Africa Conflict-Diplomacy Daily Brief - 16 April, 2026

Executive Summary

The security environment across West Africa and the Horn of Africa remains highly volatile. JNIM continues to demonstrate operational capability through IED attacks in Mali and coordinated assaults on military positions in Burkina Faso. In Nigeria, intelligence indicating a planned large-scale attack, combined with ongoing kidnappings and local violence, points to persistent and multi-layered security vulnerabilities. In Somalia, military pressure is intensifying. AFRICOM airstrikes and joint operations between Somali and Jubaland forces indicate a sustained kinetic campaign against al-Shabaab and ISIS-Somalia. At the same time, Israel’s engagement with Somaliland has triggered diplomatic tensions, highlighting sensitivities Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In Central Africa, despite diplomatic efforts between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, mutual accusations and claims by M23 suggest that conflict dynamics on the ground remain unresolved.