid Sahel crisis
The EU’s Special Representative for the Sahel describes Ghana as an indispensable partner for regional stability, highlighting Accra’s diplomatic role, peacekeeping contributions, and importance for West Africa’s security architecture.
AL JAZEERA
Egypt’s economy stabilises but poverty challenges persist
The article notes that investment inflows and reforms have helped stabilize Egypt’s macroeconomic indicators, but warns that soaring prices, low wages, and limited social protection mean many Egyptians see modest improvement in daily living conditions.
REUTERS
Big hopes as Africa defence firms scramble for drone market at Egypt arms expo
African and international defense companies display drones and other high-tech systems at an arms exhibition in Egypt, underscoring how regional militaries are racing to adopt unmanned platforms amid shifting security threats.
ARAB NEWS
Egypt raises 2025 tourist target to nearly 19m as US market surges
Egyptian officials have raised their tourism target to almost 19 million visitors in 2025, citing robust growth from the US market and innovative marketing efforts as Cairo leans on tourism to boost foreign currency inflows.
DAILY SABAH
Libya rebukes Greek call to scrap maritime deal with Türkiye
Libya’s House of Representatives condemns Greek demands to annul its maritime delimitation agreement with Turkey, accusing Athens of interference in Libya’s internal affairs and defending the contested deal as sovereign.
NEWSFILE CORP
Libya Positions Itself at the Heart of Africa’s Gas Future as LAIGF 2025 Kicks Off in Tripoli
As the Libya Africa Investment and Gas Forum opens in Tripoli, Libyan authorities pitch the country as a key gas supplier and transit hub for African and Mediterranean markets, seeking new upstream and infrastructure investment.
WORLD BANK
World Bank supports Mauritania reforms to drive inclusive and sustainable growth
A new development policy operation backs Mauritania’s efforts to diversify its economy, strengthen governance, and improve social protection, with a view to making mining and natural resources translate into broader, more inclusive growth.
THE AFRICA REPORT
Cairo, Nairobi, Kigali: What sets Africa’s top three most attractive cities apart?
The piece compares Cairo, Nairobi, and Kigali as Africa’s most attractive cities for investment and talent, highlighting differences in infrastructure, governance, innovation ecosystems, and quality of life.
DEUTSCHE WELLE (DW)
Libya femicides prompt calls for stricter legislation
A spate of high-profile femicides in Libya has sparked public outrage and demands for stronger legal protections, better enforcement, and broader reforms to address gender-based violence.
ECOPORTAL
Germany and Africa team up for hydrogen
The article outlines emerging hydrogen partnerships between Germany and several African countries, focusing on green hydrogen projects, infrastructure plans, and debates about who benefits from the new value chains.
WALL STREET JOURNAL
Sudan Offers Russia Its First Naval Base in Africa
Sudan has reportedly offered Russia access to a Red Sea naval base, deepening Moscow’s military footprint in Africa and raising concerns among Western and regional powers about shifting security alignments.
BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA
Africa takes control of its wealth, unlocking close to $1 trillion in assets
A feature on efforts by African states and institutions to better leverage sovereign assets, natural resources, and financial reserves, potentially unlocking hundreds of billions of dollars for development and infrastructure.
BLOOMBERG
Aid funding for UK-founded Africa markets agency turns to philanthropists
A UK-founded agency focused on deepening African capital markets is turning to philanthropic donors after shifts in official aid funding, illustrating how development finance vehicles are adapting to tighter government budgets.
THE GUARDIAN
African leaders push for recognition of colonial crimes and reparations
African heads of state press for colonial-era atrocities to be formally recognized and addressed through reparations, arguing that the continent still bears heavy social and economic costs from colonialism.
BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA
Ghana joins Africa’s nuclear race, set to begin construction of first nuclear plant
Ghana moves forward with plans to build its first nuclear power plant, positioning itself within a small group of African countries pursuing civilian nuclear energy to meet rising electricity demand.
ARAB NEWS
Tunisia’s powerful UGTT union announces a nationwide strike on January 21
Tunisia’s main trade union UGTT calls a nationwide strike to protest economic conditions and government policies, underscoring growing tension between organized labor and President Kais Saied’s administration.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mali: Russia’s Africa Corps presence linked to abuses as refugees flee to Mauritania
AP reporting describes abuses attributed to Russia’s Africa Corps and allied forces in Mali and documents how civilians are fleeing into Mauritania, adding pressure on fragile border communities and aid systems.
