sahellatest news & developments
South Africa’s department of international relations and cooperation announced its ascension to the African Union Peace and Security Council for a two-year term beginning in April 2026. (GCIS)

Peace in the ruins: South Africa, the African Union and the end of diplomatic illusion

Wars unfold in full view of the world with little consequence for the powerful and overwhelming punishment for the weak. To describe this order as functional requires a suspension of reality. The system is not reforming. It is decomposing

  • Eyaaz
10 min read
Rolex Pavilion and Exhibition : Mariam Issoufou

Built to Last: Memory, imagination, and the architecture of Mariam Issoufou

Her designs resist imitation. Her buildings whisper resilience. Mariam Issoufou is giving tradition a powerful, modern voice

  • Eyaaz
13 min read
Succes Masra gestures during a meeting of the Chadian political party Les Transformateurs. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Chad at a crossroads: turmoil and transition in the heart of the Sahel

The West African nation is at a tipping point as it grapples with a refugee influx not seen in two decades. But the possibility for a path to peace exists

  • Des Erasmus
6 min read
Vested interest: The last French troops withdrew from Niger on 22 December last year, marking an end to more than a decade of French anti-jihadist operations in West Africa’s Sahel region. Photo: Boureima Hama/AFP

Scramble for the Sahel intensifies

Why foreign powers France, Russia, China and the United States are interested in the region

  • Eyaaz
5 min read
One of the biggest difficulties the sector faces is securing permits and licences crucial for project commencement.

Russia nudges nuclear over solar

Burkina Faso and Mali may pay Rosatom to build nuclear plants. But why indenture yourself when energy emancipation is staring you in the face?

  • Des Erasmus
3 min read