Disturbances are moving off Africa on schedule. If they take a northern track, they quickly run into Saharan dust and lose their moisture. If they take a southern track, they last longer, but they still have to run the dust gauntlet and eventually run into El Niño-driven hostile upper-level winds. Ocean water temperatures in the tropical Atlantic are cooler than they have been the last few years, so there's no extra energy to overcome the unsupportive atmospheric conditions