Civic Space & Health Governance: A new analysis highlights how a freer civic space—protected expression, peaceful assembly, and association—can improve transparency and accountability, and notes that in Sub-Saharan Africa most countries are still “blocked, repressed, or closed,” while Senegal, Gabon, and Mauritania showed improvement in the latest evaluation. West Africa Food Security: A regional report says West Africa’s food system is shifting toward “climate-smart agriculture” and better trade and data, but warns that informal cross-border trade often dwarfs official figures, meaning many interventions miss what people actually rely on for affordable nutrition. Climate Extremes in North & West Africa: A Foreign Policy brief links wildfires and flooding across Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and West Africa to worsening food crises, with Nigeria and Ghana facing mounting flood impacts and calls for better planning and drainage. Mining Safety: In the Central African Republic, an artisanal gold mine collapse killed more than 100 people, with rescue and investigations ongoing—another reminder of weak regulation in small-scale extraction. Migration & Human Impact: Coverage of the Ceuta crisis describes mass arrivals from Morocco, rapid pushbacks, and calls in Europe for faster “return hubs,” while a separate guide explains who may need a Schengen visa to visit Italy, including Mauritania. Human Rights & Slavery: An “enslavement” index roundup claims Mauritania still faces slavery despite legal restrictions, placing it among countries with high prevalence.