BBC News Africa

Illegal gold mining can be a lifeline for many in Sierra Leone, where an estimated 60% of people live in poverty, according to the UN. But the conditions are dangerous and can be sometimes fatal. In eastern Sierra Leone, 16-year-old Yahya and his friend Mohammed died while mining in an abandoned gold pit in the village of Nyembadu. As the BBC’s 2025 Komla Dumor Award winner, Godwin Asediba finds out, despite the deaths, young people continue to abandon their education at an early age to follow their parents in search of gold. 🎤 Reporter: Godwin Asediba 🎬 Producers: Andre Lombard and Umaru Fofana 🎥 Camera: David Wilkins 🎞️ Editor: Gloria Achieng Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

Tanzania’s police say the country remains calm, with security agencies reinforcing safety measures.⁣ ⁣ In a statement, police spokesperson David Misime assured the public of their safety and the protection of their property, saying the situation remained calm nationwide.⁣ ⁣ He also urged citizens to dismiss old photos and video clips circulating on social media that falsely suggest protests are taking place.⁣ ⁣ A planned peaceful protest was banned today for not meeting legal requirements.⁣ ⁣ The BBC has not seen any protesters in Dar es Salaam and is verifying reports from elsewhere. Reporter Sammy Awami Filmed by Eagan Salla Produced and edited by Jelilat Olawale Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

In February 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order offering prioritised refugee status to Afrikaner farmers hoping to escape what he described as a “genocide” in South Africa. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica With America’s 2026 refugee intake capped at just 7,500 people, President Trump’s move to prioritise resettlement of white South African farmers reignited global controversy when he referenced widely disputed claims of forced appropriation of land and a “genocide” against white farmers - claims amplified online by South Africa’s richest man, Elon Musk.  #BBCAfricaEye reporter Claire Mawisa travels to South Africa’s Free State to uncover the truth behind these claims. She meets farmers fearing for their lives after brutal attacks, and others who insist the “white genocide” narrative distorts a far more complex story of crime, inequality, and fear that spreads across races and classes. As tensions rise between Washington and Pretoria, this film investigates how fear, crime and online narratives have collided to create one of the most politically charged asylum routes in the world - and what it means for those determined to go, and those who remain. 00:00 White Asylum: America's South African Refugees 02:30 Trump on white farmer persecution - reality or myth? 04:56 White families begin applying for refugee status 09:32 Boer Lives Matter: Brendin Horner 10:29 Farms and fears: A legacy 17:39 Night patrol on a farm 20:09 'What happened in Rwanda is genocide' 22:35 Are white farmers more at risk? 26:10 Policing the farms: 'If we don't do it, we'll have nothing left.' 37:00 The United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)  37:55 Post-apartheid South Africa 39:35 Orania: A peaceful Afrikaner way of life? 44:22 Divisions created by apartheid 46:38 Generational differences 49:39 A South African story of persecution? 📽️ You may also be interested in watching these documentaries: https://youtu.be/-vQvFRDCa2g https://youtu.be/Qk9HEzcFiZ4  https://youtu.be/QPB42_uLLh0  https://youtu.be/rogZ8BYg-kM  🎥 Check out all Africa Eye investigations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLajyiGz4JeyO2qgCvioQO-BzP1XCajJqt 🎞️ Watch more investigative journalism from our award-winning #BBCEye investigations team at this documentary playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4fa8LK1lptsvoA_spfJhzda Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/ #SouthAfrica #America #Trump #Refugee #Migration #Documentary #Afrikaners #BBCDocumentary #AfricaNews #BBCAfrica

Her photos were stolen. Her image was manipulated. Her life was changed. This is the story of 23-year-old Debra Nashipae - and the growing threat of deepfake pornography. 🎥 Watch #TheConversation podcast for the full interview - https://bbc.in/4ssc6Ty 🎬 Produced by Carolyne Kiambo and Priya Sippy. 🎞️ Edited by Brian Khisa Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

The Grand Renaissance Dam sits on the Blue Nile and has long been a flashpoint between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan. Now Egypt’s Foreign Minister tells the BBC they’re stepping away from negotiations altogether. 🎤 Reporter Waihiga Mwaura 🎞️ Edited by Chiamaka Dike Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

What does it feel like when your photos are taken, manipulated, and shared online without your consent? That’s the reality for 23-year-old Debra Nashipae, a Kenyan student and aspiring musician whose images were turned into deepfake pornography - a form of digital abuse that experts say is rapidly increasing. According to UN Women, 90–95% of all deepfakes online are non-consensual pornographic images, and around 90% of those depict women. UN Women also highlights that half of the world’s women and girls lack legal protection against this kind of digital harm. In this episode of Focus on Africa: The Conversation, host Nkechi Ogbonna spoke to Debra about her experience, along with her lawyer, Mercy Mutemi, who is advocating for justice and stronger digital protection. 0:00 Coming up 0:47 Introduction 2:34 Debra’s first deepfake experience 4:27 Her recent deepfake videos 6:11 People's reactions to Debra’s images 6:51 How has this affected Debra’s life? 8:29 The psychological impact 9:07 UN women alarm 9:42 Another woman’s deepfake pornography 12:30 Law enforcement and digital abuse 13:34 Debra’s journey for justice 15:17 Debra’s current relationship with social media? 16:20 What would Debra say if she could’ve met the person who deepfake her picture? 17:16 What would justice look like 18:34 Responses from Telegram and X. Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna Producers: Priyanka Sippy, Carolyne Kiambo, Ly Truong, Fana Negash, Waihiga Mwaura Editors: Maryam Abdalla and Sam Murunga #deepfakevsoriginal #theconversation #bbcafrica Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

