Analysis
A current event examined through historical perspective and verifiable sources.
African Current Affairs & Politics
Understanding Africa beyond the news cycle.
High-level analysis of politics, economics and social change across African countries, supported by Merisphere documentary briefings.
Cheikh Hamidou Kane: the guardian of the temple has passed away
Antoine Nguidjol
Read the Tribune →Africa, the new destination for the ‘illegals’?
Sévérin Talaka
Read the article →Haiti: deported to the land of the ‘tontons-macoutes’
Élie Dorval
Read the article →United Kingdom: ‘Come and care for our sick, then go home’
Koffi Mensah
Read the article →Kenya: African industrialisation tested by land ownership
Elias Mwangi
Read the article →After Négritude, the new faces of marronage
Samira Abdallah
Read the article →Seventy years after the Sorbonne, does the ‘Black world’ still speak to itself?
Mansi-Dongi Dokoma
Read the article →Stay in your country or leave: who decides where home is?
Antoine Nguidjol
Read the article →Ill-gotten gains — French justice catches up with Gabonese fortunes
Recent court decisions in France have revived the Gabonese ill-gotten gains case. They underline the scale of assets concealed abroad and the difficulty of bringing them back.
Read the article and its documentary file →Haiti — Can people vote when part of the country is beyond state control?
Haiti wants to vote. The question is: in what country? Electoral preparations are moving forward while armed groups continue to impose their rule over part of the territory.
Read the article and its documentary file →Senegal — Diomaye Faye and Sonko: power before friendship?
Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko no longer govern together. The Senegalese president has now said publicly what had been increasingly clear for months: the political break between the two men is complete.
Read the article and its documentary file →Antilles — The price of the ticket decides who can go home
For many Antilleans living in mainland France, going home begins with a calculation. Dates, school holidays, booking time and the number of travellers can determine whether the journey is possible at all.
Read the article and its documentary file →Ethiopia — Renewed hostilities in Tigray put the Pretoria Agreement under strain
THREE YEARS AFTER THE PRETORIA AGREEMENT, RENEWED FIGHTING IN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA IS ONCE AGAIN TESTING THE FRAMEWORK THAT BROUGHT TWO YEARS OF WAR TO AN END. THE AFRICAN UNION HAS CALLED FOR AN IMMEDIATE RESUMPTION OF TALKS BETWEEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE TIGRAYAN LEADERSHIP.
Read the article →Nigeria — Thirty-seven die in custody in Minna as cause of death remains unestablished
AROUND 37 PEOPLE SUSPECTED OF INVOLVEMENT IN ARTISANAL MINING DIED AFTER BEING TAKEN INTO CUSTODY IN MINNA, NIGER STATE. NIGERIA’S NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION IS CALLING FOR INDEPENDENT FORENSIC POST-MORTEM EXAMINATIONS AND THE PRESERVATION OF EVIDENCE.
Read the article →African debt — Revised sustainability criteria reshape borrowing headroom
THE IMF AND WORLD BANK ARE REVISING THE FRAMEWORK USED TO ASSESS DEBT IN LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES. THE REFORM IS INTENDED TO DISTINGUISH MORE CLEARLY BETWEEN THE RISK OF DEBT DISTRESS AND DEBT THAT IS ACTUALLY UNSUSTAINABLE, WHILE GIVING GREATER WEIGHT TO DOMESTIC DEBT AND LONG-TERM INVESTMENT NEEDS.
Read the article →Morocco — Coalition-building begins after an election marked by low turnout
THE AUTHENTICITY AND MODERNITY PARTY LEADS THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS WITH 97 SEATS, AHEAD OF THE NATIONAL RALLY OF INDEPENDENTS AND THE ISTIQLAL PARTY. NO PARTY HAS A MAJORITY ON ITS OWN. WITH NATIONAL TURNOUT REPORTED AT 38.02%, ELECTORAL PARTICIPATION REMAINS A CENTRAL ISSUE.
Read the article →Sudan — War fractures the economy and weakens the currency
THE SUDANESE POUND IS TRADING AT AROUND 7,500 TO THE US DOLLAR ON THE PARALLEL MARKET IN AREAS CONTROLLED BY THE ARMY. TERRITORIAL FRAGMENTATION IS ERODING REVENUE, DISRUPTING ACCESS TO FOREIGN CURRENCY AND MAKING MONETARY STABILISATION INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT.
Read the article →Mali — War and the difficulty of accounting for its losses
THE ATTACK ON THE DIOURA MILITARY CAMP ON 10 SEPTEMBER CAUSED HEAVY LOSSES AMONG MALIAN FORCES. SOURCES CITED BY REUTERS PUT THE DEATH TOLL AT MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED. THE ARMY HAS ACKNOWLEDGED LOSSES WITHOUT PUBLISHING A COMPARABLE FIGURE, SO THE EXACT NUMBER CANNOT BE TREATED AS ESTABLISHED.
Read the article →Red Sea — The war in Yemen reaches the Horn of Africa directly
NEARLY 3,000 PEOPLE REACHED DJIBOUTI IN EIGHT DAYS AFTER CROSSING THE BAB EL-MANDEB. THE YEMENI CRISIS IS A REMINDER THAT THE HORN OF AFRICA IS NOT A DISTANT SHORE OF THE CONFLICT. ITS HUMAN, ECONOMIC AND STRATEGIC CONSEQUENCES ARE ALREADY BEING FELT THERE.
