Africa: All of Africa Today - August 24, 2026

On August 24, 2026, at least 30 people lost their lives and 22 others sustained injuries when a rubbish mound collapsed onto homes at a waste site in Conakry, Guinea. The ongoing heavy rain exacerbated the situation, leading to fears of an even higher death toll. Rescue efforts, involving the military, were underway to search for survivors amidst the debris.

Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah visited the site to oversee the rescue operations. The government had previously ordered the eviction of nearby residents residing in informal housing due to concerns over potential collapses. A similar incident had occurred at the same waste site in 2017, resulting in the death of 10 people. Meanwhile, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the government and the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group have reached a consensus on a peace roadmap following five days of negotiations in Switzerland.

The agreement includes a mechanism to monitor ceasefire violations and outlines timelines for negotiations under a 2025 US-brokered peace framework. However, key disagreements persist regarding sanctions, detainees, and political reforms. Despite previous ceasefire commitments, fighting continues in eastern DR Congo, claiming thousands of lives and displacing hundreds of thousands.

In Somalia, tensions escalated after the Somali government demolished homes in the Tookiyo neighborhood, claiming them as government property. This led to clashes between government forces and residents, resulting in nearly 10 people being injured. The authorities have yet to issue an official statement regarding the reported injuries.

In Nigeria, Nigerian police successfully rescued 75 individuals, including men, women, and children, who were kidnapped from commercial buses in Kaduna State on August 19. The victims, identified as Fulani travellers, were abducted by gunmen and held captive in a cave within a mountainous forest near Birnin Gwari. Police, acting on intelligence provided by the local transport workers union, conducted a raid, forcing the kidnappers to flee and rescuing the victims unharmed.

Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant and refrain from taking matters into their own hands, warning that vigilante actions could escalate violence and lead to the loss of innocent lives. In Kenya, conservationists and Maasai communities are alarmed by the deaths of at least 20 elephants in the Amboseli ecosystem since June.

The Kenya Wildlife Service has reported high levels of cyanide in some of the carcasses, suggesting possible pesticide poisoning. However, local wildlife experts remain skeptical and assert that scavengers feeding on the carcasses have not exhibited signs of poisoning. Authorities have stated that there is currently no evidence of an infectious disease, and investigations are ongoing to ascertain the cause of the elephant deaths.