Conflict & Security

Motorists and businesses in Kenya are facing mounting disruption after the government announced a temporary waiver of fuel quality standards, responding to severe shortages triggered by the war in the Middle East. The decision, announced by the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry, allows fuel retailers to sell higher-sulphur petroleum products for six months, a

The shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia, which the international naval coalition spent years and enormous resources to make safe, are beginning to look dangerous again. In the past six weeks, three commercial vessels have been attacked in the Indian Ocean. Two have been held. One, the MT Honour 25, a product tanker registered

Burkina Faso’s Council of Ministers adopted a draft law on April 24 that would create a military reserve force of up to 100,000 reservists by the end of 2026. Defence Minister Célestin Simporé presented the initiative as a landmark expansion of citizen participation in national defence — a way to rapidly mobilize ordinary Burkinabè to

The images streaming out of Mali over the past week have been startling: black smoke rising over military bases, Al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters hoisting flags beside Tuareg separatist commanders, and checkpoints appearing on roads leading into Bamako. It is a remarkable convergence — two forces that have fought each other for years now fighting together, or at

The IMF projects Angola’s public debt will hit its legal ceiling in the medium term despite current high oil prices, urging debt reduction over expanded spending.

Somali pirate networks dormant since the mid-2010s are reactivating as the US-Israel war on Iran diverts naval assets from the Western Indian Ocean, creating a dangerous gap in patrol coverage.

Burkina Faso’s plan to recruit 100,000 reservists by the end of 2026 raises serious human rights concerns given the documented abuses by the existing VDP civilian auxiliaries programme, analysts warn.