Conflict & Resilience Monitor – March 2026

It is not often that one encounters a life in which professional excellence and human decency are so closely intertwined that they become indistinguishable. The passing of Nicholas ‘Fink’ Haysom invites reflection not only on a distinguished career, but on the quiet and enduring power of integrity in public service.

The post-Cold War settlement, in which Africa was largely a recipient of rules written elsewhere, is visibly dismantling. A new geopolitical architecture is being assembled, and the question before us is whether Africa will help design it or merely inherit it. So, the burden of this moment is not just analysis, it is commitment to action that changes the terms of engagement.

Hybrid threats in Africa encompass a complex interplay of conventional and unconventional security challenges that exploit the continent’s vulnerabilities. These threats, often orchestrated by both state and non-state actors, combine cyber warfare, disinformation campaigns, economic coercion, and insurgent activities to undermine governance, destabilise societies, and weaken regional integration efforts. Unlike traditional military conflicts, hybrid threats operate in the grey zone between war and peace, making them difficult to detect and counter. The multidimensional nature of these threats exacerbates existing structural weaknesses in many African states, where governance deficits, socio-economic inequalities, and fragile institutions provide fertile ground for exploitation.

For African states, sovereignty has never been a merely legal abstraction. It was hard-won through decades of anti-colonial struggle and remains central to the continent’s experience of international order. Yet that order is now visibly fraying. Across the continent, sovereignty is increasingly invoked selectively, respected or violated for strategic convenience. This pattern extends beyond Africa. In early January 2026, the United States (US) launched a military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Days later, US President Donald Trump alluded to the possibility of using force to acquire Greenland. These events, in a troubling evolution of sovereignty norms, pose a significant threat to African states.