Deep, structured explainers on conflicts, power, and change. Written beyond the headlines, updated as events develop.
The conflict that shattered Africa's third-largest country. What started it, who the RSF and SAF are, the human catastrophe, and whether peace is possible.
Read explainer →Ethiopia's two-year civil war, one of the deadliest of the 21st century. Its causes, catastrophic human cost, and what remains unresolved after Pretoria.
GeopoliticsHow a landlocked giant's urgent need for a coastline is reshaping Horn of Africa politics, from Somaliland to Eritrea to Djibouti.
Crisis RiskOil, the Red Sea, and UAE investment. Tracing how Gulf instability creates a direct impact chain into the Horn of Africa.
Border SecurityRefugee flows, RSF proximity, and Africa's largest dam: how the war in Sudan is quietly destabilising Ethiopia's western border region.
InsurgencyDrone strikes, AU troops, and billions in counterterrorism spending have not ended it. This explainer examines Al-Shabaab's resilience, its revenue model, and what the ATMIS withdrawal really means.
Water & GeopoliticsEthiopia's GERD has put it in direct conflict with Egypt over the Nile. Why fifteen years of talks have failed, and what war, deal, or stalemate looks like.
DemocracyThe world's newest country has postponed its first general elections twice already. This explainer assesses what's blocking them and what failure would mean.
Crisis & StabilityFive overlapping emergencies: armed violence, a broken election system, mass displacement, critical food insecurity, and climate shocks, and how each one is making the others worse.
Border & HistoryThe 1998–2000 war, the boundary commission ruling that awarded Badme to Eritrea, the 2018 Nobel peace deal, and why the border still has no physical markers — essential context for the Horn's most dangerous bilateral relationship.