Africa Security News: Ethiopia, Sudan, Sahel and Somalia
Sourced reporting on the Ethiopia-Eritrea standoff, Sudan's war, the Sahel, Somalia and the DRC, with a daily War Room report.
- 1reports
- Oct 10, 2026latest report
- Oct 10, 2026first report
Overview
Africa’s security crises are tracked here through our daily Africa Security Update in the War Room. The first edition, published October 10, 2026, covers the standoff between Ethiopia and Eritrea, where each government has written to the UN Security Council; the war in Sudan, including a drone strike on a displacement camp in Blue Nile that a rights group says killed 41 people; Mali’s army entering Kidal; the fight against al-Shabaab in Somalia; ISWAP attacks in Nigeria’s Borno State; and M23 fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Each report attributes claims to the party that made them, separates confirmed facts from allegations, and includes a War Crimes and Civilian Harm section. Use this page as a map: start with the investigation and explainers below, then read the latest reports, then browse the archive.
Overview written by Peter’s World from the reports and sources linked on this page; it contains no figures that are not attributed in those reports.
Start here: key explainers
- Wagner Group in Mali: Alleged War Crimes, Evidence and DenialsOur investigation into allegations, the evidence cited and the denials.
- Bab al-Mandab Control Disputed: Who Holds Perim IslandThe Red Sea strait beside the Horn of Africa, with competing claims side by side.
- War Room: Africa theatreDaily Africa Security Update with map and key takeaways.
- Africa archiveEvery Africa post in one place.
- Geopolitics Calendar 2026–2027Dates and deadlines to watch across theatres.
- History explainersBackground for the conflicts behind the headlines.
Featured latest report
Africa Security Update — October 10, 2026
Africa security update for Oct 10, 2026: Ethiopia and Eritrea trade accusations at the UN, an RSF drone strike kills 41 in Blue Nile, and Mali retakes Kidal.
Browse by subtopic
Latest Africa coverage
The newest Africa Security Update and other Africa reports, newest first. Each daily update opens with Key Takeaways and ends with a six-lens analysis, and every sentence carries a numbered source footnote.
What we cover
Horn of Africa. The standoff between Ethiopia and Eritrea, fighting in Tigray, Red Sea access, and Somalia, including al-Shabaab and U.S. strikes announced by AFRICOM. For the nearby strait, see our report on who holds Perim Island.
Sudan. The war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, attacks on civilians, UN Security Council sanctions and humanitarian funding.
Sahel and Nigeria. Mali’s northern front, the role of Russian forces, and jihadist violence in Nigeria’s northeast. Our investigation, Wagner Group in Mali: Alleged War Crimes, Evidence and Denials, sets out the allegations and the denials.
Democratic Republic of the Congo. Fighting between M23 and Congolese forces, UN reporting on abuses, and regional mediation.
How to read the daily update
Claims by a party to a conflict are attributed and tagged as reported. Facts, allegations and our own analysis are kept apart. Each report has a War Crimes and Civilian Harm section that labels allegations as allegations, and it notes the countries and topics for which we found no verified item in the window.
Sources we open first
- U.S. Africa Command press releases: U.S. strikes and statements
- UN News: Africa: UN reporting by region
- UN Security Council meetings coverage: briefings and debates
- Critical Threats: Africa File: weekly analysis of the continent’s conflicts
