Africa

Coverage across North, West, East, Central, and Southern Africa, from insurgency to interstate tension.

99 Dispatches

Is Abiy Ahmed the Most Dangerous Man in Africa? Ethiopia on the Brink
Conflicts & Crises

Is Abiy Ahmed the Most Dangerous Man in Africa? Ethiopia on the Brink

How Ethiopia's Nobel Peace laureate Abiy Ahmed presided over the deadly Tigray War and now risks plunging the entire Horn of Africa into collapse.

Simon Whistler · June 2, 2026
The Battle of Mogadishu: Anatomy of Black Hawk Down
Conflicts & Crises

The Battle of Mogadishu: Anatomy of Black Hawk Down

How a routine snatch-and-grab raid in 1993 Mogadishu became the longest US firefight since Vietnam, and the strategic defeat that reshaped American policy.

Simon Whistler · June 2, 2026
Conflicts to Watch in 2026: The World's Flashpoints Go Hot
Geopolitics & Strategy

Conflicts to Watch in 2026: The World's Flashpoints Go Hot

A region-by-region forecast of 2026's most dangerous flashpoints, from Venezuela and Ecuador to Syria, the Horn of Africa, Sudan, Ukraine, and Taiwan.

Simon Whistler · June 2, 2026
The 21st Century's Deadliest Conflicts, Ranked by Death Toll
Conflicts & Crises

The 21st Century's Deadliest Conflicts, Ranked by Death Toll

A continent-by-continent accounting of the 21st century's deadliest wars, ranked by direct death toll—from the Second Congo War to Ethiopia's Tigray War.

Simon Whistler · June 2, 2026
Ethiopia Has Entered Sudan's War: How Two of the Century's Worst Conflicts Could Merge
Conflicts & Crises

Ethiopia Has Entered Sudan's War: How Two of the Century's Worst Conflicts Could Merge

How Ethiopia's covert backing of the RSF and the fall of Kurmuk threaten to merge Sudan's civil war with the Tigray War into a regional mega-war.

Simon Whistler · June 2, 2026
How a Harris Presidency Would Reshape the World's Conflicts
Geopolitics & Strategy

How a Harris Presidency Would Reshape the World's Conflicts

A defense analysis of how a Kamala Harris administration might handle Taiwan, Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, drawing on her record and expert assessment.

Simon Whistler · June 2, 2026
The Islamic State's Quiet Resurgence: A Global Network Rebuilt for the Shadows
Conflicts & Crises

The Islamic State's Quiet Resurgence: A Global Network Rebuilt for the Shadows

Stripped of its caliphate, the Islamic State has gone global, online, and underground—expanding from Somalia to Syria to the Sahel while the world looks away.

Simon Whistler · June 2, 2026
Could JNIM Build a Caliphate in West Africa? Inside the Sahel's Most Formidable Jihadist Group
Conflicts & Crises

Could JNIM Build a Caliphate in West Africa? Inside the Sahel's Most Formidable Jihadist Group

JNIM is the Sahel's dominant jihadist group, controlling more territory than ever. We examine whether it could declare a caliphate in West Africa.

Simon Whistler · June 2, 2026
Could JNIM Build a Caliphate in West Africa? Inside the Sahel's Most Formidable Jihadist Group
Conflicts & Crises

Could JNIM Build a Caliphate in West Africa? Inside the Sahel's Most Formidable Jihadist Group

An analysis of whether Al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM could declare a caliphate in West Africa, and the money, manpower, and rivals that decide its fate.

Simon Whistler · June 2, 2026
Joe Biden's Foreign Policy Legacy: The Tarnished Record of America's 46th President
Geopolitics & Strategy

Joe Biden's Foreign Policy Legacy: The Tarnished Record of America's 46th President

A region-by-region assessment of Joe Biden's foreign policy, from the Afghanistan withdrawal and Ukraine to the Middle East, China, Haiti, and Africa.

Simon Whistler · June 2, 2026
Is Mali About to Collapse? The Coordinated Offensive That Shook Bamako
Conflicts & Crises

Is Mali About to Collapse? The Coordinated Offensive That Shook Bamako

A multi-city insurgent offensive killed Mali's defense minister and forced Russian forces to retreat, raising the question of whether the junta can survive.

Simon Whistler · June 2, 2026
Mogadishu Rising: Somalia's New Alliances and the Proxy War Taking Shape
Geopolitics & Strategy

Mogadishu Rising: Somalia's New Alliances and the Proxy War Taking Shape

Somalia's federal government is consolidating power through new foreign alliances, drawing the Horn of Africa into a fast-heating regional proxy conflict.

Simon Whistler · June 2, 2026