Rwanda’s military dominance in the Great Lakes Region deters countries from sending troops to help stabilise eastern DRC. In early December 2025, the M23-Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) coalition, supported by the Rwanda Defence Force, took control of Kamanyola, a strategic town on the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Burundi….
The 2025 US National Security Strategy recasts Africa from partner to price tag in a transactional, resource-driven era of great-power rivalry. Amid a turbulent start to the year and the emergence of the ‘Donroe Doctrine’, global policymakers are adjusting to an increasingly muscular, interventionist United States (US) intent on setting the rules. The doctrine is…
Peter Walsh, MD of CommsCloud. For years, connectivity was viewed merely as a basic utility − a necessary pipe to keep the lights on. In 2026, this mindset must fundamentally change. The dawn of truly intelligent, autonomous and prescriptive operational intelligence across Africa is dependent on a single truth: Connectivity must be treated as a…
IBM’s Q quantum computer South Africa is not paying enough attention to the threat future quantum computers could pose to cybersecurity and national key points such as water infrastructure and power stations. This is according to Noelle van der Waag-Cowling, cyber programme lead at the Security Institute for Governance and Leadership (Sigla) at Stellenbosch University,…
On November 5, the Trump administration unveiled the new National Security Strategy (NSS) for the United States. Since the passage of the Goldwater-Nichols Act in 1986, presidents have been required by Congress to provide an NSS. Waiting for this strategic guidance has become a routine across parts of the US government, and the document’s release…
US President Donald Trump’s new foreign policy focuses less on aid and more on trade with African countries, specifically on raw materials. Could this be a wake-up call for Africa to become more economically independent? With the newNational Security Strategy, US President Donald Trump is clearly focusing less on development programs for Africa and more on securing…
Gen. David Petraeus, Former CIA Director, Fmr. Central Commander and American commander in Iraq. Adam Jeffery | CNBC The White House’s new national security strategy gave Europe a scare last week as it warned the region faced “civilizational erasure” and questioned whether it could remain a geopolitical partner for America. The document shocked allies on the…
The first official National Security Strategy (NSS) of the second Trump administration, dated November 2025 and publicly issued in early December 2025, is a document that some will hate and some will love. But many will scratch their heads in bewilderment as they try to determine what it means for global security for the next…
China has gained a dominant position in Africa’s critical minerals sector through long-term investments in mining and refining capacity–factors that make it challenging for African countries to advance up the value chain. Global demand for critical minerals–nickel, graphite, manganese, cobalt, copper, lithium, and rare earth minerals–used in defense and aerospace systems, electronic vehicles (EV), semiconductors,…
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg makes a keynote speech at the Meta Connect annual event at the company’s headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on Sept. 25, 2024. Manuel Orbegozo | Reuters Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was so optimistic last year about his company’s Llama family of artificial intelligence models that he predicted they would become the…
