Focus on Africa

In Ethopia there are grave concerns for people in the town of Shire in the northern Tigray region after days of intense fighting.. Government forces have taken it from the Tigray People's Liberation Front and two other towns. Also in today's podcast, President Emmerson Mnanagagwa of Zimabwe has said he's launching a commission to heal wounds by talking of operation  Gukurahundi where more than 20,...

How can Africa weather the global economic storm?  We ask the IMF's top Africa director. Also, Nigerian university lecturers call off their eight-month strike, but for how long? And we remember the deadliest terror attack in Somalia's history - it happened five years ago. Those stories and more in this podcast with Hassan Arouni.

Atrocities continue in northern Ethiopia - both sides accused of crimes against civilians. Also, the first known ebola death in Kampala during the current outbreak: We speak to an expert about what the authorities should be doing to control it. And we hear from a young Focus on Africa listener - aged 12 - who's creating computer games. Those stories and much more in this podcast presented by Hassa...

The World Health Organisation issues a global alert warning that four cough syrups manufactured in India could be linked to the deaths of dozens of children in The Gambia. We hear from the director of Health Services. Also, why does the insurgency in Northern Mozambique continue five years on? Plus, the prestigious Makrere University is 100 years old. More on those and other stories in this podcas...

In today's podcast: Ugandans' tongues are wagging after a day which saw the President's son first demoted and then promoted to full General after a series of bizarre tweets that threatened to cause a diplomatic rift with neighboring Kenya. Also, a $100 million dollar cocaine haul has been seized in Liberia by the Drugs Enforcement Agency, and a number of arrests made after a tip-off from the Ameri...

In today's podcast: We look at the local forces aiding the successful Somali government onslaught against Al Shabab. As Uganda waits for a presidential statement on the ebola outbreak, we'll hear from someone living in Mubende where the outbreak started. Plus: the famed forth plinth on London's Trafalgar Square will be home to a statue of a Malawian anti-colonial freedom fighting priest. More on t...

In today's podcast:  Uganda's Medical Association tells members not to treat ebola patients without PPE, and asks the Government to quarantine hotspot areas after doctors and interns are exposed to the deadly disease. Also, Kenyan lawyer Paul Gicheru who was facing witness interference charges at the International Criminal Court is found dead at his home. The police are now investigating. Plus, ho...

Mahamat Abdel Said, leader from the Seleka rebel movement in the Central African Republic, has appeared before the International Criminal Court for the first day of his war crimes trial. Also, Ugandan authorities confirm that twenty-three people have now died of ebola. Other patients are awaiting diagnosis, but now, some doctors and nurses are striking. And it's twenty years since nearly two thous...

Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Buhari of Nigeria raise regional concerns and global fears at the United Nations General Assembly. Also, massive floods across most of Nigeria.  In one town at least 500 graves and crops have been washed away. Plus, Somali special forces - along with an armed local group - have reclaimed large swathes of territory from Al Shabaab. And Zambia's President Hichili...

A UN Commission on human rights reports on major atrocities being perpetrated by both the TPLF and Ethiopian Government forces particularly in Tigray... We hear how civilians have suffered. Also, Ugandan authorities confirm an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease... A twenty-four year old man has been identified, but could there have been a handful of others before hand? And Iyanu, a child superhero ba...

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has been laid to rest after a funeral service at Westminster Abbey in London. African leaders were among those in attendance. Tens of thousands lined the streets to bid her farewell and pay their respects. We hear from Windsor where The Queen was laid to rest, and we discuss the role of the Commonwealth with King Charles III as head. Also, Cameroon's Cathol...

Eritrea has mobilised thousands of army reservists and massed them along the border with Ethiopia. Also, the Egyptian authorities have released 46 people - most of them activists in detention without trial. Plus, the controversial Nyege Nyege music festival is finally underway in Uganda.  And as the UK prepares to bury Queen Elizabeth, we assess her legacy in South Africa. More on those stories an...

