Secret Documents Reveal Russia’s Foreign Influence Strategy in Africa
[A total of 76 internal documents from the “Company,” a network of experts tasked with orchestrating Russia’s influence campaigns, were leaked to the pan-African media outlet The Continent.] These files, comprising 1,431 pages in Russian, include strategic plans, employee biographies, operational reports, accounting records and summaries of [Russian influence] campaigns carried out between January and November 2024. … Moscow has identified a distinct approach for rallying much of the African continent to its cause: exploiting resentment towards the former colonial powers and their allies, particularly France. From the very first pages, the roadmap is explicit. The aim is to undermine “the image of Western countries as reliable political and military partners”; “to turn the neocolonialism of France, the United Kingdom and the United States into an object of international controversy”; and “to disrupt the military logistics of AFRICOM,” the U.S. military command for Africa. The ultimate goal is plainly stated: “The Company is currently working on a plan to reformat the African space, with the creation of a belt of regimes friendly to the Russian Federation.” Forbidden Stories
Takeaways from the 39th AU Summit
The 39th African Union (AU) summit of heads of state concluded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday. Global leaders, including Antonio Guterres, United Nations (UN) secretary general, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, were in attendance, with topics of debt cancellation and financial justice for African countries echoing in their speeches. African leaders also united in pressing for health sovereignty and greater equity in their engagement with Western nations, while acknowledging the need for internal reforms to transform the AU from a forum of commitments into an institution of concrete action. … The two-day summit was held under the theme ‘Assuring sustainable water availability and safe sanitation systems to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063’. … In a press conference closing the summit, [AU Commission Chairman Mahmoud Youssouf] acknowledged that most of the deliberations revolved around peace and security on the continent. The Cable
AU Reshuffles Peace and Security Council as Conflicts Deepen Across Africa
African Union foreign ministers have reconstituted the Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the 2026–2028 term, ushering in a mix of returning incumbents and new entrants at a time when conflicts across the continent are deepening rather than receding. The new line-up sees Morocco clinch the North African seat after defeating Libya, while the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon represent Central Africa. Somalia and Uganda take the two Eastern Africa slots, Lesotho and South Africa fill the Southern region, and Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone occupy West Africa’s three seats. The reshuffle amounts to a recalibration of the continent’s principal security bench just as instability from the Sahel to the Horn continues to test the Union’s crisis-management capacity. Kenyan Foreign Policy
Somalia Says UAE Halts Security Support after Agreements Scrapped
Somalia’s foreign minister said the United Arab Emirates has halted its security assistance to the Horn of Africa nation after Mogadishu formally withdrew from bilateral agreements between the two countries. Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali told reporters that the Emirati support had been largely focused on the military and security institutions. “Most of the support provided by the UAE was concentrated in the security sector. Since the agreements were terminated, there is no clear basis for that assistance to continue,” he said. In January, the Federal Government of Somalia announced it had nullified all agreements with the United Arab Emirates, including those related to security cooperation, accusing Abu Dhabi of interference in matters undermining Somalia’s sovereignty and unity. Despite the suspension of security support, Abdisalam said diplomatic relations between the two countries remain intact. He noted that the Somali embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Emirati mission in Mogadishu continue to operate normally, signaling that broader bilateral ties have not been severed. Garowe Online
Turkey, Ethiopia Sign Energy Cooperation Accord during Erdogan Visit
Turkey and Ethiopia signed a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation during a visit by President Tayyip Erdogan to Addis Ababa on Tuesday, the Turkish Energy Ministry said, adding the accord would lead to joint production and projects. Erdogan held a one-day visit to Addis Ababa on Tuesday upon Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s invitation, his first to Ethiopia in 11 years. The accord was signed at a ceremony after talks between the two leaders. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said it would serve as a roadmap to deepen cooperation. The ministry said in a note that under the agreement, the two countries would develop projects in renewable energy and energy efficiency, and would cooperate on the production and installation of hydroelectric power plant equipment and electric turbines. Turkey has close ties with Ethiopia. In 2024 Ankara helped resolve a dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia on Addis Ababa’s plan to build a port in the breakaway region of Somaliland. Reuters
Sudan Drone Warfare Kills Thousands as Both Sides Secure Advanced Technology
