Senegal’s experience from the Casamance reveals that security agencies’ trust-building with local communities is a vital practical means of gaining cooperation and preempting mobilization to violence.

Mozambique saw a dramatic reduction in militant Islamist violence in 2023, coinciding with the deployment of SADC forces. Unfortunately it has been rising ever since.

Currently, Mozambican security forces are only supported by a contingent of Rwandan troops.

africacenter.org/spo...

While the Sahel saw the most fatalities linked to African Islamist groups, Somalia saw the sharpest increase. With the recent addition of Islamic State violence, Somalia suffered a record 4,561 deaths in 2025.

africacenter.org/spo...

Africa saw record levels of militant Islamist group activity last year, resulting 23,968 fatalities—a 25% increase over 2025. The region driving this is the Sahel, where 41% of those deaths occurred, and half of *those* deaths happened in Burkina Faso.

africacenter.org/spo...

He plays it perfectly.

Jim Downey gets some shocking news about a New York financier. #podcast #comedian #comedy YouTube video by Team Coco

I beg to differ….youtube.com/shorts/P_1kvp5p-DQ

In the Sahel, Mali’s Military May Be a Greater Threat Than Jihadists Mali’s military junta has considerable local support, but for neighboring states, it is proving to be unpredictable and even destabilizing.

In the tri-border zone of Mali, Mauritania and Senegal, it is increasingly the Malian military—not jihadists—that is risking escalation into new areas.

Sudan’s war in the mountains The Nuba Mountains, once shielded by their isolation, have become a new front in one of the world’s most brutal conflicts

I traveled to the Nuba Mountains with @guypeterson.bsky.social 📸 to document how foreign powers are shaping Sudan's war while civilians pay the price. Read our story in @prospectmagazine.co.uk, with thanks to @pulitzercenter.org for the support!

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/africa...

People of Burkina Faso should forget about democracy, says military ruler Ibrahim Traoré, who took power in 2022 coup, tells state broadcaster ‘we must tell the truth, democracy isn’t for us’

People in Burkina Faso should forget about democracy, the military president, Ibrahim Traoré, told the country’s state broadcaster.

"We must tell the truth, democracy isn’t for us.”

Belgian aristocrat to face charges over murder of Congo’s first premier Étienne Davignon, 93, is the only surviving former official accused in connection to Patrice Lumumba’s death

Wow. www.ft.com/content/16c5... Belgian aristocrat to face charges over murder of Congo’s first premier

Beyond Jihadism: Security Concerns along Senegal’s Border with Mali In 2025, JNIM's advance into Mali's Kayes region brought extremist violence close to Senegal's eastern border. But while the JNIM threat looms...

Extremist violence is moving closer to #Senegal 's eastern border. But communities are often more concerned about criminality, environmental degradation & local fragilities than jihadist groups alone. Hannah Rae Armstrong analyzes these dynamics in our new #Megatrends Policy Brief.

👉 t1p.de/4v2y5

Kizza Besigye: the firebrand who has shaped opposition politics in Uganda Besigye’s decision to break with the president put him in intense and prolonged personal danger.

Kizza Besigye: The firebrand who has shaped opposition politics in Uganda, now seriously ill in prison.

Belgian museum caught in row over millions of DR Congo records KoBold Metals and DR Congo are pushing a Brussels museum to release records that would help map valuable metals

Fascinating look at the tangled legacies of colonialism.

DRC wants colonial-era geological surveys so a Bill Gates-backed mining/AI firm can digitize them. The Belgian museum won't release them as it's already doing so.

Trump II is now applying pressure as part of its resource grab.

No good guys.

The defunding of the SANDF – A deep head count dive - DefenceWeb In the previous article, I unpacked the financial trajectory of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), showing how prolonged underfunding and rigid

Using official personnel establishment and headcount data, this article examines how the size, structure, and composition of the SANDF workforce have evolved—and what this reveals about the sustainability of the force.
defenceweb.co.za/sa-defence-s...

Gabonese presidency defends social media shutdown | Africanews Authorities have defended the bad as necessary to preserve social cohesion, political stability, and national security

Gabon suspends social media…and demand for VPNs in the country increases by nearly 400% within 48 hours of the announcement of the block.

