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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. Kenya: Worsening Drought Kills Over 70 Livestock in Mandera Amid Calls for Aid

   [Capital FM] Nairobi -- A worsening drought situation in Mandera County is devastating communities, with Kenya Red Cross reporting the death of over 70 livestock in Chabii Barr, Rhamu Sub-County, highlighting the urgent need for humanitarian intervention.

4. Nigeria: Opposition Parties Decry Alleged Crackdown On Dissent

   [Vanguard] AS the 2027 general election draws closer, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, have raised fresh alarm over what they described as a tightening noose around Nigeria's democratic space, warning that sustained crackdowns on dissent could imperil the credibility of the polls.

5. South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal Rolls Out Controversial Circumcision Device

   [GroundUp] The safety and track record of the CircumQ devices has been questioned