| Welcome to Next Africa, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. Islamic State may have been toppled in Iraq and Syria, but the militants are staging an alarming comeback in Africa. In the first half of the year, more than two-thirds of the group’s global activity took place on the continent, according to ACLED, which tracks political violence. That’s unprecedented, Clionadh Raleigh, the organization’s head, told reporters.  The Islamic State logo in the southern outskirts of Mosul, Iraq, in 2017. Photographer: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images From Nigeria to the Sahel and Democratic Republic of Congo, regional IS proxies have been on a deadly rampage. Fatalities linked to militant Islamist groups in Africa have surpassed 150,000 over the past decade, according to the US department of defense’s Africa Center for Strategic Studies. In Congo, the local IS franchise killed at least 89 people in a single day this week. Its Mozambique affiliate staged a bold attack on a port town near the site of TotalEnergies’ $20 billion natural-gas project. And the rival Al-Qaeda’s branch in Mali blockaded a key trade route. Islamic State’s continued pivot to Africa, together with the resurgence of Al-Qaeda’s local partners such as Al-Shabaab in Somalia, have cemented the continent’s title as the new epicenter of global jihad.  Al-Shabaab militants in Lower Shabelle, Somalia. Photographer: Abdurashid Abdulle/AFP/Getty Images The number of militants is now comparable to what IS had in Iraq and Syria at its peak a decade ago, according to Hussein Solomon, a professor at the University of the Free State in South Africa. The situation has deteriorated rapidly in the Sahel, where juntas have usurped power and forced United Nations peacekeepers and foreign armies to leave. The withdrawal of international aid exacerbates risks for governments already facing tough spending choices. The resurgence of the groups and their increasingly sophisticated tactics are a stark warning for global leaders who think the militants will be content to remain in Africa. — Matthew Hill Key stories and opinion:
Islamist Rebels Kill 89 in Eastern Congo, Government Says
Malian Army Offensive Targets Region Hit by Jihadist Blockade
Ivory Coast Attack Leaves Four Dead, Highlighting Growing Threat
Mozambique Nears Deal to Revive $20 Billion Total Gas Project
US, Gulf States Sanction Somali Terror Group Facilitators African leaders chastised developed nations for failing to honor pledges to ramp up green financing and said they will tap the private sector to help protect their economies from climate change. The continent needs an estimated $500 billion in financing by 2030 to harden infrastructure against extreme weather, install early-warning systems and protect farmers, according to the Global Center on Adaptation.  The aftermath of flooding near Mai Mahiu, Kenya, in April 2024. Photographer: Luis Tato/AFP/Getty Images Ghana agreed to receive deportees from the US, joining a growing list of African nations accepting undocumented migrants the Trump administration has expelled. The US sent the first batch of 14 people, including Nigerians and a Gambian national, to the country, President John Mahama said. He spoke during his first major press briefing since returning to power in which he highlighted early economic gains. Democratic Republic of Congo is battling a widening Ebola outbreak, as overstretched health services raise the threat of the disease spreading beyond its borders. The number of suspected cases has more than doubled to 68 a week after Congo declared the outbreak, with four of those people are in a critical condition and 16 dead so far. Angola is particularly at risk, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.  A health worker at an Ebola treatment center in Bunia, Congo, in 2018. Photographer: John Wessels/AFP/Getty Images The UN is upgrading its secretariat headquarters in Kenya — its only facility in Africa and already the biggest worldwide. New office buildings will be built and existing ones renovated at a cost of $62 million. That will enable the Nairobi complex to accommodate 20% more people, with various agencies, funds and programs relocating operations to the East African nation. South African prosecutors will reopen an inquest into the 1977 killing of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, whose death in police custody after alleged torture by the apartheid authorities drew global condemnation. The inquest comes as the nation re-examines political crimes more than three decades after White-minority rule ended following pressure from the families of those murdered by the security forces.  Demonstrators wave a portrait of Biko outside a courthouse in Pretoria. Photographer: Sahm Doherty/The Chronicle Collection/Getty Images Zimbabwe will freeze recruitment in most of its state departments next year to contain the wage bill, according to the finance ministry. The southern African nation’s government employs 330,000 people whose wages account for almost 60% of the budget. It has proposed a freeze on headcount before, including in last year’s budget, though the policy wasn’t implemented. Next Africa Quiz — Which nation’s president apologized for a fuel shortage and accused state oil company employees of sabotaging his reelection campaign? Send your answers to gbell16@bloomberg.net.  On this week’s episode of the Next Africa podcast, Jennifer Zabasajja is joined by Ethiopia correspondent Fasika Tadesse and Cairo-based reporter Tarek El-Tablawy to discuss the Horn of Africa nation’s hopes for its giant new dam and how downstream neighbors Egypt and Sudan may respond. Data Watch - Ghana’s economy expanded more than expected in the second quarter after its ICT sector had its best performance in two years. The South African economy grew at the fastest pace since 2023.
- FirstRand, Africa’s most-valuable lender, reported profit growth despite doubling provisions to cover potential compensation and other costs linked to a UK probe into motor-finance commissions.
- South Africa’s energy regulator apologized for a $3.1 billion error in calculating electricity tariffs, a mistake that will be passed on to consumers through higher prices.
- Saudi Arabia’s Vision Invest is injecting $700 million into a developer of special economic zones in Africa, adding to a flurry of Middle Eastern deals into the continent.
Coming Up - Sept. 15 Nigeria, Eswatini and Botswana inflation data for August, South Africa inflation-expectations survey for the third quarter
- Sept. 16 Angola interest-rate decision, Malawi election
- Sept. 17 Ghana interest-rate decision & producer-inflation data for August, South Africa inflation for August & retail-sales data for July
- Sept. 18 South Africa interest-rate decision
- Sept. 19 Eswatini interest-rate decision
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