US aid freeze: A catastrophe looming for the Horn of Africa
An unstable Horn of Africa spells major trouble for Europe. The EU should take the reins in the Western response to counter the fallout from the aid withdrawal
Africa
5
Feb
Africa
The Sudan crisis: Realistic options for Europeans
The catastrophe in Sudan is now accelerating into dizzying levels of complexity and violence. Millions could die of famine this year, but there seems to be no end in sight. Peace initiatives have floundered, and the new US administration will likely be even less willing to expend political capital on the conflict than the last. The discussion explored realistic, tangible policy…
Pressure points: How Europeans could help avert a Third Congo War
Congo stands on the brink of being at the centre of a devastating new regional war. Europe should act in its own self-interest to avert further humanitarian catastrophe
Africa
More than mining: leveraging critical minerals for growth in Zambia
Growing global demand for the critical minerals needed for green energy and other technologies presents an opportunity for mineral-rich African countries like Zambia to expand mining production and boost local value addition. Additionally, new investments in trade corridors such as the Lobito Corridor and TAZARA could achieve more than mineral extraction if they can…
30
Jan
Africa
Africa-Europe Forum 2025
At a moment of intensifying global disorder and increasing respective challenges, ECFR’s Africa-Europe Forum provides a platform for an open and frank discussion aimed at supporting a strengthened, strategic partnership between Africa and Europe. Drawing together key voices from both continents to lay out respective opportunities and concerns underpinning relations,…
A security-development mission: How Europe can support the Ethiopia-Somalia trade corridor
Europe can help stabilise the Horn of Africa with a daunting project: a commercial corridor in Somalia that allows Ethiopia access to the sea
23
Jan
Africa
Strategic reset: Re-designing EU-Africa partnerships on critical minerals
The EU has set on a course of diversification from its main provider of critical minerals and several of its manufactured products, China. To secure access, enhance European industrial resilience, and advance the green transition, the EU has signed strategic partnerships with resource-rich African countries, namely Namibia, the DRC, Zambia, and Rwanda, along with…
14
Jan
Africa
Africa amid global shifts: Balancing partnerships
Africa’s growing prominence in global geopolitics and geoeconomics presents a landscape of both exciting opportunities and critical challenges for the continent and its international partners. While Africa holds immense potential, such as in the energy sector, it also faces a complex web of political, economic, and social hurdles that can slow development and discourage…
Why France should close its permanent military bases in Africa
Chad and Senegal recently announced the end of their historic defence agreements with France. Now France should hand over its remaining military bases in Africa and work towards a more forward-thinking cooperation model
Rules of entry: Cooperative pathways for Europe and Africa on critical minerals
European countries want to secure supplies of African critical raw materials. To achieve this, they must increasingly meet locally set requirements that channel benefits into local economies in Africa