China Debt & Dependency: A new report argues that China’s “infrastructure delivery” across Africa often comes with tight financing links—loans, Chinese contractors, and repayment tied to market access and sometimes resource footholds—shrinking governments’ room to maneuver. Women Traders Under Pressure: Nigerian women petty traders say extortions and “levies” are raising costs and squeezing livelihoods, calling on government to stop harassment. West Africa Opposition Crackdowns: A broader West Africa pattern is highlighted: arrests on vague public order charges, prosecutions over online speech, party suspensions, and dissolutions used to manage opposition ahead of elections. Gulf of Guinea Politics: Sao Tome and Principe heads to a presidential vote Sunday, with attention on whether Russia’s 2024 military cooperation deal signals real influence in the South Atlantic. Guinea-Linked Regional Security: A piece on Mali’s war warns that weapons and foreign backing can’t stabilize states, pointing to Russian-linked resupply near Conakry and fallout across West Africa. Conakry/Guinea Losses & Governance: The same regional security lens underscores how external military logistics and sanctions evasion risks keep spilling into the Guinea coast. Wildlife Conservation Watch: In Benin’s Pendjari, scientists report West African leopards are still scarce (about 354 across the region), with habitat pressure rising as land is cleared.