Malawi-Mozambique, Senegal, El Salvador.

Today's three stories you should know.

Malawi-Mozambique

Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera has called on the international community to send urgent aid to his storm-hit nation as deaths from Cyclone Freddy passed 400 in Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar. “We need immediate help,” he told Al Jazeera. “We need helicopters now that [the storms have] cleared off somewhat so that we can airlift some foodstuffs and other equipment.” Homes have been destroyed, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and the death toll is likely to rise as rescue operations continue in hard to reach areas. “Climate change is real, and what we are having to see is devastation,” Chakwera said. “Thirteen months, three devastating cyclones. We are trying to do the best we can to pull ourselves by [our] bootstraps.”

More from Al Jazeera here.

Senegal

Running battles broke out on the streets of Senegal’s capital Dakar today as police fired teargas and protesters hurled stones ahead of a court case involving opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who is quickly gathering support among the country’s youth. The 48-year-old, who came third in the country’s last presidential election, has also been charged with raping a beauty salon employee in 2021 and making death threats against her. He denies the accusations and says the charges are aimed at getting him out of the way before the next election, which is scheduled for February 2024.

More from Reuters here.

El Salvador

Authorities in El Salvador have sent 2,000 more people to a new mega-prison built especially to house gang members as President Nayib Bukele pushed for another extension to a state of emergency that has been used to crack down on crime. A staggering 65,000 alleged gang members have been arrested and imprisoned during the year-long crackdown. As the latest batch were moved into the prison, Justice Minister Gustavo Villatoro made the extraordinary statement that “they will never return” to the streets. Human rights groups have criticised the government’s campaign against the gangs as heavy-handed but it has huge public support.

More from AP here.