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Today in Africa — September 25, 2026: Nigeria Tops El Niño Death Toll Projections; Ethiopia Cuts Off Tigray's Communications

OkayAfrica has scoured the Internet for today’s major news stories, so you don't have to. On Sept. 25, coverage includes a new report ranking African nations among the world's hardest hit by extreme heat, and growing fears of a return to famine-like conditions as Tigray goes dark amid escalating fighting.

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Lihle Z. Mtshali Today in Africa & Newsletters Editor
A man stands among a cluster of goat carcasses outside his homestead in a dry Kenyan village.
Nigeria is projected to see more heat-related deaths than any other country on Earth during the current "super" El Niño.

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 across the continent — in culture, politics, and beyond. For more stories like these, check out our News page for updates from across the regions.

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Nigeria Tops List of Countries Facing Deadliest El Niño Heat Toll

Nigeria is projected to see more heat-related deaths than any other country on Earth during the current "super" El Niño, with a Climate Impact Lab report forecasting 31,400 additional deaths between September 2026 and February 2027 — the highest total among the 50 nations most affected worldwide. African countries dominate the top of that list: Sudan (17,500), the Democratic Republic of Congo and Niger (10,000 each), Chad (7,900), South Sudan and Mali (around 5,200-5,600), and Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Uganda all also rank among the hardest-hit nations globally. The Sahel region alone is projected to see 66,800 additional heat deaths during the period, part of a global toll researchers estimate at more than 451,000 excess deaths in the event's first nine months—about 65 times the death toll of the recent Nepal flash floods.

Which African Countries Are Most at Risk

  • Ghana (3,600), Cameroon (3,300), Mozambique (3,200), and Tanzania (3,000) round out a second tier of heavily affected nations.

  • Kenya, Benin, and Somalia are each projected to see around 2,100 to 2,600 additional deaths, with Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Egypt, and Senegal following behind.

  • South Africa, Zambia, and Malawi are each projected to see about 1,200 additional deaths, with Angola, the Central African Republic, Guinea, Zimbabwe, and Eritrea also appearing on the list.

  • South African Weather Service scientist Dr. Christien Engelbrecht says forecasts show "very high probabilities for above normal temperatures" across the region this summer, with University of Pretoria meteorologist Professor Willem Landman warning South Africans are only at the start of what could be "the mother of all El Niños."

  • A "very strong" El Niño typically pushes sea surface temperatures 35°F (2°C) above normal, but the current event is forecast to exceed 37°F (3°C), potentially making it the strongest on record.

Internet, Phone Networks Cut in Tigray as Ethiopia's Conflict Escalates

Internet and phone networks were disrupted across Tigray today, Friday, September 25, with four sources telling Reuters the TPLF ordered the shutdown, possibly to blunt the federal military's drone advantage by denying it mobile network access to guide strikes. Ethiopia's military says it has killed 436 Tigrayan fighters, wounded 220, and captured 44 in fighting since Wednesday, while a source close to the TPLF says federal troops have actually been pushed onto the defensive near Lalibela's airport in Amhara. The blackout has revived fears of the severe famine and restricted access to food, cash, and medicine that gripped Tigray during the 2020-2022 war, with residents rushing to stockpile supplies this week.

A Region on Edge

  • Mekelle garlic seller Selam Fantay says "there is an atmosphere of fear," with residents citing suspended transport links as a sign of renewed conflict.

  • Businessman Hailay Meles warned the disruption could drive up prices of basic goods the longer the conflict continues.

  • Afar Pastoralist Development Association co-founder Valerie Browning says many Tigrayans are fleeing into Afar and that the government has seized humanitarian vehicles, including ambulances, for the war effort.

  • Multiple residents and rights groups report intensified forced recruitment by the TPLF since Wednesday, with one Maichew resident saying fighters are going house-to-house searching for young men; the TPLF denies this.

  • Analyst Magnus Taylor of the International Crisis Group warned the new seven-group opposition alliance could let armed factions coordinate campaigns against the federal government "in parallel," raising the risk that fighting spreads nationwide.

Sudanese Refugees Flee Into Chad at 20-Fold Surge, UN Warns Aid Falling Short

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says more than 400 people a day have crossed from Sudan into eastern Chad over the past week — a 20-fold jump from recent months — as fighting between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces intensifies in Darfur, Kordofan, and Blue Nile. UNHCR's Mamadou Dian Balde says refugees describe fleeing "aerial bombardments" and "drone attacks," even as the agency has received only 18% of the $1.6 billion it needs this year, leaving less food, shelter, and capacity to relocate people to safer areas. Balde warns that unmet needs in Chad often push Sudanese refugees to keep moving toward Europe after repeated failed attempts to find safety.

The Scale of the Crisis

  • Nearly 1 million refugees have crossed into Chad since Sudan's war began, with more than 55,000 arriving so far this year alone.

  • The UN estimates the war has displaced up to 14 million people across Sudan, wrecking harvests and gutting the economy.

  • Drought and other harsh conditions are also pushing people to flee, UNHCR says.

  • Funding shortfalls have worsened after the Trump administration and other donor nations cut billions of dollars in foreign assistance over the past year.

In Brief: More Stories Today

At Least 41 Dead After Boat Capsizes on DR Congo's Lake Tanganyika

At least 41 people have died, and 49 others were rescued after a boat carrying roughly 100 people and cargo capsized on Lake Tanganyika near the Congolese village of Mapera, provincial transport minister Norris Mulongoyi told AP. The vessel was traveling from Kigoma, Tanzania, to Kalemie, DR Congo, when it sank on Thursday, marking the second loss of a Congolese vessel on that route in under a month, following an August 28 fire that killed six crew members aboard the MV Pacifique.

Mistrust Deepens Ebola Crisis in DR Congo's North Kivu

North Kivu province has become the new epicenter of the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak, with treatment centers overwhelmed and a death rate above 60% — well above the national average of 48% — as deep community mistrust keeps patients from seeking care in time. Doctors Without Borders' Anthony Kergosien warned the outbreak "is not shrinking; it is moving," while residents in Butembo have attacked burial teams and burned a health post, driven partly by memories of sexual abuse scandals during the 2018-2020 outbreak and confusion over why no approved vaccine exists this time.

Mozambique Shifts From Drug Transit Point to Growing Consumer Market

Mozambique is increasingly becoming a consumer of illicit drugs, not just a transit hub, officials say, with drug-related hospital admissions rising 38% last year to more than 32,280 cases. Authorities report a rise in methamphetamine use alongside heroin and crack, the extradition of six Mexican nationals accused of running a meth lab outside Maputo, and the seizure of more than five tons of fentanyl this year as new synthetic drugs enter the market.

Dangote Helps Fund $660 Million Fuel Pipeline Linking Ethiopia and Djibouti

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote is helping finance a $660 million, 120-kilometer fuel pipeline connecting Djibouti's Damerjog port to a distribution hub in Dewele, Ethiopia, set to begin operations within 18 months. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali says the project will cut fuel transport time from Djibouti to Addis Ababa from five days to just one, easing pressure on landlocked Ethiopia's heavily strained import routes.

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