China’s Military Footprint in Africa Deepens with People’s Liberation Army-led BRICS Naval Drills
The January 2026 Exercise “Will for Peace,” a nine-day BRICS Plus naval exercise led by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), underscored China’s growing use of military power in Africa to advance Chinese geostrategic objectives. Involving Russian, Iranian, and South African as well as Chinese naval forces off South Africa’s Western Cape, the exercises reinforce China’s role as the primary convening power of this emerging security bloc. The exercise appears to be an attempt to normalize military cooperation within BRICS Plus, without formally declaring a military alliance. Although BRICS—a loose coalition of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—was originally conceived of as an economic bloc, it has increasingly undertaken geopolitical engagements. … China’s efforts to bring African countries into its geostrategic fold through BRICS-Plus, GSI, and other China-led security platforms carry major implications for African domestic security norms, governance, and strategic autonomy. To safeguard African interests, policymakers and thought leaders must critically assess the domestic and foreign policy risks and opportunities of such alignments. Adopting such systematic and transparent assessment processes can advance the pursuit of security pathways that are consistent with African interests of nonalignment, sustainability, and citizen-centered governance. Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Islamic State Claims Attack on International Airport and Airbase in Niger
Islamic State in the Sahel has claimed responsibility for an audacious assault at the international airport and adjacent air force base in Niamey, the capital of Niger, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks jihadist activity and communications worldwide. … The regional IS affiliate has been linked to high-profile attacks in Niger in recent months, killing more than 120 people in strikes targeting the Tillabéri region in September, and abducting an American pilot in October. … Niger, which has been led by a junta since the deposition of the democratically elected Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023, has previously blamed the chaos on its neighbours Benin and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as former colonial ruler France, without presenting any supporting evidence. The Guardian
Doctors Without Borders: Sudan’s El-Fasher Largely Destroyed and Empty
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) described the city of el-Fasher, Sudan, as “largely destroyed” and “empty” after its first visit to the area since February 2025. MSF said its staff spent four hours in the city on 15 January, after being granted access to assess the needs of civilians and medical facilities. “We saw destroyed areas, largely emptied of the communities that used to live there. The regional capital now looks like a ghost town, with few civilians remaining,” MSF said in a statement this week. The organisation added that its visit was “too limited” to allow for “more than a glimpse of el-Fasher,” yet revealed the “sheer scale of the destruction that took place in the city as many of its residents were wiped out”. In October, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the North Darfur state capital after more than 550 days of siege. Middle East Eye
The Secret Egyptian Air Base Behind Sudan’s Drone War
Satellite images, flight records and videos reviewed by The New York Times, as well as interviews with American, European and Arab officials, suggest that for at least six months, advanced military drones [at a base in Southern Egypt] have been carrying out strikes in Sudan. Their target is the ruthless paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, or R.S.F., which has been battling the Sudanese military for more than 1,000 days. … Egypt, until recently, was mostly a diplomatic player in Sudan. But the drone activity suggests it has entered the fight alongside Sudan’s military, adding yet another layer to a war bursting with foreign powers on either side. … The Turkish drones are being hidden in Egypt to keep them safe, according to four American officials and one from the Middle East. … What pushed Egypt into the war, the officials say, was the fall of the Sudanese city of El Fasher, in the Darfur region, in late October. … In December, [President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt] warned that a “red line” had been crossed in Sudan, from which 1.5 million refugees had already flooded into his nation. Around that time, Turkish Akinci drones, the same type visible in satellite images of the base in southern Egypt, began to strike deep inside Sudan, hitting R.S.F. fighters and supply convoys as they wound through the desert, according to video analysis. The New York Times
Armed Extremists Kill Dozens in Northeastern Nigeria
Armed extremists in northeastern Nigeria killed dozens of people earlier [last] week in separate attacks targeting a construction site and a military installation, security officials said Saturday. Gunmen killed at least 25 construction workers during an ambush on Thursday in the town of Sabon Gari in Borno State, a senior officer of the Borno State Police Command told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Authorities in Nigeria often decline to publicly confirm death tolls in attacks, citing security concerns. “It is a devastating loss, and the hallmarks point directly to Boko Haram insurgents who have long resisted developmental projects in these areas,” the police official said. Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The insurgency now includes an offshoot of the Islamic State group known as the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP. It has spilled into Nigeria’s northern neighbors, including Niger, killing about 35,000 civilians and displacing more than 2 million people, according to the United Nations. AP
Nigerian Army Said It Killed a Boko Haram Commander and 10 Militants
The Nigerian army said Sunday it killed a top commander of Boko Haram and 10 members of the Islamic extremist group in a night raid in the northeastern part of the country. Abu Khalid, a commander of Boko Haram in the Sambisa Forest in Borno state, was a key figure within “the terrorist hierarchy, coordinating operations and logistics in the Sambisa axis,” army spokesman Sani Uba said in a statement. The soldiers attacked the Boko Haram militants on Saturday night in the Kodunga area of Borno state, Uba said, adding that weapons, food items and medical supplies were recovered from the militants. The announcement comes after Boko Haram militants killed dozens of people in two separate attacks on a construction site and military base in the northeastern state earlier [last] week. AP
