Today in Africa — January 29, 2026: Climate Change Fueled Deadly Southern Africa Floods, CAF Sanctions Morocco and Senegal

Every day, OkayAfrica shares a roundup of news we’re following but haven’t published as full articles. These short updates cover what’s happening on the continent — in culture, politics, and beyond. For more on stories like these, be sure to check out our News page, with stories from across the regions.

Climate Change and La Niña Drove Deadly Southern Africa Floods, Study Finds

Catastrophic floods across southern Africa over the past month were fueled by a dangerous mix of climate change and La Niña weather patterns, killing about 200 people and affecting more than a million others, according to a new study released today, Thursday, January 29, by World Weather Attribution. Mozambique was hardest hit, with central and southern areas including Xai-Xai and Chokwe largely submerged, followed by severe impacts in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Eswatini. Researchers found that extreme rainfall in the region is now about 40% more intense than in preindustrial times, with some areas receiving a year’s worth of rain in just days. Warmer oceans linked to greenhouse gas emissions, combined with La Niña’s naturally wetter conditions, created what scientists called a “perfect storm.” La Niña is a natural weather cycle, but in a warmer world, as seen now with climate change and global warming, it can turn heavy rain into devastating floods.

The flooding destroyed homes, roads, bridges, and health facilities, triggering a growing humanitarian crisis marked by displacement, hunger, and disease risks. In Mozambique alone, dozens of hospitals and clinics were damaged, while South Africa reported major infrastructure losses in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Scientists say events of this scale, expected only once every 50 years, are becoming more severe because of human-caused climate change. Despite contributing just 3% to 4% of global emissions, Africa remains among the most vulnerable, and researchers are calling for more Africa-based climate models to better understand and prepare for future extreme weather.

CAF Hands Heavy Sanctions to Senegal and Morocco After Chaotic AFCON Final

The disciplinary board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has imposed a raft of sanctions on players, team officials, and the football federations of Senegal and Morocco, after investigating the disorderly conduct that took place during the final match of the recently concluded African Cup of Nations (AFCON). Senegal’s head coach, Pape Thiaw, was hit with a 5-match suspension and fined $100,000 for “unsporting conduct” after he seemingly urged his team to temporarily walk off the pitch due to a controversial penalty call and a disallowed goal.

Senegal bore the harsher brunt of the fines, including 2-match suspensions to wingers Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr, both for “unsporting behavior towards the referee.” Senegal’s football federation (FSF) was fined a total of $615,000 for three offenses, including “improper conduct of its supporters” during the match and players and technical officials violating “the CAF Disciplinary Code principles of fair play, loyalty and integrity.”

Egypt’s football federation (FRMF) was also hit with a $315,000 fine, with the board citing “the inappropriate behavior of the stadium’s ball boys” and the Moroccan fans’ use of lasers during the final match. Egyptian team captain Achraf Hakimi has been suspended for two matches, while forward Ismaël Saibari was hit with a 3-match suspension and fined $100,000, both for unsporting behavior. CAF also rejected Morocco’s protests alleging violations in the final, ostensibly capping the most dramatic end to an AFCON competition.

Deadly Crashes Renew Focus on Africa’s Road Safety Crisis

A string of deadly road accidents in Nigeria and South Africa has once again highlighted Africa’s poor road safety record, the worst in the world. The continent accounts for only about 3% of the world’s vehicles but records roughly a quarter of global road deaths, with an average of 26 fatalities per 100,000 people, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Recent incidents include a fatal crash in Nigeria involving former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua and two separate minibus taxi collisions in South Africa that killed at least 25 people within days, including schoolchildren.

Experts and officials point to weak enforcement, unsafe vehicles, and overstretched transport systems as key drivers of the crisis. Pedestrians account for about 40% of road deaths in Africa, double the global average, as roads often lack safe space for people walking or cycling. In South Africa, where about 70% of commuters rely on minibus taxis, authorities say regulation remains a challenge. A crash near Durban today, Thursday, January 29, killed at least 11 people after a truck and minibus collided, with early findings showing illegal operations and expired licenses. Transport officials say investigations are underway, but public health experts warn that without stronger laws, safer infrastructure, and better enforcement, deadly crashes will continue to claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year.

Gunfire Near Niger Airport Sparks Security Alert, Uranium Stockpile Unharmed

Gunfire and explosions rang out near Niger’s international airport in Niamey late yesterday, Wednesday, January 28, in what security sources described as a terrorist attack, before calm returned to the capital by this morning. Heavy shooting lasted for more than an hour, prompting a security lockdown around the airport, though businesses and schools reopened and movement resumed across the city. Two sources said a large stockpile of uranium yellowcake stored at the airport was not affected. The uranium, estimated at around 1,000 metric tons, was moved there late last year after Niger’s military rulers seized control of the Somair mine from French nuclear group Orano. Authorities have not issued an official statement, but security was visibly reinforced as Niger continues to face attacks linked to armed groups operating across the Sahel.

