AFRICA BULLETIN — ISSUE 02

Executive Summary

Africa’s strategic environment is increasingly defined by the convergence of conflict, resource sovereignty, energy security and geopolitical competition. This week, diplomatic initiatives in Sudan, the DRC and the Sahel continued, but armed groups maintained independent military and financial momentum, limiting the impact of political processes. At the same time, states are expanding control over strategic resources while remaining dependent on foreign capital, technology and security partnerships. Niger’s resource nationalization alongside deeper Algerian cooperation, the DRC’s mineral ambitions amid energy constraints, and Libya’s renewed opening to international energy companies illustrate this emerging model. External powers are increasingly competing across multiple domains simultaneously. Algeria, Türkiye, Russia and Morocco are expanding their influence through interconnected diplomatic, security and commercial instruments, while investment continues to enter high-risk resource corridors. Africa’s geopolitical balance is therefore increasingly shaped not by individual countries, but by strategic corridors linking security, energy and mineral interests.