A recent series of express kidnappings in Johannesburg,conducted under the guise of the convenient Uber taxi service, points to a new kidnapping threat in the country, writes Grant Caswell
The encroachment of neighbouring insurgencies on Niger seems inevitable, with militants in the north and south east seemingly determined to carry out renewed attacks against Nigerien interests, write Gabrielle Reid and Grant Caswell
The conflict in South Sudan no longer involves two distinct sides, but has become eclipsed in the shadow of numerous armed groups as the wider political elite take up arms to secure their own political positions, writes Gabrielle Reid
Despite several calls for local militants to join the ranks of Islamic State,traction in East Africa has been limited to date. However, the group nowlooks to be on the road to greater success in the region,writes Gabrielle Reid
According to Reporters San Frontières (RSF), at the start of 2017, 178 journalists were imprisoned across the world, with 23 of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. With a worsening conflict in South Sudan and a state of emergency facilitating a greater government clampdown in Ethiopia, the number of cases is likely to remain high.
Uganda has long been a key player in military interventions in the East Africa region. The February 2017 decision to rule out military intervention in neighbouring South Sudan, however, could shed new light on a pending shift in Uganda's regional involvement, writes Gabrielle Reid
Given the fractured security and political environment in the DRC, the likelihood of more brazen and sophisticated kidnappings targeting foreign nationals appears to be increasing, writes Gabrielle Reid
Although April 2017 will be an important month in South Africa's democratic trajectory, decisions within the ruling party, expected to come to the fore in December 2017, remain the primary determinant in the country's future, writes Gabrielle Reid
A two-year downturn in the People's Republic of China's (PRC) trade with, and investment in, Sub-Saharan Africa, has seen Turkey emerge as a new player in the continent through its pursuit of a non-coercive ‘soft power' approach, writes Thomas Parker