CW Column: The Conflicts in Africa

CWA # 1879
CW Column: The Conflicts in Africa
RSF advances in Kordofan and Khartoum and a coup attempt in Benin

Anu Maria Joseph
18 December 2025

Photo Source: Reuters

What happened this week?
1. Sudan
On 18 December, Al Jazeera reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked a key power plant in Khartoum. 
 
On 17 December, Al Jazeera reported that at least 104 civilians had been killed in an RSF-SAF drone fight in Sudan's Kordofan region.

On 13 December, six Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers were killed in an RSF attack in Kaduhli, South Kordofan, in a drone attack. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and noted that the attack on peacekeepers "may constitute war crimes under international law." 

2. Benin
On 7 December, Benin's President Patrice Talon stated that the country's armed forces thwarted a coup attempt. Talon stated: "This treachery will not go unpunished." 
The statement came after a section of soldiers claimed on television that they removed Talon from power. 

The coup was led by Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri, who cited “continuing deterioration of the security situation in northern Benin" and "the ignorance and neglect of the situation of our brothers in arms who have fallen at the front” due to worsening jihadist violence as the reasons. 

The ECOWAS and the AU condemned the coup attempt. The AU chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Yousouf, stated: “The African Union stands ready, in coordination with regional and international partners, to accompany the Government and People of Benin toward the full restoration of constitutional normalcy and the strengthening of democratic institutions.”

On 8 December, Nigeria deployed fighter jets and ground troops in Benin to help foil the coup attempt. the same day, ECOWAS also deployed a standby force to Benin. 

What are the issues?
1. Sudan: Escalation of war and another failed peace attempt
Attacks on the capital Khartoum point to a new escalation in Sudan's civil war, which started in April 2023. It comes after the RSF successfully captured the city of el-Fasher in North Darfur, the last standing city in the Darfur region under the SAF, in October. The fall of el Fasher not only consolidated the RSF's parallel government in Sudan's west but also paved advances into Khartoum. Since mid-November, the RSF has been carrying out offensives in the cities in South Kordofan and expanding its control towards the eastern states. 

In November, the civil war in Sudan also saw a resumption of peace efforts after almost a year of multiple failed attempts. The US, along with Egypt and the UAE, called for a comprehensive ceasefire. The RSF had agreed to a humanitarian ceasefire, but the violence continued. The SAF responded to the US ceasefire proposal that, as long as the UAE is involved in the mediation, the deal would be "biased" and unacceptable. The UAE is being accused by the SAF of supporting the RSF with weapons. 

2. Benin: Increasing political tensions and Africa's expanding coup belt 
Talon's administration has been internationally credited for reviving the economy. The World Bank estimated 7.5 per cent economic growth. However, political tensions have been increasing around election issues and attacks by armed groups from neighbouring Nigeria and Burkina Faso. The main opposition party under former President Boni Yayi has been barred from running for the upcoming elections. According to the report by the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project in the US, Benin's regime has turned into an electoral autocracy since 2019. Meanwhile, the coup plotters cited jihadist attacks spreading into the country from Nigeria and Burkina Faso. According to the ACLED data, al-Qaida-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) has begun advancing in the northern parts of the country. 

Unlike several other West African countries, Benin has no record of recent coups since 1975. However, this year the country witnessed three coup attempts. Since 2020, West Africa has seen seven successful coups, becoming the global epicentre of coups; most recently in Guinea-Bissau. ECOWAS has been criticised for its ineffectiveness in thwarting previous coups in the region. Coup governments responded to a military intervention threat by the group following the coup in Niger in 2023 by forming the Sahel (military) Alliance with all military governments.  

What does it mean?
In Sudan, the latest escalation has ended the hopes of a successful ceasefire. The RSF's successful expansion also implies that the fighting is likely to once again concentrate in the capital, Khartoum. Although recent RSF advancements point to a weakened SAF, considering continued weapon supply to both factions, RSF's complete victory over the SAF is unlikely. It implies that the civil war will prolong with more violence and humanitarian costs.

In Benin, the coup attempt was not unexpected. Politically unstable countries in West Africa have been prone to coups following the takeover in Guinea-Bissau. The coup in Guinea-Bissau projected a trend of powerful militaries adopting similar tactics and methods from neighbouring coup governments. A timely intervention by the ECOWAS and Nigeria has thwarted the coup attempt in Benin. Regional readiness in responding to coup attempts implies a positive development in West Africa after multiple failed efforts to reverse coups. 

