The situation in the Great Lakes region of Africa is one of the major Geopolitical Risks that will continue into 2024. We saw evidence of that on December 23, 2023, with another attack taking place.
Iran's recent military actions across the Middle East represent a significant escalation in regional tensions. An attack on Pakistan, however, represents a new level of escalation.
The announcement made on New Year’s Day that Ethiopia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Somaliland covering several areas may have created the first major geopolitical risk of 2024. The next few months in the Horn of Africa will be both concerning and an issue to watch.
One of the best ways to describe the events in the Sahel in 2023 is that the region slouched from one crisis to another.
The security challenges in the Sahel are continuing the trajectory of moving southwards towards the Gulf of Guinea. And it appears that a new flashpoint may be arising as well.
India has solidified its standing as a major global force, whose advice on matters of war and peace would be heeded and whose voice of reason brought the mystical Indian idea of "one world, one family" to life.
The road forward for the United States in Africa will not be easy. Africa is a key partner both strategically and is also a key economic partner. But these are relationships that are sorely needed in a chaotic world.
In Pakistan, a mere accusation of blasphemy can be a death sentence. Even if the accused is eventually acquitted, they may still face persecution and violence. This is because the blasphemy laws are often used as a tool to settle personal scores or to target religious minorities.
When it comes to sudden and often violent changes in government, there is a saying that suggests that it is not essential who carried out the event, but who paid for it. The immediate future for Niger is looking bleak. The Sahel will suffer, as will Nigeria and Europe.
The events in Niamey that occurred on July 26th caught some analysts by surprise but if one looks at the situation in the Sahel as a whole one should not have been.