Flames rising in 2026 as old wars rage and new ones loom

Abdelmonem Fawzi

As the sun rises on 2026, Africa awakens to a continent ablaze, not with hope, but with the unrelenting fires of conflict that threaten to consume nations from the Red Sea to the Atlantic.

These are no longer isolated brush fires, but rather have fused into a vast, interconnected inferno, fuelled by resource grabs, border grudges, ethnic divides, and the shadowy machinations of global powers.

While the world fixates on flashpoints in Europe, Asia, and beyond, Africa has become a brutal arena for proxy battles and unchecked ambition, where fragile states crumble under the weight of endless violence.

Crises erupt faster than peace can take root, and the capacity of governments to stem the tide is eroding by the day.

This is the grim dawn of a new era, one where survival hangs by a thread.

In Sudan, the nightmare grinds on into its third brutal year, a war without mercy or end.

The clash between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has shattered the nation, turning bustling cities into ghost towns riddled with rubble and turning Darfur into a theatre of renewed horrors.

Kordofan teeters on collapse, with front-lines shifting in a deadly dance of attrition.

Regional players pour fuel on the flames: arms from abroad and mercenaries crossing borders, transforming Sudan into a geopolitical chessboard where civilians are mere pawns.

Hundreds of thousands have perished, millions displaced, famine stalks the land, and accusations of genocide echo in international courts. Nonetheless, no ceasefire holds, no mediator breaks through.

Sudan’s agony is a stark warning: unchecked power struggles devour nations from within.

Across the Horn of Africa, the air crackles with the threat of renewed catastrophe.

Ethiopia and Eritrea, once bitter enemies turned uneasy allies, now glare across fortified borders as old wounds reopen over Red Sea access. Addis Ababa’s insistent quest for a reliable port, framed as an “existential” necessity, has Asmara on edge, viewing it as a veiled invasion threat.

Troop build-ups mount, rhetoric turns venomous, and proxy meddling involving Sudan and Somalia turns the region into a tinderbox primed for explosion.

One miscalculation, one border skirmish, and the devastating 1998-2000 war could reignite, dragging in neighbours and destabilizing vital shipping lanes.

The Horn’s fragile peace hangs by a thread, a reminder that historical grudges never truly die.

Further east in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the resource-rich earth bleeds anew.

The M23 rebels, who are backed by Rwanda’s shadowy hand, stormed Goma in early 2025. They seized the lakeside hub, sending shock waves through the Great Lakes region.

Accusations fly: Kinshasa claims Kigali covets Congo’s coltan, gold, and minerals. Rwanda insists it is defending against threats. But the fallout is undeniable: mass displacement, atrocities, and a standoff that risks pulling in Burundi and others.

Goma’s fall exposed the frailty of peace deals, with rebels eyeing further gains towards Bukavu and beyond.

This is not just a local feud, but a scramble for Congo’s vast wealth, where foreign interests lurk behind every offensive, perpetuating a cycle of chaos that has claimed millions over decades.

The Sahel burns hottest, a vast swath of instability where military juntas cling to power amid surging jihadist tides.

In Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, coups promised security but delivered only deeper turmoil.

Extremists linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State exploit the vacuum left by departing French forces, pushing closer to capitals with brazen attacks.

Russian mercenaries fill some gaps, yet violence spirals: villages razed, civilians massacred, and insurgents creeping southward towards coastal states.

The Alliance of Sahel States unites the juntas in defiance, but fails to halt the onslaught. This is protracted warfare at its most merciless, where governance collapses and terror fills the void.

Libya remains frozen in political limbo, a divided land where rival factions and militias jockey for control amid sporadic clashes.

Oil flows as the prize, stoking endless rivalries, while elections remain a distant mirage.

Somalia fights on against al-Shabaab’s resilient grip, the militants carving parallel governance even as the African Union mission struggles for funding and relevance.

In Cameroon, the Anglophone crisis festers quietly, but lethally since 2017, separatist ambushes and government crackdowns fuelling a low-boil war amid fading global attention.

Amid this darkness, however, a clarion call emerges: Africa must seize its destiny.

True resolution demands unity, Africans forging solutions for Africans, bridging silos through collectives, movements, and coordinated action.

External agendas complicate, but home-grown dialogue, reconciliation, and inclusive governance offer the only path out.

Without it, 2026 risks becoming the year the flames consume all. The continent stands at a crossroads: descend into deeper abyss or rise through collective resolve.

The choice – and the fight – is ours.