Abidjan, Aug 13, 2020 – Thirty-three people in Niger have died and more than 80,000 have been affected by floods caused by heavy rains, the country’s emergency services said on Thursday. The worst-hit regions are Maradi in south-central Niger, Tahoua and Tillaberi in the west, and Dosso in the southwest. Rice, clothing, mats, blankets and soap are being distributed to victims, emergency officials said. The Niger River and other waterways have burst their banks, and further storms are expected in the coming days in the poor West African state, the weather service said.
Mali: After Kidal, The War Comes to Bamako
Mali’s military government lost Kidal to a joint FLA-JNIM offensive on April 26, 2026, after Russian Africa Corps personnel and Malian troops withdrew under rebel escort. The fall of the city, retaken by Bamako with Russian support in November 2023, exposes the limits of the junta’s sovereignty narrative and raises serious questions about the durability of Mali’s security model.


