Africa and Latin America for UPSC: Sahel Coups, Congo Basin, Resources, Sudan, Venezuela, Mercosur and India's Engagement
How UPSC Tests Africa and Latin America
🎯 Exam priority: Tier-1 for pairs and resources. UPSC asked: famine in Yemen and South Sudan (2018); a 'which country has this region' pair set on Anatolia, Amhara, Cabo Delgado and Catalonia (2022); Chad, Guinea, Lebanon and Tunisia (2022); Donbas, Kachin and Tigray (2023); coups in Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan (2023); cobalt in the DRC (2023); the Congo Basin (2023); the Sahel (2024); Venezuela (2024); the two largest cocoa producers (2024); resources of Botswana, Chile and Indonesia (2025); Lake Turkana (2026, provisional key). The 2025 Mains asked about the India-Africa digital partnership and the 2021 Mains about India's influence in Africa.
The pattern is steady: one pair or resource question every year, drawn from whatever region was in the news. The note has three boxes: the map and resources, conflicts, coups and groupings, and India's engagement.
The Map and the Resources
These tables answer most 'which country' and 'who produces' questions.
Africa: regions and the places that matter
Region | Countries and features | In the news |
Sahel belt (south of the Sahara) | Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan | Military takeovers: Mali (2020, 2021), Chad (2021), Burkina Faso (2022), Niger (2023); Jihadist insurgency; Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger formed the Alliance of Sahel States and left ECOWAS in January 2025 |
Horn of Africa | Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia | Bab-el-Mandeb at its door; Tigray war (2020-22); Somalia's al-Shabaab; Ethiopia's Amhara region; India raised ties with Ethiopia to a strategic partnership in December 2025 |
Great Lakes and Congo Basin | DRC, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania; the Congo Basin covers Cameroon, CAR, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea | Eastern DRC (North Kivu, Ituri) conflict; the DRC mines about three-quarters of the world's cobalt; Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria |
East Africa | Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda; Lake Turkana (the Jade Sea) in northern Kenya, the world's largest permanent desert lake | Dadaab refugee complex (Kenya, Somalis); Bidibidi (Uganda, South Sudanese) |
Southern Africa | South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique | Cabo Delgado insurgency (Mozambique); Botswana's diamonds; India's cheetahs from Namibia and Botswana |
North Africa | Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan | Tunisia's 2021 suspension of Parliament; Sudan's civil war |
Resources UPSC has paired with countries
Resource | Leading countries | Source in PYQs |
Cobalt | DRC (about three-quarters of world supply) | 2023 |
Diamonds | Botswana (also Russia, Canada, Angola) | 2025 pairs |
Lithium | Chile and Australia produce; the 'lithium triangle' of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile holds the brines | 2025 pairs |
Nickel | Indonesia (the leader), Philippines | 2025 pairs |
Cocoa | Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana (together over half of world output) | 2024 |
Oil | Venezuela (largest proven reserves), Nigeria, Angola, Libya | 2024 Statement-II |
Tropical peatland | The Cuvette Centrale in the Congo Basin | 2024 |
Lakes in the news: Lake Chad (shrinking; Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria), Lake Turkana (Kenya, with the northern tip in Ethiopia), Lake Faguibine (Mali; dried up).
Latin America: the Andes run through Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, but not Brazil or Paraguay (2025 PYQ: four of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Venezuela).
Coups, Wars, Elections and the Groupings
These are the conflicts and political events UPSC has turned into questions, plus those that may follow.
Coups, wars and elections
Case | Facts | Status (secondary sources; check the latest) |
Sahel coups | Chad, Guinea, Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Niger and Gabon have had military takeovers since 2020; coups are the main reason for the region's instability (2023 and 2024 PYQs) | Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger left ECOWAS in January 2025 |
Sudan | War between the army and the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023; RSF captured El Fasher (Darfur) in October 2025 | Quad mediators (US, Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia) proposed a humanitarian truce in November 2025; the RSF accepted, the army set conditions |
Eastern DRC | M23 rebels with alleged Rwandan support; cobalt and coltan areas | US-brokered peace efforts in 2025 |
Venezuela | Deep economic crisis and emigration of millions (2024 Statement-I was wrong); the world's largest proven oil reserves (Statement-II right) | US forces captured President Maduro in early January 2026; Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez became acting president |
Brazil | BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro (July 2025); COP30 in Belém (November 2025) | Presidential runoff between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro scheduled for 25 October 2026 |
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile | Argentina's economic crisis (2024 pair question); Argentina's President Milei met the Indian PM in July 2025 | - |
The groupings
African Union: 55 members, headquartered at Addis Ababa; Agenda 2063; the AU became a permanent member of the G20 at the Delhi summit (September 2023). The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) began trading in January 2021. The G20 Leaders' Summit of November 2025 in Johannesburg was the first on African soil.
