Sahel Security & Arms Flows: A new eight-year field probe into Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and the Lake Chad Basin says jihadist groups don’t mainly depend on rare foreign supply chains; at least a fifth of seized weapons came from national army stockpiles, with most arms old assault rifles from China and the former Soviet bloc. Regional Spillover: Analysts warn Ghana’s “quiet” period may be ending as JNIM pushes south, using corridors like the W-Arly-Pendjari complex to move fighters and supplies. Niger Health Response: Niger State is investigating a suspected infectious illness after a child died and others fell ill, with diphtheria among conditions being considered; authorities urge parents to complete routine immunisation. Diphtheria Training & Preparedness: NCDC and UNICEF-backed training in Niger State strengthens infection prevention and control and outbreak case management, including equipping IPC focal persons. Livestock Disease Watch: Niger’s wider region is also seeing heightened animal-health alerts, including suspected foot-and-mouth outbreaks with markets closed and disinfection underway. Energy & Power Reliability: TCN warns of a two-day electricity outage in parts of Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa and Taraba for transmission maintenance. Tech for Mining: A report says AI-driven exploration could save the global mining sector up to $390bn a year by 2035, but Africa still gets little exploration spend. Identity Tech in the Sahel: Niger has enrolled its head of state for a next-generation biometric passport as the AES builds its own identity infrastructure.