Dozens Killed as RSF Drones Hit Key Town in Sudan’s South Kordofan

Dozens of people were killed after Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched suicide drone attacks yesterday, Wednesday, January 28, on the town of Dilling in South Kordofan state, according to local media and medical sources. The strikes hit multiple areas, including a Sudanese army brigade headquarters and the central market, a day after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said it had broken a nearly two-year RSF siege on the town and reopened key supply routes. Dilling sits on a strategic corridor between Kadugli, the besieged state capital, and el-Obeid in neighboring North Kordofan. Since the siege was lifted, the town has faced repeated drone attacks, worsening an already dire humanitarian situation marked by severe shortages of food, medicine, and health services. The RSF and SAF have been fighting since April 2023 in a war that has killed thousands, displaced millions, and triggered what the UN calls the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis.

Tear Gas Fired as Makoko Residents Protest Lagos Slum Demolitions

Nigerian police fired tear gas yesterday, Wednesday, January 28, to break up a protest by Makoko residents in Lagos, as anger grew over the demolition of homes in the sprawling waterfront settlement that has displaced thousands. More than 1,000 people marched to the Lagos State House of Assembly to demand answers from state authorities, rejecting orders to disperse and calling on the governor to address them. Police used tear gas after the crowd refused to leave, and one protester was injured and taken to hospital. Lagos officials say the demolitions are targeting homes built illegally near high-voltage power lines, a claim residents dispute. Makoko, which began as a fishing village over a century ago, is one of Africa’s largest floating slums and is home to tens of thousands of people in a city struggling with severe housing shortages.

Clashes Flare Again in Ethiopia’s Tigray, Flights Halted as Fears Rise

Fresh clashes between Ethiopian federal troops and Tigrayan forces have broken out in western Tigray, raising fears of renewed conflict in a region still reeling from war and deep aid cuts. Security and diplomatic sources say fighting erupted in recent days in Tsemlet, a disputed area also claimed by Amhara forces, prompting Ethiopian Airlines to cancel all flights to Tigray today, Thursday, January 29. Residents in Mekelle rushed to withdraw cash as banks and ATMs ran dry. The violence comes as humanitarian groups warn that up to 80 percent of Tigray’s population needs emergency help, even as funding has shrunk since major U.S. aid cuts. The 2020–2022 war between Ethiopia’s army and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions, and disputes over western Tigray and delayed disarmament remain unresolved. Officials on both sides say they hope tensions will ease.

South Africa Pulls Melania Trump Documentary From Cinemas

Cinemas in South Africa will not screen Melania, a documentary about U.S. First Lady Melania Trump, after local distributor Filmfinity decided against a theatrical release. The company did not give detailed reasons, saying only that the call was made “given the current climate.” The film is not listed by major chains Ster-Kinekor and Nu Metro, and at least one Cape Town indie cinema said it was told not to show it. The move comes as U.S.–South Africa relations have worsened over the past year, following tensions linked to Donald Trump’s claims about South Africa, trade tariffs, aid cuts, and South Africa’s International Court of Justice genocide case against Israel. The documentary, reportedly backed by Amazon, is due for release elsewhere this week.

U.S. Lifts Aid Suspension to Somalia After WFP Dispute

The United States said yesterday, Wednesday, January 28, it will lift a suspension on aid to Somalia after claiming Somali authorities took responsibility for actions that disrupted World Food Program operations earlier this month, though Somalia’s government has not publicly confirmed this. The aid was paused on January 7 after U.S. officials accused Somali authorities of demolishing a U.S.-funded WFP warehouse at the Port of Mogadishu and seizing 75 metric tons of food meant for malnourished children and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Somalia’s foreign ministry denied the allegations, saying port expansion work did not affect humanitarian aid, while the WFP confirmed the warehouse was demolished but later said the food was recovered. The U.S. said WFP food distribution will resume as it continues reviewing broader assistance, stressing a zero-tolerance policy for waste or diversion of aid.

Guinea Reintegrated Into ECOWAS Following Junta Leader Election Win

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has lifted all outstanding sanctions placed on Guinea, following its recent transition back to democracy. The sanctions were placed on the country after former president Alpha Condé was ousted in a coup in 2021. General Mamadi Doumbouya became the military head of state following the coup and is now in his first term as civilian president, after being declared the winner of last month’s election. Under his junta, many opposition members were arrested, and the civil space shrank. Doumbouya’s victory was confirmed by Guinea’s supreme court, and he was sworn in earlier this month, paving the way for Guinea to be readmitted into all ECOWAS decision-making organs. ECOWAS routinely sanctions member countries in the aftermath of coups, a stance that has been criticized for not applying to countries ruled by long-term leaders. In 2024, junta-ruled Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso exited the regional body to form their own confederation, Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

South Africa Weighs B-BBEE Changes to Let Firms Buy Points via New Black Business Fund

South Africa’s government has proposed changes to its Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment policy that would allow companies, including white-owned firms, to earn points by paying into a planned 100 billion rand ($6.37 billion) Transformation Fund for Black businesses. The draft amendments, announced by Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau, are open for public comment for 60 days and form part of a wider review of B-BBEE, the country’s main tool for tackling apartheid-era economic inequality. Under the proposal, firms could boost their scorecard ranking through financial contributions rather than changes in ownership or management, while the fund would finance Black entrepreneurs. President Cyril Ramaphosa and the governing African National Congress say B-BBEE remains necessary, citing data showing white South Africans still hold most top management jobs despite being a small share of the population. Critics argue the policy has benefited a connected elite, and the ANC’s coalition partner, the Democratic Alliance, has rejected the fund as a potential slush fund. The debate comes as B-BBEE has also drawn criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, adding to strained relations between Washington and Pretoria.