ECOWAS (West Africa), SADC (Southern Africa), EAC (East Africa), IGAD (Horn).
Latin America: Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay; Bolivia a full member since 2024; Venezuela suspended), CELAC (33 states), CARICOM, the Pacific Alliance, ALBA, and the 'lithium triangle'.
India in Africa and Latin America, 2025
India's engagement with Africa and Latin America rose in 2025. The MEA Annual Report 2025 gives the facts UPSC could ask.
India in Africa, 2025
Item | Fact (MEA Annual Report 2025) |
Trade with Central and West Africa | USD 26.3 billion in 2024-25 (exports USD 14.48 billion, imports USD 11.89 billion); Indian investment in the region above USD 40 billion |
Angola | 40 years of ties; President Lourenço's state visit in May; a line of credit of USD 200 million and Angola's formal joining of the International Solar Alliance; trade of USD 5.03 billion in 2024-25 (up 20 per cent); the President visited Angola in November |
Ghana and Namibia | PM's state visit to Ghana on 2-3 July (the first in three decades) and a first Indian PM's address to its Parliament; Namibia on 9 July (first in 27 years) |
Ethiopia | PM's December visit raised ties to a Strategic Partnership |
Botswana | President's November visit; Botswana will translocate eight cheetahs to India under Project Cheetah |
Capacity-building | 2,106 ITEC slots and 293 ICCR scholarships for Central and West Africa; Duty-Free Tariff Preference Scheme |
Aid | Sudan received 2,000 tonnes of rice; Djibouti haemodialysis units; Somalia 10 tonnes of medicines; Syria 5 tonnes of drugs |
India-Africa Forum Summit IV | Scheduled for New Delhi on 28-31 May 2026 and postponed on 21 May because of an Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa; no new date reported (secondary sources) |
India in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2025
Trade with the region rose to USD 12.539 billion.
PM's visits in July 2025: Trinidad and Tobago (state visit, 3-4 July), Argentina (met President Milei), and Brazil (the first Indian PM's visit in 57 years, for the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 6-7 July). India also took part in COP30 in Belém.
Groupings engaged: CARICOM, SICA (India-SICA ministers met at the UN) and CELAC (India-CELAC expanded troika meeting). The 10th CII India-LAC Conclave was held on 19-20 March.
Further Reading
the Ministry of External Affairs Annual Report, MEA and PIB press releases and joint statements, United Nations and treaty-body websites, and an atlas — the primary sources behind every fact above.
How UPSC Could Ask This Next
Here are the questions this chapter is most likely to produce next.
How UPSC could ask this next
Pairs and counts: region and country (Tigray, Amhara, Ituri, Kasai, Darfur, Cabo Delgado, Nagorno-Karabakh, Mindanao); resource and country; capital and country. Learn the 54 African capitals by region, starting with the Sahel and the Horn.
Lakes, rivers and basins: Lake Chad, Turkana, Victoria, Tanganyika; the Nile, Congo, Niger and Zambezi basins.
Recent events: the 2026 Venezuela operation, Brazil's 2026 runoff, Sahel withdrawals from ECOWAS, Sudan's El Fasher, the AU's G20 membership, AfCFTA.
India link: the Angola line of credit, ISA membership, Project Cheetah, the postponed IAFS-IV, and India's presidency of BRICS in 2026.
Mains: India's influence in Africa (2021), the India-Africa digital partnership (2025), critical minerals and the Global South.
Test Yourself: Practice Questions and PYQs
Twelve practice questions on the map, groupings and India's engagement, followed by the real UPSC Prelims questions and exact Mains questions.
Practice Questions
Q1. Which of the following are members of the Alliance of Sahel States that left ECOWAS in January 2025?
(a) Mali, Chad and Nigeria
(b) Burkina Faso, Ghana and Togo
(c) Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger
(d) Niger, Nigeria and Benin
Show answer
Answer: (c) — The three states are all in the Sahel and have had coups since 2020.