Mali Fuel Tanker Convoy Destroyed in Attack Blamed on Jihadists
A convoy of several dozen tankers was set on fire in Mali in a deadly assault that local officials blamed on jihadists, the latest escalation in a fuel blockade that had calmed in recent weeks. The attack took place Thursday on a road leading from the Senegalese border to the major city of Kayes in western Mali, said the sources, several of whom reported that “dozens” of tankers were destroyed. Jihadists from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) said in a statement that they had ambushed the Malian army Thursday between the town of Diboli and Kayes, without mentioning the attack on the fuel tankers. Since September, JNIM has carried out a series of attacks on tankers as it waged a fuel blockade meant to cause shortages and strangle the landlocked country’s economy. … By additionally imposing a total blockade on several Malian cities, JNIM was able to cripple the economy, including in Bamako. … In recent months, JNIM has also carried out a series of assaults on military installations and other targets in the country, as well as attacked numerous industrial sites where it has kidnapped several civilians, mostly foreigners. AFP
Guinea-Bissau’s Opposition Leader Released From Jail After Months Behind Bars
Guinea-Bissau opposition leader Domingos Simoes Pereira was released from jail on Friday after spending months behind bars. He was one of several senior politicians imprisoned by the military after it seized power in November, overthrowing President Umaro Sissoco Embalo just days after presidential elections. The junta claimed it had acted to prevent bloodshed between supporters of rival candidates and announced it was taking control of the west African country for a period of one year. Pereira had been barred from standing in the vote. While the coup took place before official election results were released, both his preferred candidate, Fernando Dias, and Embalo had claimed victory. The disposed president subsequently fled the country. Pereira was accompanied to his home on the outskirts of the capital Bissau on Friday by security forces and the visiting Senegalese defence minister. Africanews
Madagascar Lifts Mining Permit Ban, Liberia Signs New Minerals Deal
Madagascar ended a 16-year ban on new mining permits while steelmaker ArcelorMittal extended a minerals deal with Liberia, as competition for Africa’s natural resources intensifies. The lifting of the moratorium in Madagascar applies to most minerals other than gold. The world’s second-largest island nation, where the military seized power last year, has long relied on its exports of nickel, cobalt, graphite, and ilmenite, critical minerals used to produce items such as electric-vehicle batteries and aerospace alloys. Around 1,650 mining permit applications were pending as of 2023, Reuters reported. Meanwhile, Luxembourg-headquartered ArcelorMittal negotiated an agreement with Monrovia to retain mining rights until 2050, saying it will pay the government $200 million for the extension and reserved access to railroads. The growing global scramble for critical minerals creates “new economic opportunities” for governments but also adds “political pressure” to renegotiate contracts, increasing regional tensions and security risks, the Bloomsbury Intelligence and Security Institute noted. Semafor
Cyclone Fytia in Madagascar Leaves Three Dead, Flooding Affects Nearly 30,000
Fytia made landfall near Maunga in the northwest of the country, as a tropical cyclone, with wind gusts of up to 210 km/h. … At least five people were injured, and a total of 28,368 people have been affected by the storm, including over 8,000 who have been displaced as flooding damaged or destroyed more than 7,000 homes. … Authorities have warned of a high risk of flooding due to a weakened dyke on the Sisaony river in the plains around the capital, which has been weakened by high amounts of rainfall in recent weeks. Water levels in the Sisaony rose rapidly Sunday, and were expected to continue rising throughout Monday. Last week, heavy rainfall caused a dam near the capital to partially collapse, flooding large amounts of farmland. RFI
Devastating Floods Displace Hundreds of Thousands in Southern Africa
Hundreds of thousands of people across southern Africa have been displaced from their homes after heavy rains brought some of the worst flooding the region has seen in decades. The rainy season is expected to continue for at least another month. More than 100 deaths have been confirmed so far across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Homes and farmland have been destroyed, according to the authorities. Mozambique, the hardest-hit country, has suffered damage to infrastructure, cutting off communities from critical services and disrupting the distribution of vital supplies, according to the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction. … Relief organizations there have painted a grim picture: Shortages of shelter, water, sanitation, food and health services have been reported in the provinces of Gaza, Inhambane, Sofala and Zambézia. … Forecasters said they expected further rainfall across Mozambique through at least early February, especially over northern parts of the country. The New York Times
Ghana, Google Ink AI Education Deal
Ghana is partnering with Google to develop AI-powered education tools in local languages, starting with Twi, Ewe, Dagbani, and Hausa. The program will later be scaled up to cover all 12 approved Ghanaian languages. Of the 7,000 languages used worldwide today, education instruction is limited to 351, leaving many students with huge learning gaps. A shift to bilingual and multilingual education in Africa — which is home to around 2,000 languages — rather than teaching exclusively in the colonial language, usually English or French, has already underscored the benefits of children learning in their mother tongue, the UN said. Ghana’s education minister emphasized the importance of including Hausa — spoken by around 22 million people across West Africa — in the AI initiative. “Language accessibility determines who can benefit from digital transformation,” TechAfrica News founder Akim Benamara wrote in a column last year. Semafor