Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Africa Brief.

The highlights this week: Environmentalists protest a resort project in the Seychelles, Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces name a rival government, and Nigeria wins the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament.

Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Africa Brief.

The highlights this week: Environmentalists protest a resort project in the Seychelles, Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces name a rival government, and Nigeria wins the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament.

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Conservationists are campaigning against a Qatari-funded luxury resort project in the Seychelles, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean that is Africa’s smallest and least populous country.

The resort is expected to open in 2027 on Assomption Island, which lies near a UNESCO World Heritage coral site and is “one of the most remote and pristine places on the planet,” according to Mongabay. Assomption is the gateway to Aldabra Atoll, an isolated coral island that is home to the world’s largest population of giant tortoises.

Aldabra and Assomption are each roughly 620 miles from the Seychelles’s main populated island of Mahé. The two islands’ remoteness has so far protected them from human habitation and damage, allowing wildlife to thrive. But now, environmental groups are raising alarms about the potential toll of the resort project, claiming that the Seychelles government has not been transparent about the potential ecological consequences.

Friends of Aldabra, a collection of local and international environmental groups opposed to the development, visited Assomption last month and told Foreign Policy that construction had continued despite local objections to the project. In March, the group’s campaign received support from American actor Leonardo DiCaprio. “Time and time again, precious ecosystems and local communities are silenced for profit,” DiCaprio wrote on Instagram.

The project, funded by the Qatar-based Assets Group, includes luxury villas and a wellness spa; an existing airstrip has been nearly doubled from 1,200 to 2,000 meters to accommodate high-end tourists. Assets Group says it is committed to ensuring environmental safeguards.

Assomption “is a perfect and pristine destination to create one of the finest and unique resorts, for those who appreciate the best in relaxation and rejuvenation, while we also focus on protecting and preserving the marine life and wider eco-system,” Assets Group CEO Abid Butt told business magazine........

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