Understanding politics across borders and divides
Published: July 21, 2026 Overview Niger enters 2026 under military rule, aligned with its junta-led neighbors, and losing ground to jihadist groups. General Abdourahamane Tchiani, who seized power in a July 2023 coup, was formally sworn in as president in March 2025 under a five-year transition charter that replaced the constitution and dissolved the political … Read more
Published: July 21, 2026 Overview Mali begins 2026 with a military ruler who has cemented his hold on power and a capital that jihadists have tried to starve of fuel. General Assimi Goita, who seized power in coups in 2020 and 2021, was granted a five-year presidential mandate in 2025, renewable without election. At the … Read more
Published: July 21, 2026 Overview Burkina Faso in 2026 is led by a young military captain who has become one of Africa’s most talked-about figures while presiding over the deadliest jihadist insurgency in the world. Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power in September 2022, extended his own transition, expelled French troops, and cultivated a pan-Africanist image … Read more
Published: July 21, 2026 Overview Madagascar spent late 2025 losing a president and gaining a military ruler. A youth-led protest movement over chronic water and electricity shortages grew into a national revolt, an elite army unit switched sides, and President Andry Rajoelina fled the country in October 2025. A colonel now runs the island under … Read more