Do AI chatbots have a bias against Africa? A recent study from the German Agency for International Cooperation found that just 2% of data used to train global AI models comes from Africa. This means that chatbots do not fully reflect African voices or experiences, and tend to be biased towards stereotypical narratives about the continent. With over 2000 languages and a growing but uneven digital footprint, how does Africa built AI that truly reflects the continent’s diversity? 🎤 Reporter Daniel Dadzie 🎞️ Edited by Basma El Atti Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

More than a decade after independence, South Sudan is still struggling to secure lasting peace. President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar have signed deals, broken them, and returned to the negotiating table time and again. Now, with tensions rising once again, the choices the two leaders make could determine whether the country moves toward stability or slides back into crisis - an outcome that would affect not only their citizens but the wider region. Presenter: Yemisi Adegoke Senior Producer: Christine Otieno Producer and Editor: Marta Pausilli Executive Producer: Marko Zoric #southsudan #africanews #explainervideo Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

US President Donald Trump sparked a wave of reactions to his remarks describing members of the Somali-American communities as "garbage" and adding that they should go back to their country and fix it. Some of the criticism was aimed at Ilhan Omar, the congresswoman who became first Somali-American representative in US Congress. Trump's jabs also come in the wake of a likely ICE operation to be held in Minnesota, the US state that holds the biggest Somali community in the country and one of the largest Somali diasporas in the world. 🎤 Abdinasir Ali 🎥 🎬 Njoroge Muigai Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

Sudan’s war has killed thousands and displaced millions, and questions keep arising about who’s fuelling the fighting. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty tells the BBC that neither Egypt nor the UAE is backing the warring sides, saying mediators remain focused on a peace deal. Reporter: Waihiga Mwaura Edited by Chiamaka Dike Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

An estimated 30,000 people lost their limbs during Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war in the 1990s. Many have struggled to overcome the mental as well as physical burdens of the conflict and been unable to find work. But now some amputees are being trained in agricultural skills, which they can use to start their own farms and teach others in their communities. #SierraLeone #BBCAfrica Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

There are still a number of schoolchildren missing from a Catholic boarding school in Nigeria’s Niger State, after an attacked by armed men last week. The Christian Association of Nigeria initially said over 300 were kidnapped, although that number is disputed as many are claimed to have run into a nearby forest during the attack. The BBC’s Madina Maisharu has been trying to find out what happened to the children and what authorities are doing to rescue them all. Reporter Madina Maishanu Filmed by Gift Ufuoma Edited by Kathy Harcombe Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

South Africa will still attend next year’s G20 summit in Miami despite President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of this year's meeting and his remarks that South Africa should be removed from the bloc. Speaking in Johannesburg during the summit, Deputy President Paul Mashatile told the BBC's Waihiga Mwaura that despite tensions, South Africa wants to protect its deep trade ties with the United States and hopes they will not be denied visas. Reporter 🎤 Waihiga Mwaura Edited by 🎞️ Basma El Atti Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

The governor of Niger State, where over 300 students from a Catholic boarding school were kidnapped last Friday, has told the BBC that 11 students have now been rescued. Governor Umar Bago also said that claims of a Christian genocide in Nigeria are ‘an attempt to blackmail’ the country. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

Eyewitnesses have shared shocking testimonies of alleged war crimes committed by Russia's Wagner group in Mali. Refugees told the BBC that civilians were brutally tortured and executed in military bases in central Mali. Wagner ended its mission in Mali in June this year. But about 80% of the newly formed Africa Corps, now under the control of Russia’s ministry of defence, are former Wagner soldiers. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

The Niger state police chief, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman has insisted he has deployed enough officers to Papiri, the community where kidnappers abducted over 300 pupils from a Catholic boarding school last Friday. He was responding to claims from a BBC team who witnessed only one checkpoint, with unarmed security personnel, when they visited the area. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

An undercover BBC Eye investigation in Sierra Leone has exposed people who claim to supply human body parts. Sold for thousands of dollars, the parts are used in witchcraft ceremonies in the belief that it guarantees power, success or wealth. The scale of the problem is unknown, but alleged ritual killings are regularly reported on national news and social media across Africa. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/ #BBCAfricaEye #Shorts #SierraLeone #Documentary #BBCAfrica #BBCNews

Warning: This report contains descriptions of rape and sexual violence.⁠ ⁠ Thousands of women are believed to have been sexually assaulted and raped in Ethiopia’s Amhara conflict.⁠ ⁠ Since violence between the Ethiopian army and Fano started in August 2023, sexual violence has largely gone undocumented.⁠ ⁠ But the BBC has collated data showing there have been thousands of reports of rape between July 2023 and May 2025, with victims as young as eight and as old as 65.⁠ Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

