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Africa in Transition

Michelle Gavin, Ebenezer Obadare, and other experts track political and security developments across sub-Saharan Africa.

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A delegate walks next to African Union (AU) member states’ flags ahead of the 38th Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union at the African Union Commission headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 14, 2025.
A delegate walks next to African Union (AU) member states’ flags ahead of the 38th Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union at the African Union Commission headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 14, 2025. Tiksa Negeri/REUTERS
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South Sudan is a Test for the African Union

by Michelle Gavin April 2, 2025

The time for conflict prevention is rapidly expiring. 

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Sub-Saharan Africa
A Question of Freedom
When it comes to African development, foreign aid is just the beginning.
Post by Ebenezer Obadare March 31, 2025 Africa in Transition
Zimbabwe
Familiar Unrest in Zimbabwe
A potential coup against President Mnangagwa offers little prospect of real change. 
Post by Michelle Gavin March 28, 2025 Africa in Transition
Democratic Republic of Congo
What’s Next for the Democratic Republic of Congo?
Start-and-stop diplomacy continues against a backdrop of humanitarian disaster.
Post by Michelle Gavin March 19, 2025 Africa in Transition
  • Ethiopia
    Alarm Bells in Tigray
    Tigray seems headed for a resumption of hostilities. It might also become the proving ground for America First foreign policy.
    Post by Michelle Gavin March 13, 2025 Africa in Transition
  • Burkina Faso
    Prince of the Sahel
    Beneath the ideological bluster, Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré is just the latest in a long line of African martial impostors.
    Post by Ebenezer Obadare March 3, 2025 Africa in Transition
  • Sudan
    The Abandonment of Sudan
    Partition in Sudan is no solution for a sustainable peace.
    Post by Michelle Gavin February 26, 2025 Africa in Transition
  • U.S. Foreign Policy
    Uncle Sam Goes Rogue
    President Trump’s coddling of Vladimir Putin sends the wrong message about U.S. leadership in the world. 
    Post by Ebenezer Obadare February 24, 2025 Africa in Transition
  • South Africa
    Trump’s Misguided Policy Toward South Africa
    The U.S.-South Africa relationship needs a rethink. But the Trump administration’s approach is only making a bad situation worse.  
    Post by Michelle Gavin February 12, 2025 Africa in Transition
  • United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
    America's Disastrous Foreign Aid Withdrawal
    The dismantling of USAID erodes the United States’ already limited influence on the continent. 
    Post by Michelle Gavin February 6, 2025 Africa in Transition
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
    The Fall of Goma
    As civilians in Goma once again flee chaos, leaders fail to take responsibility for the crisis. 
    Post by Michelle Gavin January 28, 2025 Africa Program