Mining & Communities: More than 6,500 people in Madagascar have filed a claim in London’s High Court against Rio Tinto’s QIT Madagascar Minerals, alleging acidic wastewater from the mineral sands operation exposed communities to dangerous lead and uranium levels, with over 2,000 children among claimants; Rio Tinto says it has monitoring and that most regulated metals were below detection limits in its 2025 water report. Energy Infrastructure: Madagascar’s government and CGHV signed a memorandum of intent for the Volobe Amont hydro plant on the Ivondro River, targeting over 120 MW; 60 MW would supply Toamasina port and the rest would feed the Antananarivo grid, with EU/EIB/World Bank partners listed and financing still pending. Climate & Risk: The South-West Indian Ocean climate outlook warns governments and communities to prepare for multiple hazards—drought and food-security stress in the south, flooding and landslides in wetter areas, and heat, marine impacts and cyclone risk for island states—citing strengthening El Niño conditions. Agriculture & Water: El Niño is expected to persist across southern Africa, raising drought risk in South Africa and southern/central Mozambique and threatening agriculture, water resources and food security. Digital Infrastructure: Stellarix, owned by Madagascar billionaire Hassanein Hiridjee’s Axian Group, is expanding its Senegal data center capacity to meet AI and cloud demand, supporting “digital sovereignty” across markets including Madagascar.