The African Union succeeded the old Organization for African Unity (OAU) in 2002. Since then, the new institution has struggled to reform governing bodies inherited from the OAU while shouldering cha…

A group of Islamist courts have seized power across much of Somalia. Many outside observers are anxiously watching—and interfering—as the power struggle plays out between the Islamists and the offici…

The creation of a new U.S. military command for Africa signals the continent’s growing strategic importance and its many development challenges.

A profile of Jamaat al-Islamiyya.

A profile of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, a militant Islamist group that is fully merged with al-Qaeda.