Wars in Africa
A newsroom-curated October 2026 tracker of Africa's active conflicts — from Sudan's civil war to the Sahel insurgency — each with a one-line status and neutral context.
Active conflicts — October 2026
Sudan
Sudan's civil war — among the world's worst humanitarian crises — grinds on with fighting centered on Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan, mass displacement, and famine conditions in parts of the country.
October 2026 status: no durable ceasefire; humanitarian access remains severely constrained as regional mediation efforts stall.
Sahel — Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger
Jihadist groups have expanded dramatically across the central Sahel, contesting large rural areas and pressuring capitals, while military juntas lean on Russian backing after expelling French and Western forces.
October 2026 status: insurgents continue gaining ground; juntas struggle to hold territory despite foreign support.
Democratic Republic of Congo — East
The Rwanda-backed M23 rebellion's seizure of major eastern cities, including Goma, has upended the region; Kinshasa, Kigali, and mediators have pursued fragile ceasefire and peace-framework talks.
October 2026 status: ceasefire frameworks exist on paper; fighting and displacement continue on the ground.
Somalia
Al-Shabaab remains a potent insurgency despite years of Somali, African Union, and US counterterrorism pressure, holding rural territory and striking Mogadishu and regional targets.
October 2026 status: government offensives make uneven gains; al-Shabaab retains the ability to mount major attacks.
Ethiopia — Amhara / Oromia
After the Tigray war's 2022 ceasefire, Ethiopia faces persistent armed conflict in Amhara (Fano militias vs. federal forces) and Oromia (OLA insurgency), with heavy civilian tolls and limited international attention.
October 2026 status: low-intensity but deadly fighting continues; political settlement remains elusive.
Mozambique — Cabo Delgado
An ISIS-linked insurgency in gas-rich Cabo Delgado province has displaced hundreds of thousands; Rwandan and regional forces back Mozambique's military, but attacks persist.
October 2026 status: insurgency contained in pockets but not defeated; displacement continues.
Nigeria — Northeast & Northwest
Nigeria faces a two-front security crisis: jihadist factions (Boko Haram splinters and ISWAP) in the northeast, and heavily armed bandit gangs driving mass kidnappings in the northwest.
October 2026 status: military operations continue; kidnapping-for-ransom remains a nationwide scourge.
Our newsroom covers African conflicts at signalpostnews.com. Health crises overlapping these wars are tracked on our Outbreak Map.