ABC NEWS
European Union moves ahead with toughening migration system
The EU advances plan to tighten parts of its migration and asylum system, as mainstream parties seek to blunt far-right narratives and respond to political fallout from past migration crises.
TRIPOLI POST
Libya, Tunisia to strengthen digital tech transformation cooperation
Libyan and Tunisian officials agree to deepen cooperation on digital transformation, including cross-border tech initiatives, e-government, and capacity-building for startups and public institutions.
LE POINT
Tunisie: la colonie pénitentiaire du président Saied
A critical piece portraying Tunisia under President Saied as a kind of “penal colony,” citing mass arrests, shrinking freedoms, and the intimidation of political opponents and civil society.
BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA
Nigeria’s planned $50 billion oil refinery just got a major green light
Nigeria’s authorities approve a landmark multi-billion-dollar refinery project, framed as crucial for reducing fuel imports, stabilizing domestic supply, and reshaping the country’s downstream sector.
THE ECONOMIST
Africa needs to generate more electricity
The article argues that solving Africa’s chronic power shortages is essential for growth, jobs, and industrialization, and assesses policy choices around grids, renewables, gas, and regional trade in electricity.
WORLD BANK
Algeria Economic Update: Responding to Climate Challenges and Supporting Sustainable Development – Fall 2025
The update highlights how Algeria is confronting rising climate risks while attempting to diversify its economy, improve social protection, and make public investment more sustainable.
REUTERS
Morocco to secure 60% of its water needs from desalination, minister says
Morocco’s water minister announces plans to meet roughly 60 percent of national water needs through desalination by 2030, reflecting how drought and climate pressures are reshaping infrastructure priorities.
AL JAZEERA
RSF claims seizure of key Heglig oil field in Sudan
The Rapid Support Forces assert they have captured the Heglig oil field, raising fears of further escalation and threatening a critical energy asset in Sudan’s South Kordofan province.
REUTERS
People fleeing violence in Sudan find little aid at Chad border
Sudanese refugees arriving in remote border areas of Chad face severe shortages of food, shelter, and basic services as aid agencies warn of overwhelmed capacity and growing needs.
REUTERS
WHO says over 100 killed in attacks on Sudan kindergarten and hospital
The World Health Organization reports that deadly attacks on a kindergarten and a hospital in Sudan have killed more than 100 people, underscoring the conflict’s brutality and disregard for civilian protection.
Reports & Analysis on the Region
Deeper dives from experts, think tanks, and research institutes.
COMMENTARY
How reconstruction will be Sudan’s next battlefield
Stimson Center North Africa Program Director Hafed Al-Ghwell writes for Arab News and argues that even if fighting subsides in Sudan, competition over reconstruction contracts, influence, and resources is likely to become the next arena of struggle among domestic factions and external powers.
COMMENTARY
Reality Dose: Libya’s False Unity
Stimson Center North Africa Program Director Hafed Al-Ghwell writes on how Libya’s unity is a political fiction masking entrenched fractures, rival power centers, and a decade of failed state-building.
COMMENTARY
Libya’s fractures drift toward permanence
A GIS Reports commentary describing how competing governments, militias, and institutions in east and west Libya have become more entrenched, complicating prospects for reunification and long-term stabilization.
REPORT
Continental Circular Economy Action Plan for Africa 2024–2034
The African Union’s action plan lays out a ten-year roadmap to promote circular-economy practices across Africa, from waste management and recycling to sustainable production, industrial policy, and green jobs.
REPORT
International Debt Report 2025
This World Bank International Debt Report 2025 provides a comprehensive, data-driven overview of external debt trends, dynamics, transparency, and country-by-country indicators for low- and middle-income countries over 2014–2024 to inform global development finance policy.
REPORT
The political economy of universal health coverage in Egypt
An in-depth analysis of Egypt’s attempt to roll out universal health coverage, examining financing, institutional constraints, and trade-offs between fiscal sustainability and equitable access to care.
REPORT
Gabès: A local mobilization with national consequence
This Noria Research case study looks at environmental and social mobilization in Gabès, Tunisia, showing how local activism around pollution and industrial policy reverberates at the national level.
