On December 4, 2025, the marble halls of the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, played host to an event that, on its surface, seemed to promise a new chapter for Africa. Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi signed a peace accord, their hands joined by U.S. President Donald Trump and flanked by African leaders such as Angolan President Joao Lourenco, Kenyan President William Ruto, and Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye. Yet, beneath the celebratory handshakes and camera flashes, a much more complex—and some say troubling—story was unfolding about Africa’s position in global power struggles.
The event was a vivid illustration of shifting U.S. policy towards Africa under Trump’s second term. According to the 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS), released just weeks before, Africa is no longer viewed as a partner for shared development or stability. Instead, it’s cast as a geopolitical battleground, where the U.S. intends to aggressively counter the rising influence of China and Russia. The NSS, as reported by Independent Online, devotes less than a single page to Africa in its thirty-two-page document, focusing almost entirely on the continent’s critical minerals—resources essential to American technology, defense, and energy industries.
Kim Heller, a political analyst writing for The African, described the new U.S. approach as “a more militarised and politically charged U.S. presence in Africa,” noting that security agreements are now framed around American competitiveness, not sustainable or African-centered solutions. The Washington Accords, she argued, were less about genuine diplomacy and more about “an extractive contract that trades security assistance for privileged access to critical minerals and their supply chains.”
This recalibration of U.S. policy has real consequences for African sovereignty. The NSS is unapologetic in stating that American diplomacy in Africa is not about “spreading ideology,” but about partnerships that serve U.S. interests. Gone is the language of mutual benefit; in its place is a stark focus on transactional deals. The U.S. has increasingly bypassed the African Union and regional bodies, opting for selective bilateral agreements that, critics say, sow division and weaken Africa’s collective bargaining power. “Fragmentation dilutes Africa’s capacity to negotiate deals and partnerships on equal terms,” Heller warned. “A Continent that is not united is easier to control, manipulate, and plunder.”
This approach has also seen the U.S. reward compliant African states and punish those who chart independent foreign policy paths. The U.S. boycott of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg in November 2025 and the exclusion of South Africa from the December G20 Sherpas meeting in Washington are cited as clear examples of economic and diplomatic penalties used to enforce alignment with Washington’s interests.
Meanwhile, the Sahel region has become a flashpoint in this new great game. With Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger expelling Western military forces and turning towards Russian security partnerships, the U.S. has responded by deepening military ties with Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire and considering new bases. In East Africa, the U.S. is forging closer security alliances with Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Djibouti, all under the banner of countering Chinese and Gulf state influence. Yet, as Heller pointed out, “decades of U.S. military engagement on the Continent have done little to deliver long-lasting security or political stability. Instead, militarisation has often exacerbated cycles of violence.”
For many Africans, this new U.S. strategy evokes uncomfortable echoes of colonialism. “What is unfolding is a refreshed, reversioned form of colonialism,” Heller wrote. “Africa is once again a pawn in a geopolitical gambit controlled by others.” She called for a revitalization of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and a strengthening of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), arguing that Africa’s future depends on unity and a collective strategy to reclaim sovereignty.
Against this backdrop of external pressure and internal division, South Africa’s own struggle for justice and land reform has taken on renewed urgency. On December 19, 2025, Deputy President Paul Mashatile addressed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa gala dinner in Rustenburg, delivering a speech that underscored the government’s determination to press ahead with land expropriation and redress centuries of dispossession. “The government will not remain silent on land reform and ownership,” Mashatile declared, according to Independent Newspapers. He described land reform as a “moral, constitutional, and economic imperative”—a necessary step to transform the economy and reduce deepening inequality.
Mashatile’s remarks came at a time of heightened political tension, stoked in part by lobbying trips to the U.S. by groups like AfriForum and the Solidarity Movement. These organizations have accused the South African government of targeting minority communities, especially white farmers—a claim the government has repeatedly rejected as misleading and harmful. The fallout has been tangible: the U.S. boycott of the G20 summit in Johannesburg and increased tariffs have further strained relations between the two countries. It remains uncertain whether South Africa will attend the G20 summit in the U.S. next year.
At the heart of South Africa’s land debate is the Expropriation Act of January 2025, signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The law allows for expropriation without compensation in defined circumstances, such as unused or unjustly acquired land. Mashatile insisted that the law is not punitive, but restorative, reflecting Nelson Mandela’s conviction that “land rights are essential to genuine freedom.” He reminded listeners of the brutal legacy of colonial conquest and apartheid, which stripped Black South Africans of nearly 87% of the land, confining them to just 13%. “Since 1994, roughly 19.3 million hectares have been redistributed or restored. Still, whites own 72% of private farmland, according to the 2017 Land Audit,” Mashatile noted.
He acknowledged the delays caused by legal disputes and resistance to expropriation without compensation but emphasized that land reform remains central to economic transformation and poverty reduction. “Land reform is not just about property; it is about opportunity, dignity, and responsibility. The soil beneath our feet must become a bridge to justice and a legacy for future generations,” he said. Mashatile also stressed the importance of productivity, warning that land ownership alone would not change lives. Agriculture, he argued, remains vital for food security and growth, with government support programs aimed at ensuring beneficiaries actively cultivate the land.
Quoting Mandela, Mashatile reminded the audience of the promise made at the dawn of democracy: “With freedom and democracy came restoration of the right to land… At last, we can look our ancestors in the face and say: Your sacrifices were not in vain.”
As Africa faces mounting external pressures and internal challenges, the stakes have rarely been higher. Whether the continent can forge unity, reclaim sovereignty, and realize its vision for a just and prosperous future remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the world is watching—and so are future generations.
