Authoritarian Regimes & Africa

The ongoing war in Sudan is driving an unprecedented humanitarian emergency. Approximately one million displaced people have sought safety in Chad, which is now on the front lines following the capture of El-Fasher in North Darfur. Within a fortnight, nearly 100,000 residents fled the city, with 6,000 reaching the Chadian border—a breaking point for a […]

The closing days of January 2026 signaled the definitive end of organized political pluralism in Burkina Faso. On January 29, the administration led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré officially disbanded every political party in the nation, including the very groups that had championed his rise to power during the September 2022 coup. While political activities had […]

When the notorious Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries announced its departure from Mali earlier this year, it publicly claimed on social media that its “mission was accomplished.” In reality, the group’s three-and-a-half-year involvement in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations had a disastrous impact, leaving the Sahelian nation still widely recognized as a global epicenter for terrorism. […]

Investigations reveal that Malian armed forces, alongside the Russian-linked Wagner Group, have carried out extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances targeting Fulani men since the beginning of 2025. These alleged crimes, occurring in multiple regions, have raised serious concerns about human rights violations and the protection of civilians in Mali. Alleged atrocities in Mali’s counter-insurgency operations […]

The military takeover spearheaded by General Tiani, which ousted President Bazoum in Niger on July 26, marks the latest in a troubling wave of power grabs sweeping across the Sahel. Since 2020, the Sahel region has witnessed six such events, making Niger’s the seventh. The reactions from both regional and global players have been notably […]

The digital battlefield between France and Russia in Africa has intensified, with Moscow deploying hybrid warfare tactics to undermine Paris’s historical influence. Since its 2018 intervention in the Central African Republic, Russia has systematically targeted public opinion across the continent, aiming to displace France as the dominant foreign power. While France has only recently recognized […]