At a time when Ethiopia is experiencing domestic instability, Rome is doubling down on its support for Abiy Ahmed — a bold move that combines opportunity with significant political risk. The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s visit on 27–28 July 2025 — which marks her second trip in two years
Ethiopia today is characterized by growing fragmentation and eruptions of violence since the catastrophic Tigray war. The civil war, which lasted from 2020 to 2022, has claimed more than 500,000 soldiers and 360,000 civilians, making it one of the deadliest conflicts since the end of the Cold War. Beyond the
In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan speaks with Dr. Joshua Walker about the current conflict and peace dynamics in the Eastern DRC. Following M23’s capture of Goma and Bukavu in late January 2025, Dr. Walker starts by describing the state of the current peace processes. Highlighting the
Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre’s recent visit to Las Anood was heralded as a historic event, eliciting a mix of positive reactions from supporters of national unity and strong negative reactions from Somaliland. However, rather than consolidating the Somali state-building process and promoting greater dialogue with the newly elected
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is exceptionally rich in natural resources. It has 200 million acres of cultivable land and the world’s second-largest rainforest. It is home to an immensely diverse flora and fauna, and – as is notoriously known – is also rich in mineral resources. However, the
Amidst threats to U.S. interests in the Red Sea and competition for regional influence, the United States must reassess its military posture in the Horn of Africa. The Horn of Africa, which includes Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, sits at the junction of global trade and strategic competition, commanding access
Similar to other current global crises – such as those in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Democratic Republic of Congo – the conflict in Sudan appears difficult to resolve through negotiations. There are two main factors contributing to this difficulty. First, both parties view the conflict through a zero-sum
Our Non-Resident Fellow Federico Donelli published on The Conversation Africa about the role of Middle Eastern monarchies powers in Sudan, exploring how their interventions, interests, and alignments have affected the battlefield and peace efforts. Read the full article here.
On February 01, 2025, the United States (U.S.) conducted an airstrike against the Islamic State.[1] This was the first major military operation under the new administration in the U.S. But what is more interesting is that the target of the attack was in northern Somalia; the semi-autonomous region of Puntland
On 30th January, the French troops stationed in Chad completed their withdrawal. For the first time in more than sixty years, France had no soldiers on Chadian soil. This withdrawal is in line with similar actions in other countries with historical links to France, such as Niger, Mali and Burkina
Donald Trump’s victory has inevitably prompted a general reflection on how his administration will affect American foreign policy and global dynamics. Most of the discussion are focusing on the possible scenarios in the two active conflicts, Ukraine and the Middle East. However, there is no lack of thoughts on other
In recent years, Russian mercenaries in West Africa have gained considerable notoriety for, on the one hand, propping up post-coup military juntas and, on the other hand, suffering setbacks when supporting those juntas’ counter-insurgency efforts. For example, 87 Russian fighters who were part of Africa Corps (formerly known as Wagner