Drones have claimed thousands of lives during the ongoing war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with their geographical use expanding across various battles and leading to heavy casualties and the destruction of vital infrastructure. Both parties are intensely competing to acquire various unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technologies to achieve breakthroughs across the country. New types of drones have entered Sudan for the first time during this conflict, including the lethal Chinese-made CH-95 or FH-95 models. Technically, the use of FPV and Kamikaze suicide drones has spread between both sides, with heavy usage observed in Khartoum, Al-Jazirah, El Fasher, and other regions. … The war in Sudan during 2024 and 2025 has seen a radical shift toward drone warfare, with the scope of targeting expanding to include all states. Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) attributes at least 2,200 deaths to drone attacks since the start of the conflict, with 80% of those occurring in 2025 alone. Field monitoring indicates an escalating pace of attacks, with approximately 277 drone strikes recorded in 2024. This number rose sharply to 472 attacks in 2025, reflecting a growing reliance on this technology. Sudan Tribune
France and Algeria Agree to Resume Security Cooperation
France and Algeria agreed on Tuesday, February 17, to restart security cooperation during a visit to Algiers by French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, marking the first sign of a thaw in diplomatic ties. After meeting with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Nuñez said both sides had agreed to “reactivate a high-level security cooperation mechanism.” The visit took place against a backdrop of strained relations between France and its former colony, frayed since 2024 when Paris officially backed Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region, where Algeria supports the pro-independence Polisario Front. Nuñez said Monday had been devoted to working sessions aimed at “restoring normal security relations,” including cooperation in judicial matters, policing and intelligence. … Before traveling, Nuñez said he intended to raise “all security issues,” including drug trafficking and counterterrorism. Algeria plays a key role in the latter, sharing borders with junta-led Niger and Mali, both gripped by jihadist violence. Le Monde with AFP
Zimbabwe War Veterans Challenge Mnangagwa Term Extension in Court
Veterans of Zimbabwe’s liberation war mounted a court challenge on Tuesday to proposed changes to the constitution that would extend presidential terms from five years to seven, allowing President Emmerson Mnangagwa to stay in office until 2030. Mnangagwa, 83, was meant to step down in 2028, after serving two five-year terms. There has been a succession battle in the ruling ZANU-PF party over how to replace him. The president came to power after a 2017 military coup ousted post-independence leader Robert Mugabe. The latter’s 37 years in power were strongly supported by the veterans who helped him defeat white minority rule before independence from Britain in 1980. The challenge, by six veterans, alleges that the changes, which also include a provision that the president be elected by parliament rather than through a direct popular vote, are unconstitutional. … Lovemore Madhuku, the lawyer representing the war veterans, said the cabinet amending the constitution and putting it to a parliamentary vote – where it will face little opposition from the ZANU-PF majority that controls both houses – rather than holding a referendum, defied constitutional norms. Reuters
Beijing Offers 53 African Countries Tariff-free Trade Access
China will scrap tariffs for 53 African countries from May 1. The continent’s biggest trade partner already has a zero-tarriff policy for imports from 33 African countries but decided to expand the offering last year. … Eswatini is the only African country that will miss out on the tariff-free access as it maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which Beijing views as a breakaway province of China. Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced the zero-tariff expansion as African leaders gathered in Addis Ababa for the annual African Union summit, saying it would “undoubtedly provide new opportunities for African development.” Semafor
Kenyan Activist Fears For Life After Police Bug Phone
Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi said on Wednesday that he fears for his life after authorities installed spyware on his phone during his arrest last year. Police raided Mwangi’s house and office in July 2025, confiscating his mobile phones and computer hard drives, accusing him of “facilitation of terrorist acts”. Research by Citizen Lab at Canada’s Toronto University published on Tuesday found that a surveillance tool developed by Israeli company Cellebrite was installed on Mwangi’s phone without his consent. Cellebrite’s tool is used by law enforcement agencies worldwide to unlock smartphones and search for evidence. Amnesty has raised concerns over its use in targeting journalists and activists. … Mwangi has said he will run for the presidency in 2027 and has been at the forefront of protests against President William Ruto’s government and extrajudicial killings in the east African nation. AFP
World Copper Rush Promises New Riches for Zambia
Five years after becoming Africa’s first Covid-era debt defaulter, Zambia is seeing a dramatic turnaround in fortunes as major powers vie for access to its vast reserves of copper. Surging demand from the artificial intelligence, green energy and defence sectors has exponentially boosted demand for the workhorse metal that underpins power grids, data centres and electric vehicles. … The metal, needed for solar panels and wind turbines, generates about 15 percent of Zambia’s GDP and more than 70 percent of export earnings. Output rose eight percent last year to more than 890,000 metric tons and the government aims to triple production within a decade. Mining is driving growth that is forecast by the International Monetary Fund to reach 5.2 percent in 2025 and 5.8 percent this year, which places Zambia among the continent’s faster-growing economies. … But the rapid expansion of the heavily polluting industry has also led to warnings about risks to local communities and concerns of “pit-to-port” extraction, in which raw copper is shipped directly abroad with little domestic refining. AFP