Today, we're bringing you a bonus episode on the DR Congo-Rwanda peace deal and U.S. engagement in Africa from Crisis Group's Global Podcast Hold Your Fire!.

In this episode of Hold Your Fire!, Richard is joined by Murithi Mutiga, Crisis Group’s Africa program director, to discuss the DR Congo-Rwanda deal, U.S. peacemaking in Africa and elsewhere, and how revisionist leadership could impact the continent. They unpack the U.S. and Qatar-brokered peace deal, its minerals component and the pitfalls in the Trump administration’s mediation style, also looking at diplomacy in other hotspots. They also discuss Sudan’s civil war and whether Trump’s illiberal dealmaking might offer a way out. They examine simmering tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea and what renewed war between them would mean for an already tumultuous region. Finally, they look at how revisionist leaders in Africa may be emboldened by a broader global trend of achieving goals through force, how Africans view Trump’s second term policy so far and how it compares to Chinese engagement in Africa.

For more, check out our latest Q&A, “The DR Congo-Rwanda Deal: Now Comes the Hard Part”, The Horn podcast episode “The New Scramble for Peace (and Minerals) in DR Congo” and our Africa page.

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This week on The Horn, Alan is joined by Guleid Ahmed Jama, a Hargeisa-based lawyer and political commentator, to discuss Somaliland’s push for recognition. They revisit Somaliland’s decision to declare independence from Somalia in 1991 and trace how Hargeisa’s relations with Mogadishu have evolved since then. They discuss Somaliland’s memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia in 2024 – reportedly granting Ethiopia port access in exchange for potential recognition – which stirred domestic debate and regional tensions, and explore how Somaliland’s new administration has been managing relations with both Addis Ababa and Mogadishu. They explore prospects of greater U.S. engagement under the Trump administration, potentially linked to military access, and discuss how Hargeisa’s ties with global powers and regional actors might evolve as Somaliland continues to assert itself internationally.

For more, check out Crisis Group’s recent analyses, “Somaliland’s Peaceful Handover Withstands Neighbourhood Strains” and “The Stakes in the Ethiopia-Somaliland Deal”.

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This week on The Horn, Alan speaks with Daniel Akech, Crisis Group’s senior analyst for South Sudan, about the deepening political crisis in South Sudan and looming questions about President Salva Kiir’s succession. They trace Kiir’s rise from military commander to president following South Sudan’s independence in 2011 and the breakup of the fragile coalition that had led the country to secession from Sudan, culminating in a devastating civil war in 2013. They examine how Kiir might manage the succession amid growing speculation that his health is declining. They look at Kiir’s recent series of government shakeups that have sidelined presidential contenders, including Vice President Riek Machar, co-signatory of the 2018 peace agreement. They also discuss the rapid ascent of Benjamin Bol Mel, a wealthy businessman and increasingly influential but divisive figure who is widely seen as Kiir’s potential successor, though he lacks popular support. Finally, they explore how regional actors might respond as South Sudan’s political crisis deepens and the risk of renewed civil war looms.

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

For more, check out the Hold Your Fire! episode “South Sudan on the Brink of Another War” and Crisis Group’s extensive analysis on our South Sudan country page.

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