A decade-long review of African governance finds that political violence on the continent has nearly doubled, driven by jihadist insurgencies, civil wars, communal conflicts, and military crackdowns. The Sahel region (a semi-arid belt stretching across north-central Africa) has emerged as the world's new epicentre of terrorism, with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger now accounting for a disproportionate share of global terrorism deaths — even as military juntas that seized power in those countries, along with Guinea, Sudan, and Gabon, have failed to deliver on promises of improved security. Crisis zones in Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and northern Mozambique continue to fuel mass displacement, though a handful of nations including Ghana, Botswana, and Mauritius have maintained relative stability, underscoring the role of strong institutions in resisting the continent-wide trend.