Q2. Consider the following countries:
1. Argentina
2. Bolivia
3. Chile
4. Colombia
Which of the above make up the so-called 'lithium triangle'?
(a) 2, 3 and 4 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Show answer
Answer: (c) — Argentina, Bolivia and Chile hold most of the world's brine lithium reserves.
Q3. Consider the following countries:
1. Bolivia
2. Brazil
3. Colombia
4. Peru
How many of the above does the Andes mountain system pass through?
(a) Only three
(b) Only one
(c) Only two
(d) Only four
Show answer
Answer: (a) — The Andes cross Bolivia, Colombia and Peru; Brazil lies east of them.
Q4. Consider the following statements about the African Union:
1. It is headquartered in Addis Ababa.
2. It became a permanent member of the G20 at the 2023 Delhi summit.
3. It has 30 members.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 2 only
(d) 2 and 3 only
Show answer
Answer: (c) — The AU has 55 member states.
Q5. Lake Chad is bordered by
(a) Chad, Mali, Senegal and Mauritania
(b) Chad, Sudan, Libya and Egypt
(c) Chad, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania
(d) Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria
Show answer
Answer: (d) — The lake has been shrinking and is a centre of humanitarian crisis in the Sahel.
Q6. The Mercosur trade bloc was founded in 1991 by
(a) Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay
(b) Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru
(c) Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Argentina
(d) Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru
Show answer
Answer: (a) — Bolivia joined as a full member in 2024; Venezuela remains suspended.
Q7. The 17th BRICS Summit in July 2025 was hosted by
(a) Russia, at Kazan
(b) South Africa, at Johannesburg
(c) India, at New Delhi
(d) Brazil, at Rio de Janeiro
Show answer
Answer: (d) — The 16th was in Kazan (2024); India chairs the 18th, scheduled for 2026.
Q8. COP30 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was held in November 2025 in
(a) Dubai, UAE
(b) Baku, Azerbaijan
(c) Belém, Brazil
(d) Johannesburg, South Africa
Show answer
Answer: (c) — COP29 was in Baku (2024) and COP28 in Dubai (2023).
Q9. Which of the following statements about the India-Angola relationship in 2025 is correct?
(a) India and Angola signed a free trade agreement
(b) India announced a USD 200 million line of credit and Angola formally joined the International Solar Alliance
(c) Angola joined BRICS
(d) India opened an IIT campus in Luanda
Show answer
Answer: (b) — The visit of President Lourenço to India in May 2025 produced these outcomes.
Q10. El Fasher, the city captured by the Rapid Support Forces in October 2025, is in the region of
(a) Darfur, Sudan
(b) Cabo Delgado, Mozambique
(c) North Kivu, DRC
(d) Tigray, Ethiopia
Show answer
Answer: (a) — It was the army's last major stronghold in Darfur.
Q11. Botswana agreed in 2025 to translocate eight cheetahs to India under
(a) Project Elephant
(b) Mission Sagar
(c) Project Cheetah
(d) Project Tiger
Show answer
Answer: (c) — The agreement was an outcome of the President of India's visit to Botswana in November 2025.
Q12. The fourth India-Africa Forum Summit, scheduled for New Delhi in May 2026, was postponed because of
(a) a dispute over the agenda with the African Union
(b) a coup in the host country
(c) an Ebola outbreak in parts of Africa
(d) the Strait of Hormuz crisis
Show answer
Answer: (c) — The postponement was announced on 21 May 2026 by India and the African Union Commission (secondary sources).
UPSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs)
Real UPSC Prelims questions, checked against the official paper and answer key.
Q1. (2023) About three-fourths of world's cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by
(a) Argentina
(b) the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(c) Botswana
(d) Kazakhstan
Show answer
Answer: (b) — The Democratic Republic of the Congo produces roughly three-quarters of the world's cobalt (mined in the Katanga copper-cobalt belt).
Q2. (2023) Which one of the following is a part of the Congo Basin?
(a) Nigeria
(b) Uganda
(c) South Sudan
(d) Cameroon
Show answer
Answer: (d) — The Congo Basin covers Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea; Nigeria, South Sudan and Uganda are outside it.
Q3. (2023) In the recent years Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan caught the international attention for which one of the following reasons common to all of them?