#BBCAfricaEye goes undercover to investigate Sierra Leone’s secretive “money ritual” network - exposing criminals exploiting belief for profit, and the communities living in fear. Click here to subscribe to our channel 👉🏽 http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Across parts of Africa, a long-held belief endures that using human body parts in magic ritual practices can grant power, wealth, or protection. This belief fuels a hidden criminal trade that leaves fear and grief in its wake. The true scale of the practice remains difficult to quantify. Few African countries have laws that directly address ritual killings, and although hundreds of suspected cases were reported across local and social media in 2025, reliable statistics on its prevalence is scarce. Having witnessed the aftermath of a killing in 2021, Africa Eye reporter Tyson Conteh investigates the problem of ritual murders in his own country of Sierra Leone. Going undercover, he sets out to expose the networks and individuals who claim they can provide human body parts for use in magic rituals. Through covert filming, the team meet men posing as healers who say they can source body parts on demand, exploiting fear, belief and poverty for profit. The film also highlights the efforts of traditional healers who, determined to protect their reputation, are working alongside the police to identify rogue practitioners and confront the criminal activity hidden within their ranks. During filming, the story takes a deeply personal turn when Tyson’s cousin is found dead. Though the motive is still unconfirmed, many in the community suspect it was a ritual killing, heightening the atmosphere of fear surrounding these crimes. 00:00 Money Rituals: Africa’s Deadliest Taboo 04:26 A mother's grief 08:10 Exploited cultural practice? 09:45 Traditionalist healers 12:31 Magic rituals and rogue witch doctors 13:51 Home of Secrets: Kanu boasts of his political connections 17:20 'When they want power, they come here.' 19:34 Tyson receives a worrying call 20:27 Her teeth were removed 23:11 A trade in body parts 28:14 Burying my granddaughter 29:14 Idara shares secrets of the trade 32:37 Council of Traditional Healers protect their mission 32:37 Bad herbalist, good herbalist. 34:00 Police raid as a deal is struck 37:00 The Chairman and the shrine 39:02 Search for evidence 40:52 Fatmata's funeral 📽️ Watch this film in FRENCH here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kz76ZmIRxo in HAUSA here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIYSV1FgL5g and in SWAHILI here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_fR9LZ9Cco 📽️ You may also be interested in watching these documentaries: https://youtu.be/9dl1k79uGFA https://youtu.be/QPB42_uLLh0 https://youtu.be/g-fPEHUqhyA 🎥 Check out all Africa Eye investigations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLajyiGz4JeyO2qgCvioQO-BzP1XCajJqt 🎞️ Watch more investigative journalism from our award-winning #BBCEye investigations team at this documentary playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4fa8LK1lptsvoA_spfJhzda Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/ #SierraLeone #Documentary #InvestigativeJournalism #BBCDocumentary #AfricaNews #BBCEye #BBCAfrica

Thousands of partygoers have gathered in Uganda for the annual Nyege Nyege festival, celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2025. The 3-day music and cultural event has seen over 300 artists performing, including global icon Skrillex and Kampire, DJ Travella, as well as international collectives such as Moonshine and Maraboutage. The BBC was this music extravaganza, with our man Roncliffe Odit reporting from Kalagala Falls, in Jinja, Uganda. 🎤 Reporter: Roncliffe Odit 🎥🎬🎞️ Filmed, edited and produced by Anna Okumu Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

Our @BBCAfrica team is at one of the most exclusive and influential club meetings in the world: the G20 summit. This year the meeting of the nations that amount for 85% of the world's economic output is being hosted for the very first time in an African nation, in Johannesburg, South Africa. But although the continent is home to more than 1.4 billion people — that's almost a fifth of the world's population — among African nations, only South Africa sits as a full member. And since 2023, the African Union has a seat at the table. So is the continent under-represented? 🎤 Reporter: Daniel Dadzie 🎥 Filmed by: Manqoba Nkosi 🎬 Produced and edited by: Daniel Dadzie, Mpho Lakaje and Brian Khisa Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

Nigeria has faced a renewed wave of attacks by armed groups in recent days. In the most recent incident, an unknown number of pupils were abducted by armed men from a Catholic school in central Nigeria, marking the second school kidnapping in less than a week. This is the same week in which a church was attacked. So, what is happening? The BBC’s Chiagozie Nwonwu explains. 🎤 Reporter: Chiagozie Nwonwu 🎬 Produced by: Kathy Harcombe Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/

With an almost 34% rise in the number of killings of women in just a year, women in South Africa are increasingly worried that they could be victims of gender-based violence. The issue will be highlighted at the G20 meeting in Johannesburg on Friday 21 November with a series of silent protests – and rights groups are urging social media users to turn their profile pictures purple to increase pressure on the government to declare the issue a national disaster. As a precaution, some women and survivors of GBV are taking to the firing range to learn how to use and carry guns to defend themselves in case of attack. They told the BBC that the government and society as a whole needs to do more to change attitudes when it comes to violence perpetrated against women. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/