Read the article →South Africa — Automotive industry faces the electric transition in its export markets
SOUTH AFRICA EXPORTED 414,271 LIGHT VEHICLES IN 2025. MORE THAN 70% OF ITS LIGHT-VEHICLE PRODUCTION IS EXPORTED, AND FOUR OUT OF FIVE EXPORTED VEHICLES ARE DESTINED FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE UNITED KINGDOM. THE ELECTRIC TRANSITION IN THOSE MARKETS IS FORCING SOUTH AFRICAN INDUSTRY TO ACCELERATE ITS OWN TRANSFORMATION.
Read the article →South Sudan — Elections move ahead without a permanent constitution or census
AN AMENDMENT TO THE ELECTORAL LAW ALLOWS ELECTIONS TO BE HELD WITHOUT WAITING FOR THE PERMANENT CONSTITUTION OR NATIONAL CENSUS TO BE COMPLETED. THE GOVERNMENT INTENDS TO PRESERVE THE DECEMBER TIMETABLE. THE CREDIBILITY OF THE POLL WILL NOW DEPEND HEAVILY ON HOW IT IS ADMINISTERED IN PRACTICE.
Read the article →DR Congo — Ebola reaches new areas as the outbreak continues to exact a heavy toll
AS OF 20 SEPTEMBER, WHO HAD RECORDED 7,733 CONFIRMED CASES AND 3,732 CONFIRMED DEATHS FROM BUNDIBUGYO EBOLAVIRUS DISEASE IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO. DUNGU, IN HAUT-UÉLÉ, HAD BECOME THE 63RD HEALTH ZONE AFFECTED SINCE THE OUTBREAK BEGAN.
Read the article →Sahel — Sovereignty policies confronted with the constraints of regional geography
The temporary reduction in fuel deliveries from BOST Energies to Mali and Burkina Faso highlights the constraint imposed by access to the sea. Being landlocked requires Sahelian states to pursue sovereignty while relying on infrastructure and territories belonging to their neighbours.
Read the article and available factsheets →Sudan — When humanitarian aid chooses its beneficiaries
Nearly 19.5 million Sudanese people are facing acute hunger. The resources available do not allow humanitarian organisations to meet all identified needs. Targeting, designed to direct assistance towards the most vulnerable, has also become a way of managing its scarcity.
Read the article and available factsheets →South Africa: Has femicide become an ‘epidemic’?
The successive discovery of women’s bodies in Ekurhuleni comes in a country where gender-based violence and femicide are now classified as a national disaster. Investigations have yet to determine whether these cases are connected. Their succession has once again brought to the fore the scale of violence against women in South Africa and the measures being taken to prevent, investigate and punish it.
Read the article and available factsheets →South Africa–United States — The visa as an instrument of political pressure
Washington has announced new visa restrictions targeting certain individuals associated with South African policies that the US administration considers discriminatory. Pretoria disputes this interpretation of its domestic policies. The United States is thus imposing on individuals the consequences of a political disagreement with South Africa.
Read the article and available factsheets →Is concern for others declining across the world?
In his 1981–82 lectures at the Collège de France, published as The Hermeneutics of the Subject, Michel Foucault returns at length to an ancient notion: epimeleia heautou, the care of the self. It is not a matter of withdrawing into oneself, but of working on one’s way of being, thinking and acting.
Read the opinion article and its factsheets →Should we help ‘poor’ countries?
In his Essay on the Gift, Mauss shows that giving creates a relationship. The recipient is not free of obligation simply because nothing has been paid. The gift calls for a response and can create an obligation. It brings people closer, but it also binds them.
Read the opinion article and its factsheets →Senegal: what an IMF programme changes in the management of public finances
Senegal has just passed an important stage in its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). On 1 September 2026, IMF staff and the Senegalese authorities reached an agreement on economic policies that could form the basis of a thirty-six-month programme worth about US$2.2 billion. The agreement is not yet final: it still requires approval by IMF management and then by the Executive Board, and several conditions remain to be met, particularly on debt treatment and financing assurances.
Read the article and briefing →DR Congo: can the rules of presidential succession be changed without breaking the constitutional order?
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is going through a new period of tension over its Constitution. On 15 September 2026, demonstrations held in Kinshasa and several other cities were dispersed by the police, at times with tear gas and warning shots. Protesters denounce constitutional reform plans which they suspect could open the way to a third term for President Félix Tshisekedi. The authorities respond that any change would have to pass through the will of the people and, where appropriate, a referendum.
Read the article and briefing →Expensive oil: very different effects across African economies
On 16 September 2026, Brent crude was still trading at around US$105 a barrel, despite falling by more than 3% during the day. The easing mainly reflected the partial restoration of some Saudi exports. Tensions in diesel and other refined-product markets nevertheless remained severe.
Read the article and briefing →Senegal · Power · Debt
Mansi-Dongi Dokoma examines the split between Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko. A documentary briefing on institutions, debt and the balance of power follows the article.
Read the analysis and briefing →South Africa · Inequality · Migration
Josué Yède examines violence against African migrants and the unfinished social promise of 1994.
Read the analysis and briefing →Cameroon · Institutions · Continuity of the State
The first opinion article and its data briefing will be published after the author’s final approval.
Editorial formats
Opinion
A signed personal position, clearly distinguished from Merisphere’s voice.
Interview
A contextualised conversation with a scholar, public figure or practitioner.
Briefing
In-depth documentary work produced or enriched by Merisphere.
Merisphere
The Merisphere briefing
Following each article, restrained tables measure the issues, compare data and distinguish established facts from interpretation.
| Reference | Presentation | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Key data | Dated figures with accessible sources | Establish the scale of the issue |
| Facts and debate | Established elements alongside the author’s thesis | Clarify the status of claims |
| Strengths and vulnerabilities | A structured comparison of assets and risks | Illuminate possible choices |
Merisphere reading — Each table is followed by a short comment that explains the data without replacing the reader’s judgement.
Sources and consultation dates will appear below each briefing.