In 2026, Africa–China relations are shifting toward a more balanced, strategic partnership. African countries aim to make debt more sustainable, develop local industrialization and value addition, and strengthen transparency in cooperation. China focuses on securing critical minerals, expanding diplomatic influence, and promoting security cooperation, while African nations seek to limit militarization and increase economic autonomy. Industrialization, especially in electric vehicles and battery production, is a central priority. Monitoring mechanisms, such as the African Peer Review Mechanism (MAEP), and civil society engagement aim to enhance governance and project effectiveness. Africa plays a strategic global role due to its resources, youthful population, and diplomatic weight in the UN and G20. The future partnership envisions joint ventures, increased technology transfer, and investments that create jobs and retain local value.

Development, Cooperation, Public debt

This study analyzes Early Warning Systems (EWS) in West Africa and their role in preventing and managing security, social, and climate-related crises. Based on field research conducted in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Togo with 120 key stakeholders, it examines the ECOWARN regional network as well as national and community-based mechanisms. The report highlights the importance of multilateral cooperation, rapid information circulation, and coordination between local, national, and regional levels. It also identifies persistent governance challenges, data-sharing constraints, and the diversity of system users. The gradual integration of artificial intelligence into data analysis emerges as a key innovation to enhance anticipation and response capacities. Overall, the interconnection of EWS strengthens regional resilience and reinforces West African multilateralism in the face of complex and evolving risks.

Politics, Political party, Natural ressources, Security, Education, Gold, Human security, Information, Donnée, water

This article analyzes the evolution of Malian civil society within the political transition initiated in 2020. Amid profound institutional reforms, the dissolution of political parties in 2025, and a perceived shrinking of civic space, civil society faces a strategic turning point. The study provides a typological mapping of actors (human rights organizations, youth movements, women’s associations, trade unions, religious organizations, think tanks, and diaspora groups) and examines their contribution to state refoundation reforms. It highlights tensions between collaboration and autonomy, support for transitional authorities and counter-power functions. The article also emphasizes major structural challenges: dependency on external funding, organizational weaknesses, internal fragmentation, and political ambiguities. Despite these constraints, civil society remains a key actor in social cohesion and civic participation. The analysis concludes that its future will depend on its adaptability, financial resilience, and ability to clarify its democratic positioning.

Politics, Political party, State, Natural ressources, Security, Justice, Education, Gold, Social, Civil Society

This article examines the emergence of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), created in 2023 by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger following a series of military coups. The author situates the AES within the broader trajectory of Sahelian securitization, rooted in counterterrorism strategies implemented since the early 2000s. Drawing on securitization and resilience theories, the study argues that AES regimes promote a form of “maintenance resilience,” aimed at preserving an already securitized political order rather than addressing the structural drivers of insecurity. Despite official narratives emphasizing sovereignty, rupture, and anti-imperialism, the Alliance largely reproduces existing security logics and dependencies, particularly through new external military partnerships. The analysis highlights how the dominance of security-based governance reinforces the suspension of democratic processes and limits prospects for political transformation. Ultimately, the article questions the capacity of the AES to provide a sustainable and inclusive response to the Sahel’s multidimensional crises.

Politics, Political party, State, Governance, Natural ressources, Security, Political Violence, Gold, Human security, Violence, Threat

This article examines the impact of the suspension of USAID activities on Nigeria’s health ecosystem, with a particular focus on HIV and malaria programmes, health workforce stability, and domestic health financing. Based on key informant interviews with government officials, civil society organisations, and implementing partners, the study highlights how the abrupt funding cuts led to service disruptions, medicine stock-outs, layoffs of health workers, and weakened monitoring and prevention mechanisms. These effects were especially severe in states heavily reliant on external donor funding. Despite these challenges, the article documents adaptive responses by Nigerian authorities and partners, including budget reallocations, engagement with new donors, and increased emphasis on domestic resource mobilisation. The author argues that the crisis exposes the structural vulnerability of health systems dependent on a single donor and calls for more resilient, diversified, and nationally anchored financing strategies. The article concludes with policy recommendations aimed at strengthening sustainability and preparedness within Nigeria’s health sector.

State, Economic Development, Conflict, Development, Donor, Threat, Aid, Knowlege production, EMPLOYMENT, Funding

This policy brief examines the consequences of the withdrawal of USAID from migration-related activities in Mauritania in 2025. Although USAID was not the country’s largest donor, its exit weakened several key programmes supporting youth resilience, social cohesion, refugee protection and food security. The sudden suspension of funding led to the interruption of flagship projects such as Nafoore and Tamkeen, with significant impacts on local NGOs, UN agencies and municipalities, particularly in migration hotspots like Hodh El Chargui. The analysis highlights that USAID’s withdrawal occurred alongside strengthened European migration control policies, increasing the risk of human rights violations against migrants. While other donors (European Union, KOICA, Italian cooperation) have partially filled the gap, coordination remains limited and fragmented. The policy brief calls for diversification of funding sources, stronger national institutional capacities, and an integrated migration–development–protection approach to ensure the sustainability of migration governance and support mechanisms in Mauritania.

Economic Development, Migration, Natural ressources, Security, Justice, Education, Gold, Human security, Social, Funding

The article “Far from the battle of narratives and passions: exploring the lived experiences of populations in besieged localities in Mali” draws on the research study Living under blockade: areas under JNIM influence in Mali, conducted by Mahamadou Bassirou Tangara and Ibrahima Poudiougou. The study examines the impact of blockades imposed by jihadist armed groups, particularly the Katiba Macina affiliated with JNIM, on civilian populations in central Mali. Using a qualitative and comparative methodology in the Mopti and Ségou regions, the authors document the severe consequences of these blockades: isolation, collapse of economic activities, targeted violence, restrictions on movement, social fragmentation, and school closures. The article highlights blockade as a long-term strategy of territorial control with devastating effects on daily life, far beyond military considerations. By centering local voices and lived experiences, the research moves away from ideological narratives and provides grounded insights that are essential for informing political and security decision-making in Mali.

Politics, Governance, Security, Crisis, Groupes armés

The article “Massive student failures in Benin’s faculties: the difficult beginnings of university reforms”, written by Florent Houessinon, examines the deep crisis affecting public higher education in Benin, highlighted by extremely low success rates, particularly at the University of Abomey-Calavi. At the Faculty of Law and Political Science (FADESP), academic year 2020–2021 data show success rates below 5% in some programs. Several factors are identified, including overcrowded classrooms, weak teaching practices, lack of teacher evaluation, outdated curricula, exam fraud, and the lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In response, the Beninese government launched a broad reform agenda in 2021, focusing on university governance, teacher recruitment and evaluation, and the creation of ethics and oversight bodies. While these reforms aim to improve academic quality and accountability, the article stresses that they face significant challenges due to entrenched practices and deep structural weaknesses within the university system.

Politics, Governance, Education, Réforme