Shield and Alert: Sahel Bound

Hospitals in Nouakchott and Nouadhibou are reporting a surge of patients suffering from an unidentified fever that health experts say may be linked to the spread of Rift Valley fever across West Africa.

Mauritania is warning that Africa’s security landscape is shifting from ideological insurgencies to profit-driven “religious-front criminal enterprises,” describing how jihadist networks have merged with organized crime.

Residents of Chami have protested severe water shortages that have left entire neighborhoods without supply for days, underscoring growing stress on Mauritania’s fragile urban infrastructure.

Mauritania is facing outbreaks of diphtheria and Rift Valley fever that have killed 36 people in recent weeks. Hundreds of cases have been recorded across several regions, exposing gaps in health capacity and the impact of seasonal rains that heighten disease spread in the Sahel.