About the author
Anu Maria Joseph is a Project Associate at NIAS.

PREVIOUS COMMENTS

February 2026 | CWA # 1959

Yesasvi Koganti | Yesasvi Koganti is an undergraduate student from Madras Christian College, Chennai.

UK and China
February 2026 | CWA # 1957

R Preetha | R Preetha is pursuing post-graduation in the Department of International Studies, Stella Maris College, Chennai, and is a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

The India–US interim trade framework
February 2026 | CWA # 1956

Lekshmi MK | Lekshmi MK is pursuing post-graduation in the Department of Political Science, Madras Christian College, Chennai, and is a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru.

End of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START)
State of Global Politics 2025
December 2025 | CWA # 1931

Padmashree Anandhan

NATO Summit 2025
State of Global Politics 2025
December 2025 | CWA # 1924

Padmashree Anandhan

NATO Summit 2025
This Week in History
August 2025 | CWA # 1801

R Preetha

28 August 1963
TWTW note
August 2025 | CWA # 1780

Abhiruchi Chowdhury

Trump tariffs:
This Week in History
August 2025 | CWA # 1778

Lekshmi MK

28 July 1914
TWTW Note
June 2025 | CWA # 1694

Aashish Ganeshan

The US:
CW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1689

Padmashree Anandhan

Ukraine
CW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1688

Ayan Datta

Gaza
CW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1675

Lekshmi MK

Turkey:
CW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1673

Padmashree Anandhan

Ukraine:
TWTW Note
May 2025 | CWA # 1667

R Preetha and Brighty Ann Sarah

East Asia:
NIAS Global Politics Database
March 2024 | CWA # 1251

NIAS Africa Team

Africa This Week
NIAS Global Politics Database
February 2024 | CWA # 1226

NIAS Africa Team

Africa This Week
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1189

Hoimi Mukherjee | Hoimi Mukherjee is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science in Bankura Zilla Saradamani Mahila Mahavidyapith.

Chile in 2023: Crises of Constitutionality
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1187

Aprajita Kashyap | Aprajita Kashyap is a faculty of Latin American Studies, School of International Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi.

Haiti in 2023: The Humanitarian Crisis
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1185

Binod Khanal | Binod Khanal is a Doctoral candidate at the Centre for European Studies, School of International Studies, JNU, New Delhi.

The Baltic: Energy, Russia, NATO and China
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1183

Padmashree Anandhan | Padmashree Anandhan is a Research Associate at the School of Conflict and Security Studies, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangaluru.

Germany in 2023: Defence, Economy and Energy Triangle
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1178

​​​​​​​Ashok Alex Luke | Ashok Alex Luke is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science at CMS College, Kottayam.

China and South Asia in 2023: Advantage Beijing?
The World This Year
December 2023 | CWA # 1177

Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri | Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri is a postgraduate student at the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies at the University of Madras, Chennai.

China and East Asia
The War in Ukraine
October 2023 | CWA # 1091

Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri

Issues for Europe
IPRI Quarterly Forecasts I Triggers, Trends, and Trajectories
July 2023 | CWA # 1012

Bibhu Prasad Routray

Myanmar continues to burn
2022: The World This Year
December 2022 | CWA # 879

Padmashree Anandhan

The Ukraine War
Europe: Heatwaves, Wildfires, Droughts, and Ice Melt in Alps
November 2022 | CWA # 838

Rishma Banerjee

Tracing Europe's droughts
NIAS Africa Weekly
March 2022 | CWA # 705

NIAS Africa Team

In Focus: Libya
The World This Week: 150th Issue
December 2021 | CWA # 630

GP Team

Europe in 2021
Pakistan Reader
October 2021 | CWA # 588

Abigail Miriam Fernandez

TLP is back again
NIAS Fortnightly on Science, Technology & International Relations
August 2021 | CWA # 528

STIR Team

Space Tourism
Science, Technology and International Relations
September 2019 | CWA # 162

Lakshman Chakravarthy N

5G: A Primer
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 71

Mahesh Bhatta | Centre for South Asian Studies, Kathmandu

Nepal
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 70

Nasima Khatoon | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

The Maldives
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 69

Harini Madhusudan | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

India
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 68

Sourina Bej | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

Bangladesh
South Asia Monthly Brief (Nov 2018)
December 2018 | CWA # 67

Seetha Lakshmi Dinesh Iyer | Research Associate, ISSSP, NIAS

Afghanistan