Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Sudan
    Arthur C. Helton Memorial Lecture: Screening and Discussion of "Khartoum"
    Join us for a special screening of Khartoum, followed by a panel discussion on the humanitarian situation in Sudan. The film features five citizens of Khartoum—a civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer, and two young bottle collectors—who are forced to leave Sudan for East Africa following the outbreak of war and reenacts their stories of survival and freedom through dreams, revolution, and civil war. The Arthur C. Helton Memorial Lecture was established by CFR and the family of Arthur C. Helton, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations who died in the August 2003 bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad. The Lecture addresses pressing issues in the broad field of human rights and humanitarian concerns. Members may register a guest for this event. Please note there is no virtual component to this meeting. Please note the audio, video, and transcript of this in-person meeting will be posted on the CFR website.
  • Nigeria
    A Political Breakthrough?
    Is the nascent consensus on state police in Nigeria a political ruse or a giant step towards true federalism in the country?
  • Africa Program
    The U.S. Approach to East Africa and the Horn
    Michelle Gavin, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, along with Joshua Meservey, testified on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The focus of the hearing was “East Africa & The Horn: At A Turning Point or Breaking Point?” Ambassador Gavin provided an assessment of the current political, humanitarian, and security situations in the region, including the war in Sudan, rising tensions in Ethiopia and South Sudan, and persistent governance challenges in Somalia. Several international actors that are involved in the region are investing in influence and, in some cases, engaging in proxy conflicts. The U.S.’s reputation and shift in elite and public sentiment towards institutions like the BRICS, the importance of the Red Sea for global commerce, and the activity of international terrorist organizations were also noted.   At the center of the testimony was identifying U.S. interests in the region and a strategy through which to pursue them. U.S. interests lie in stable governance and capable governments that can be partners in peace; growing economies that can be trading partners, investment destinations, collaborators in new enterprises, and give young people opportunity for dignified work rather than pushing them into mass migration; and a region not beholden to U.S. adversaries or mortgaged to deep-pocketed external actors whose interests do not always align with U.S. interests. In pursuit of this vision of the region, the U.S. should focus on peacemaking and conflict prevention, avoid overreliance on personal relationships with any specific leaders, and pursue a holistic Red Sea regional strategy. Ambassador Gavin answered questions from the Committee on topics including the impact of recent cuts to humanitarian and development programming, engagement by China with regional countries including Tanzania and Kenya, and the war in Sudan. Michelle Gavin is the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. 

Experts in this Region

Jendayi E. Frazer
Jendayi E. Frazer

Adjunct Senior Fellow for Africa Studies

Michelle D. Gavin
Michelle Gavin

Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies

Headshot of Ebenezer Obadare
Ebenezer Obadare

Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow for Africa Studies