Africa Confronts Intensifying Climate Disasters, Shifts in Fisheries and Election Results

Forests in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia have been scorched by deadly wildfires, while seasonal floods have forced thousands from their homes in West Africa, compounding a food shortage driven by prolonged droughts. In Nigeria, floodwaters have inundated roads and officials blame unchecked construction on green belts and poor drainage, while Ghana and Ivory Coast have taken emergency measures after deadly rains. A rare super El Niño, expected to begin around September, threatens to cause drought in the Sahel and southern Africa and flooding in the east, with the African Development Bank estimating $10-20 billion in losses and potential mass migration.

Gabon ended its 19-year EU fishing agreement, citing minimal financial returns compared with the value of tuna caught. Meanwhile, Zambian voters re-elected President Hakainde Hichilema with 60 percent of the vote, though the count was briefly halted after attacks on polling staff and a raid on opposition leader Brian Mundubile’s home. The week also includes security extensions in Tunisia’s desert border zone and a car-bomb killing of Libya’s eastern military intelligence chief.