Vulture Crisis in Central Africa: Conservationists warn that belief-driven vulture hunting is spreading from Nigeria and Benin into Chad, with researchers finding hooded vultures missing around slaughterhouses and landfill sites near N’Djamena. Climate Risk for Africa: FAO and WFP are seeking $200M+ to protect 8.8M people across 22 countries from the return of El Niño, with drought and flooding risks flagged for places including Cameroon, Malawi, Nigeria, Sudan and Zimbabwe. Great Green Wall Update: China says it has planted 66B trees under its desert-fighting program and projects 34B more, while experts note plantations can boost short-term carbon capture but natural forests matter for long-term resilience. Security Tech & Infrastructure in Nigeria: Nigeria’s works minister David Umahi frames road rehabilitation as a “non-kinetic” security tool to speed military response and cut insurgent mobility, as the COAS pushes for unified African land-force cooperation. US Troop Drawdown, Intel Focus: The US has withdrawn most personnel from its Lake Chad Basin counterterrorism mission but will keep intelligence sharing, sparking debate over Nigeria’s ability to sustain operations alone. Telecom Investment Signal: Zain is moving from Africa into Syria, buying the former MTN network via a $747M bid, with a 2027 brand launch planned. Waterbirds Return to the Spotlight: A new survey estimates about 2.48M waterbirds use Lake Chad, creating a fresh baseline for conservation after years of conflict disrupted fieldwork.