4 journalists detained in Cameroon reporting on Trump’s deportations Lawyers say Trump is sending migrants to Cameroon who originated elsewhere. AP freelancers, among others, were detained while reporting on the deportees.

Four journalists, including three working for the Associated Press, were detained in Cameroon while reporting from a facility where migrants deported by the Trump administration are held, according to two lawyers.

More than 1,000 Kenyans lured to fight for Russia in Ukraine war, report says Intelligence findings given to parliament say ‘rogue’ agencies and individuals recruiting Kenyan nationals to frontline

More than 1,000 Kenyans have been lured to fight for Russia in Ukraine, according to an intelligence report to the Kenyan parliament.

Meanwhile, four South Africans returned yesterday from Russia, part of a group of 19 men allegedly tricked into fighting for Russia by Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla

Ethiopia, Eritrea and Tigray: A Powder Keg in the Horn of Africa | International Crisis Group The risk of hostilities involving Ethiopia, its northernmost Tigray region and its neighbour Eritrea remains high three years after the last major war in the area. African states and outside powers sh...

🔥Risk of descending into a new conflict in an already volatile Horn of Africa. While all sides appear wary of igniting a new war, simmering grievances, overblown rhetoric and military preparations indicate core actors are readying themselves for that eventuality.

www.crisisgroup.org/brf/africa/e...

New from me.

pretty stunning chart

Security begins with justice Opinion: From the Sahel to Europe, global instability is driven by unresolved justice needs and broken social contracts. If the Munich Security Conference wants to redefine security, it must consider ...

💬 "Security built on deterrence alone will not hold."

In an op-ed for @devex.com, our CEO Nathalie Delapalme, alongside Udo Jude Ilo, argues that security does not begin with deterrence or military strength, it begins with justice.

Read here: https://bit.ly/4tx1Hqv

Gen Z’s electoral dilemma Long dismissed as apathetic, Kenya’s youth forced a rupture in 2024. As the 2027 election approaches, their challenge is turning digital rebellion and street protest into political power.

Long dismissed as apathetic, Kenya’s youth forced a rupture in 2024. As the 2027 election approaches, their challenge is turning digital rebellion and street protest into political power. africasacountry.com/2026/02/gen-...

Mozambique naval forces clash with insurgents off Mocímboa da Praia - DefenceWeb After nearly two weeks of successive militant operations on islands off the coast of Mocímboa da Praia district, government security forces mounted a response

After nearly two weeks of successive militant operations on islands off the coast of Mocímboa da Praia district, government security forces mounted a response last week. defenceweb.co.za/land/land-la...

Remember the big foreign aid cuts? Estimates are that more than 760,000 people, including 500,000 children, have died over the past year since American assistance suddenly vanished - figures cited by Senate appropriations member Sen. Schatz.

Congo rebel leader claims responsibility for drone attack on strategic northeast city The leader of the AFC/M23 rebel movement in Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday claimed responsibility on social media for a drone attack targeting the airport in the strategic northeastern city of Kisangani.

Congo rebel leader claims responsibility for drone attack on strategic northeast city reut.rs/4rsAYJQ

Kenyan job seekers were lured to Russia, then sent to die in Ukraine The Post spoke to four Kenyans who fought in Ukraine and relatives of nine other recruits, as a secret pipeline funnels young Africans to Russia’s military.

Serving members of Kenya's security forces have been lured to fight for the Russian army in Ukraine, survivors and families say. They include a member of the elite U.S.-trained SPEAR unit, which guards the U.S. embassy in Nairobi. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

‘The Second Emancipation’ Review: Imagining Africa United The 20th-century Ghanaian leader Kwame Nkrumah saw an opportunity to move Africa past the fragmentation left behind by colonial powers.

At the start of Black history month, I'd like to recommend my book, The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide. As w my previous book, Born in Blackness, it follows the conviction that Black history is World history. www.wsj.com/arts-culture...

My latest substack post explains why U.S. policymakers ask for less time, attention, and resources for Africa — and what are the consequences. open.substack.com/pub/poststra...

A Growing Divergence of Security Narratives in Burkina Faso Burkina Faso’s security conditions continue to deteriorate under the military junta despite a high-volume information campaign.

It is especially significant that the junta is silencing political parties given the widening gap between the junta's messaging and realities on the ground in Burkina Faso, where security, economic, and humanitarian conditions all continue to deteriorate.

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