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1. Africa: Former CIA Analyst Now Top U.S. Africa Official at State; Dealmaking Dominates as Conflicts Spread

   [allAfrica] Washington, DC -- The Africa Bureau at the State Department has a new top official, Nick Checker. Unlike his recent predecessors who were career diplomats, he has been at State for only four months, having served for the previous decade as a military analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He spent part of 2025 working in the White House as deputy executive secretary on the National Security Council (NSC) staff.

2. Africa: Trauma Tax is Africa's Hidden Economic Burden

   [allAfrica] As 2026 opens, conflict remains a permanent global condition, not an exception. More than 185,000 political violence events were recorded in 2025, directly exposing 831 million people--16% of humanity--to violence. The new year has brought no respite: Venezuela's government collapsed in a U.S. military operation, Russia deployed hypersonic missiles near Ukraine's NATO border, and Sudan marked its 1,000th day of war.

3. Africa: AAI "Following the Gold Road" online conference and Afropop's "Mali Gold" Playlist

   [Afropop] New York -- We're pleased to announce the launch of the Africa-America Institute's State of Education 2026 Conference - ''Following The Gold Road--Global Medieval Africa in the Time of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.''

4. Congo-Kinshasa: Surge in Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Urgent Support for Survivors Needed After US Aid Cuts

   [HRW] Kinshasa -- Urgent Support for Survivors Needed After US Aid Cuts

5. Uganda: Govt Suspends Top NGO Chapter Four Over Security Concerns

   [Nile Post] In a move that has sent shockwaves through Uganda's civil society sector, the National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO Bureau) has suspended the operating permit of Chapter Four Uganda, a leading human rights organization, with immediate effect.