POLICY ANALYSIS
Youth as catalysts for shaping Libya’s future: pathways for inclusion in national dialogue and vision-making
This Luiss Mediterranean Platform analysis emphasizes the importance of including Libyan youth in political dialogue and long-term vision-building, arguing that their exclusion risks entrenching conflict dynamics and governance gaps.
REPORT
Demography, geography and natural resources: geography, geopolitics and economic management – advantages and disadvantages
An exploration of how Egypt’s location, population distribution, and resource endowment shape its economic options, highlighting both structural advantages and policy failures.
POLICY ANALYSIS
Conflicts Drive Food Insecurity
An Africa Center for Strategic Studies analytical brief showing how armed conflicts across the Sahel, Horn, and Great Lakes regions are the primary drivers of food insecurity by disrupting farming, trade routes, and humanitarian access.
COMMENTARY
Little substance as COP30 sidesteps key decisions
North Africa Program Director Hafed Al Ghwell writes for Arab News on COP30’s inability to turn pressure into action, as countries offered weak pledges, diluted key texts, and sidestepped the core drivers of the crisis.
COMMENTARY
Realignment in the Maghreb: How Algeria is shaping Tunisia’s political trajectory
This Chatham House piece examines Algeria’s growing influence over Tunisia, arguing that Algiers has become a critical external actor shaping political decisions in Tunis at a moment of economic and institutional fragility.
COMMENTARY
Mali is at a turning point that risks a disastrous domino effect
An Atlantic Council assessment of Mali’s rapidly deteriorating security landscape, arguing that junta mismanagement and jihadist expansion risk triggering destabilization across coastal West Africa if left unchecked.
Upcoming Events
Key briefings and conferences to watch.
Watchlist 2026: Sino–African tensions, stolen elections, and more debt restructuring
An Oxford Economics webinar outlining key global and African risks for 2026, including rising China–Africa frictions, electoral instability, and a new wave of sovereign debt restructurings.
2026 IMF MENA Research Conference – “Rethinking MENA Integration in a Fast-Changing Global Environment”
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) announcement and call for papers for a research conference to be held June 29–30, 2026 at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Rabat, Morocco, inviting work on trade and financial integration, macroeconomic policy under new external shocks, digitalization, energy, and regional cooperation.
Atlantic Dialogues
The Policy Center for the New South is organizing the 14th edition of The Atlantic Dialogues, its annual high-level international conference, from December 11th to 13th in Rabat, Morocco.
Tune In
Hear the latest insights from regional experts.
A Conversation with H.E. Sabri Boukadoum, Ambassador of Algeria to the United States
The Stimson Center’s North Africa Program hosted Ambassador Sabri Boukadoum to discuss Algeria’s reforms, regional security, and U.S.–Algeria relations.
A Dialogue with H.E. Nadia Fettah Alaoui: Navigating Morocco’s Path to Growth and Resilience
Stimson Center’s North Africa Program hosted a conversation with H.E. Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Morocco’s Minister of Economy and Finance on the country’s economic agenda, global engagement, and relationship with the IMF and World Bank.
Why al-Qaeda’s Sahel branch is blocking fuel to Mali
This Al Jazeera podcast episode explains how al-Qaeda’s Sahel affiliate is using fuel blockades in Mali to squeeze the junta and consolidate control, and why this tactic has serious economic and humanitarian consequences.
Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)
Foreign ministers and senior officials from Mediterranean and EU countries gather at the 10th UfM Regional Forum 2025 to discuss regional security, economic cooperation, and connectivity, marking the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona Process and stressing the need for renewed multilateralism.
How Morocco’s Western Sahara gamble paid off | Mapped Out
A Deutsche Welle repot on how Morocco has managed to win increasing global support – by using its phosphate resources to foster long-term partnerships in Africa and striking deals with the US under Donald Trump.
Job Opportunities
Career moves, fellowships, and calls for applications—all in one place.
International Rescue Committee
Grants Coordinator (Bamako, Mali)
A role focusing on managing grant allocations and donor reporting in humanitarian operations—closing date: 19 Dec 2025.
SIPRI
Sahel–West Africa Researcher Position (Solna, Sweeden)
An announcement for a fully funded researcher post at SIPRI focused on Sahel and West Africa security dynamics, offering a 12-month research track.
