Militants Target Chinese Nationals in the Sahel and Nigeria Jacob Zenn China is increasing its influence in West Africa. Most recently, on June 11, China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that Beijing plans to extend the Belt and Road Initiative to Burkina... MORE

Russia and China are typically lumped together as the two new challengers to the role of Western countries in Africa. They are certainly that, but they are pursuing rather differing strategies and, thus, are virtually certain to find themselves at odds in the future. Moscow... MORE

On May 31, the independent, but unrecognized, Republic of Somaliland held parliamentary and local district elections. These internationally observed elections, which saw a high turnout of 1.1 million registered voters in Somaliland, were peaceful and transparent (Africa News, May 31). [1] The election stood in... MORE

Indonesia Battles Dual Threat of Jihadism and Separatism Jacob Zenn Last month, four farmers in Poso, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia were decapitated by militants affiliated with Mujahidin Indonesia Timor (MIT) (Benar News, May 11). MIT attacks in Poso have become increasingly rare, with the previous one... MORE

On May 7, armed militiamen stormed the Corinthia Hotel compound that was being used as one of the headquarters for the interim government in the Libyan capital of Tripoli (al-Hadath, May 8). Social media videos showed militants searching cars and asking for the location of... MORE

Since Boko Haram’s launched its jihad in 2009, the group has undergone three major phases of territory-capturing military offensives. The Nigerian army turned the tide against Boko Haram after the first two phases with a ‘Plan A’ and ‘Plan B.’ However, Boko Haram’s ongoing military... MORE

In March, Kenyan security agencies issued an alert for the arrest of Rashid Mwalimu, an allegedly armed and dangerous pilot linked to al-Shabaab, the Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliate in East Africa. According to the police, Mwalimu was planning terrorist strikes in Kenya as revenge for the... MORE

On April 21, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) signed agreements on security and defense amid growing threats from Islamic State in Central African Province (ISCAP), which is active in the eastern DRC. The security and defense pacts provide mechanisms for cooperation... MORE

After nearly seven months of fighting, the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region shows no sign of abating. Instead, the highly predictable has occurred: the war has metastasized into a grinding insurgency that could continue for years. The ethnic-driven conflict has the potential to destabilize not... MORE

Between late April and early May, several authoritative information outlets, including Al Arabiya (TASS, April 28) and local Sudanese sources (Sudan Tribune, May 3), argued that Sudan’s government had de facto annulled a bilateral agreement on military-technical cooperation with Russia. Reportedly, the Sudanese authorities had... MORE