Africa
Geopolitics
Russia’s African Recruitment Drive: South African Fighters Return From Ukraine’s Front Lines
South African men lured to Russia with promises of high wages and citizenship are returning from Ukraine's Donbas region, exposing a systematic recruitment operation targeting the Global South as Moscow seeks foreign fighters to sustain its war effort.
Geopolitics
Markets
Sudan’s Gum Arabic Trade Fuels Both Sides of War, Undermining Peace
The obscure resin that stabilizes Coca-Cola and M&Ms generates millions for the RSF and SAF militias, creating perverse incentives to prolong the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Geopolitics
Pope Leo XIV Confirms Historic Algeria Visit in Four-Nation African Tour
First papal trip to Algeria marks strategic Vatican pivot toward Africa's 272 million Catholics amid interfaith tensions and church growth.