Latest Articles about Central Africa
Moscow Reconsiders the Wagner Group’s Role in Africa
On August 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the notorious Wagner Group who had earlier ventured on an aborted mutiny against the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) (see EDM, July 11), died under mysterious circumstances when his business jet crashed in Russia’s Tver region (Ru.euronews.com, August... MORE
Brief: M23 Rebels Surge in the DRC Amid New Qatari and Angolan Mediation Efforts
In 2021, the M23 rebels in the eastern areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) relaunched an insurgency that initially started in 2012, but had been stopped in 2013 after a peace agreement with the DRC was reached (aljazeera.com, December 12, 2013). Although... MORE
The Third Front: Sudan’s Armed Rebel Movements Join the War Between the Generals
When a violent struggle between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of General Muhammad Hamdan Daglo “Hemeti” and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) led by General Abd al-Fatah al-Burhan broke out in mid-April, Sudan had not yet reconciled with several armed rebel movements at war with... MORE
Hollow Words and Apparent Setbacks at the Russia-Africa Summit
Concerted diplomatic efforts were invested during preparations for the Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg, formally held on July 27 and 28, and President Vladimir Putin was grandstanding, networking and entertaining his guests non-stop from Wednesday afternoon to Saturday evening. His main intention was to demonstrate... MORE
Brief: Islamic State Highlights Killings and Claimed Attacks in the Congo and Mozambique
Islamic State’s most prominent “province” in Africa is Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is based in Nigeria. However, the provinces in Mozambique and the Congo are being revived after more than a year of relative quietude, especially compared to the dearth of... MORE
“There Will Be No Dar Masalit, Only Dar Arab”: Sudan’s Ethnic Divisions Destroy West Darfur
The conflict between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Sudan started on April 15. However, parts of Darfur were already experiencing ethnic and political violence, much of it dating back to the 1990s. While the clashes in Khartoum dominate... MORE
Brief: Cameroonian President Holds Emergency Meeting to Address ISWAP Attacks
At the start of June, Cameroonian President Paul Biya ordered the nation’s army to hold an emergency meeting to address a recent resurgence in cross-border attacks by Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) (gazettengr.com, June 1). ISWAP, for example, claimed attacks in Gassama, Amchide,... MORE
Can the SAF Defeat the RSF in Sudan?
Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are nimble, capable, and self-financing. These three factors combined with the fact that corruption and cronyism have hollowed out their primary rival, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), mean that the SAF and its allies are unlikely to defeat the RSF.... MORE
Chinese PSCs in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Cases of Francophone and Lusophone Africa
Executive Summary Due to their wealth of critical natural resources (primarily rare earth minerals), rapidly growing populations (labor and consumer markets) and strategic geographic location, many Francophone and Lusophone countries in Africa occupy strategic roles for China and its large businesses operating in, among others,... MORE
Janjaweed Commander to Political Power Broker: An In-Depth Profile of Sudanese General Hemedti
On April 15, clashes broke out in Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum between rival factions of the country's military government. Pitted against each other were the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The latter is led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo... MORE