(a) Southward expansion of Sahara Desert
(b) Establishment of Chinese military bases
(c) Discovery of rich deposits of rare earth elements
(d) Successful coups
Show answer
Answer: (d) — Chad, Guinea, Mali and Sudan all saw military takeovers after 2020; it is the common thread, not minerals, Chinese bases or desert expansion.
Q4. (2024) Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: There is instability and worsening security situation in the Sahel region.
Statement-II: There have been military takeovers/coups d'état in several countries of the Sahel region in the recent past.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
(c) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
(d) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Several Sahel states (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, with Chad nearby) had coups, and the coups are a main reason for the instability, so Statement-II explains Statement-I.
Q5. (2024) Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: Recently, Venezuela has achieved a rapid recovery from its economic crisis and succeeded in preventing its people from fleeing/emigrating to other countries.
Statement-II: Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
(c) Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
(d) Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct
Show answer
Answer: (d) — Venezuela's economic crisis continues and millions have emigrated, so Statement-I is wrong; Statement-II is right because Venezuela has the world's largest proven oil reserves.
Q6. (2022) Consider the following pairs:
Region often mentioned in the news : Country
1. Anatolia : Turkey
2. Amhara : Ethiopia
3. Cabo Delgado : Spain
4. Catalonia : Italy
How many pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) Only three pairs
(b) Only two pairs
(c) All four pairs
(d) Only one pair
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Anatolia is in Turkey and Amhara in Ethiopia. Cabo Delgado is in Mozambique and Catalonia is in Spain, so only two pairs are right.
Q7. (2023) Consider the following pairs:
Area of conflict mentioned in news : Country where it is located
1. Donbas : Syria
2. Kachin : Ethiopia
3. Tigray : North Yemen
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
(a) Only two
(b) Only one
(c) None
(d) All three
Show answer
Answer: (c) — Donbas is in Ukraine, Kachin in Myanmar and Tigray in Ethiopia; every pair as listed was wrong.
Q8. (2024) Which of the following countries are well known as the two largest cocoa producers in the world?
(a) Algeria and Morocco
(b) Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana
(c) Madagascar and Mozambique
(d) Botswana and Namibia
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana produce well over half of the world's cocoa.
Q9. (2026, provisional key) Which of the following statements with reference to Lake Turkana is/are correct?
1. It is the largest desert lake in the world.
2. The lake is situated in South Sudan along the eastern fringe of the Sahara desert.
3. The lake is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also referred to as the 'Jade Sea'.
Select the answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) 1 only
Show answer
Answer: (a) — Lake Turkana (the Jade Sea) is the world's largest permanent desert lake and a UNESCO site, in northern Kenya (with its northern tip in Ethiopia), not South Sudan (provisional key).
Q10. (2025) Consider the following pairs:
Country : Resource-rich in
I. Botswana : Diamond
II. Chile : Lithium
III. Indonesia : Nickel
In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?
(a) Only two
(b) All the three
(c) Only one
(d) None
Show answer
Answer: (b) — Botswana (diamonds), Chile (lithium) and Indonesia (nickel) are all correctly matched.
Q11. (2025) Consider the following pairs:
Region : Country
I. Mallorca : Italy
II. Normandy : Spain
III. Sardinia : France
In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?
(a) None
(b) Only two
(c) Only one
(d) All the three
Show answer
Answer: (a) — Mallorca is in Spain, Normandy in France and Sardinia in Italy, so every row was wrong.
Mains Practice Questions
Use these to frame full-length answers. You don't have to answer one exactly — they show the angles UPSC tests, so let them guide which points you cover.
"If the last few decades were of Asia's growth story, the next few are expected to be of Africa's." In the light of this statement, examine India's influence in Africa in recent years.
India-Africa digital partnership is achieving mutual respect, co-development and long-term institutional partnerships. Elaborate.
Why have coups returned to the Sahel, and what are the implications for regional groupings and for India's interests?
Assess the strategic significance of Latin America's critical minerals (the lithium triangle) for India's energy transition.
UPSC Mains — Previous Years’ Questions on this topic (last 10 years)
These are the actual GS Mains questions UPSC has asked on this theme — real proof of how, and when, it is tested. Try to write a full answer to each.
2025 (GS-II): India-Africa digital partnership is achieving mutual respect, co-development and long-term institutional partnerships. Elaborate.
2021 (GS-II): "If the last few decades were of Asia's growth story, the next few are expected to be of Africa's." In the light of this statement, examine India's influence in Africa in recent years.