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After the U.S. military removal of Nicolás Maduro, the White House completed a roughly $500 million Venezuelan oil sale and met with major U.S. energy executives to discuss entry into the country’s oil sector. Supporters cite economic opportunity, while critics and industry leaders warn that decades of decline and instability make meaningful investment risky and politically fraught.

Nigerian officials secured the site of a U.S. airstrike targeting IS-affiliated militants after coordinated Christmas Day operations in northwest Nigeria. While U.S. leaders framed the strikes as protecting persecuted Christians, Nigerian authorities and local groups stress the violence is a complex, multi-faceted security crisis affecting both Muslims and Christians.

Rising global demand for gold has coincided with allegations that the UAE is involved in Sudan’s conflict through ties to gold extraction in RSF-controlled areas. The situation highlights how shifting economic priorities and resource competition are intersecting with ongoing violence in Sudan.