Migration And Tragedy
The period opened with grim news from the Atlantic coast. On 8 November, Senegalese authorities reported that a migrant boat had sunk off the country's shores. The first tally from the interior ministry, reported by WOODTV.com, put the dead at 21. Within hours Al Jazeera and France 24 were reporting at least 34 deaths. By the next day, UN News had placed the sinking alongside a second disaster off Greece and counted at least 56 migrants dead in weekend shipwrecks. The rising toll showed again how dangerous the Atlantic route remains for West Africans trying to reach Europe.
The wider politics of migration also moved during the period. Global Arab Network reported that Tunisia has repatriated more than 10,000 irregular migrants in ten months, which underlines the country's role as a holding point on the central Mediterranean route. In the United States, an investigation by The New York Times found that foreign partners working with the Trump administration are accepting deportees and then sending them on to countries where the US itself would be barred from sending them, even when court orders stand in the way.
Egypt had its own disaster on the same day as the Senegal sinking. Two trains travelling in the same direction collided outside Giza, derailing several carriages. BBC News and AP News reported seven dead and at least 125 injured. The crash will add to long-running questions about rail safety in the country. Cairo also spent the period projecting its regional ambitions. Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty confirmed that Egyptian troops have been stationed in Saudi Arabia for months, according to NewsCord. Formula One star Lewis Hamilton toured the Gaza aid operation at the Rafah crossing, as Motorsport.com reported, which drew attention to Egypt's role as the main gateway for aid. By the end of the period, the Egyptian Gazette was reporting a government plan to upgrade airports and expand airline fleets.
Health And Security
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is still the continent's most serious public health emergency. Coverage gathered by Jurist put cases above 11,000, with 5,387 deaths. The International Organization for Migration urged wider surveillance as Uganda and Congo expanded cooperation along their shared border. The same coverage linked to a situation report on the Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak that also lists Kenya and Nigeria, which suggests the response now needs to look well beyond Congo. Further west, ReliefWeb published an early action protocol activation for cholera in Cameroon.
In Ethiopia, Borkena reported that the crisis in Wollega is getting worse. It described mass displacement, extrajudicial killings and acute hunger affecting ethnic Amharas, a rising death toll after an attack on civilians in Endeto, and rival armed factions leaving civilians trapped.
Ghana dominated the security news from West Africa. A clash between suspected illegal miners and NAIMOS, the government's anti-galamsey task force, at Manso Keniago left three people reported dead and 13 injured, according to Graphic Online. The same day, CitiNewsroom reported that Spanish authorities had seized 2.6 tonnes of cocaine hidden in shipping containers of coconuts sent from Ghana. The seizure is a reminder that West African ports are still used as transit points by trafficking networks. In domestic politics, Graphic Online reported that Danso had unseated Ashie Moore as Greater Accra regional chairman of the ruling NDC. In North Africa, Oz Arab Media noted that the French journalist Christophe Gleizes has now spent 500 days in an Algerian jail.
Business And Climate
The biggest corporate story came from the diamond sector. CNBC Africa reported that Angola wants a 10% stake in De Beers as part of Anglo American's proposed exit. That puts Luanda alongside other African producers that want a bigger share of the value from their own resources. The relationship between governments and investors was tested elsewhere too. Billionaires.Africa reported that a bank linked to tycoon Rajan Mahtani had won $173 million against Malawi, which has vowed to appeal. Law360 reported that Zenith Energy says Tunisia will not pay its share of costs in their ICSID arbitration. In Zimbabwe, the cabinet approved a new five-year anti-corruption strategy aimed at gold smuggling and border crime, according to The Herald. In Kampala, traders asked for an urgent meeting with the head of the Uganda Revenue Authority over rising taxes, as allAfrica reported.
Energy investment and climate policy appeared together in the news because the COP31 climate summit opened in Antalya on 9 November. Africanews reported that delegates arrived after a year of deadly heatwaves and floods, and that the war in Iran is disrupting global energy supplies. Zimbabwe, whose delegation was led by Vice President Chiwenga, used the talks to raise concerns about a Super El Niño, according to The Herald. Coverage of the joint Antalya Statement on carbon credit markets, collected by EIN Presswire, noted that Ethiopia has joined China and Türkiye in a global carbon market initiative. Grassroots adaptation also got attention: the UN Population Fund profiled women and girls in Somalia who are preparing for floods.
The clean energy pipeline kept growing. Energy News Network reported that the Dutch lender FMO is considering up to €146.5 million in senior debt for the Tamba Solar project in Senegal. Togo First reported that Togo is discussing a renewable energy partnership with Morocco to bring in investment. In Morocco, DNE Africa reported that social aid will rise by 20% to 600 dirhams in 2027.
AFCON Qualifiers
On the pitch, the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers produced the best story of the period. In a 5-0 win over Malawi on 13 November, Mohamed Salah scored twice to become Egypt's all-time top scorer, reaching the record with a Panenka penalty, according to ESPN and France 24. The match was also the first under Egypt's new coach, Maher. Angola stayed close behind Egypt in the group after a late win over South Sudan, as Sport News Africa reported. Tunisia had a very different night. Their 2-0 defeat to Libya has put their qualification hopes in doubt, according to Reuters and DNE Africa.
Morocco beat Niger 5-1 to move closer to qualification, as Yabiladi reported. Achraf Hakimi scored twice in the game, and beIN SPORTS pointed out that this came within 14 days of a hat-trick for PSG. A day earlier, Ghana ended a 37-month run without a win in AFCON qualifying, according to SuperSport. Senegal beat Sudan 4-1 and Ivory Coast went top of Group C, as DNE Africa noted. Ahram Online reported that Benin also scored four and that Cameroon won. Algeria then edged Togo on 14 November, according to Ahram Online, so they remain unbeaten in the campaign.
Senegal also had success off the football pitch. At the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, the hosts finished top of the beach wrestling medal table, led by Ndeye Khady Anna Diatta, according to Olympics.com. They also won the 3x3 basketball title, as the Olympics day nine recap reported. The period ended on a sombre note for Equatorial Guinea. The Spanish football federation gave goalkeeper Jesus Owono a 12-match ban after a challenge that led to the death of Jesus de Miguel, according to BBC News.