In Sudan floods force the government to push back the reopening of schools by two weeks. Also, the war goes on in the north of Ethiopia - currently, Tigrayan forces say they have ceded control of a couple of towns Plus, the African mourners - in London - paying their last respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Those and other stories in this podcast with Hassan Arouni.

Tigrayan forces in Ethiopia say they are ready for a ceasefire after a five month truce broke down. They also pledged willingness to participate in African Union-led talks. Will the Government in Addis respond in kind? Also, Uganda pays the DRC $65 million dollars in reparations for the invasion by UPDF forces and looting of resources  during the war in the 1990s. Could the ICJ ruling set a preced...

A landslide after heavy rains claims at least fifteen lives in Uganda. Also, the latest on a grain shipment from Ukraine to the Horn of Africa. Will it reach the people who need it most? And Cameroonian parents brave the dangers of a vicious civil conflict to send their children back to school after a six-year gap. Those stories and more in this podcast.

The UN say millions are at risk of famine in the Horn of Africa following the worst drought in 70 years. We hear from Somalia where the Islamic relief fund describe what they are doing for 7 million already facing starvation. And, over 35 people are killed in Burkina Faso after a bus hit an Improvised Explosive Device. It's said Jihadists are increasing attacks in the midsts of a deepening humanit...

William Ruto has been declared the next President of Kenya after the Supreme court rejected all challenges by Raila Odinga who said the results of the August elections were fraudulent. Also, Zambia's finance minister outlines the new fiscal package for the nation after a loan of $1.3billion is promised by the IMF. Plus, the South African pharmaceutical giant Aspen which had been forced to cease pr...

Zambia has agreed a $1.3 billion bailout loan with the IMF after months of negotiations. We’ll look at what this might mean for the country. Why a community in North-West Cameroon are concerned about a strange smell coming from a crater lake. And Ghanaian-born British Vogue editor Edward Eninnful talks about his new memoir, A Visible Man.

Reports of a hospital being bombed in Tigray as fighting intensifies. Both sides once again blaming each other for the atrocity. Also, what are the real reasons behind the collapse of the South African health system? Plus, the last Soviet-era leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, has died. What did he mean for the continent at the end of the 20th century? These stories and more in the podcast.

Final results for Angola's elections have been declared - the governing MPLA and President Lourenco are the winners - but opponents, Unita, stand by their claim that the result is a sham. Also, after a weekend of what's been described as the worst fighting in two years - we ask, who are the players in the deadly struggle for power in Libya? And a ship carrying grains of hope from Ukraine to the dr...

We'll be in Ethiopia where the blame game over the latest outbreak of fighting continues. We'll hear from Tigrayan spokesperson Getachew Reda. Also, latest figures show that Angola's ruling MPLA is in the lead following elections. It's by no means conclusive - but there is surprise at the speed with which the count is going. Plus, French President Macron is in Algeria following controversial remar...

Government and Tigrayan officials are blaming each other for renewed fighting in the north of Ethiopia. Also, thousands of South African workers are on strike over the rising cost of living. Plus, Togo's ambitions to become the continental hub for cyber security and digital innovation. All those stories and more in this podcast.

China writes off 23 debts owed by 17 African countries - does that give a lie to the so-called China debt trap? Also, rural Kenyans take Britain to Europe's top human rights court over  historical forceful land evictions - what is their goal? Plus more stories in this podcast.

The Kenyan Presidential contender, Raila Odinga, has filed a legal challenge to last week's election results. And we look at the aftermath of a two-day siege in a bombed hotel in Mogadishu, which finally ended after 30 hours. Much more on those stories and others in this podcast.

Police in Nigeria have arrested three people in connection with the discovery of 20 mummified bodies near Benin City. Also, we examine the track record of Angola's third post independence president as elections draw near. And a right royal battle is raging for the Zulu throne in South Africa.  We'll hear the latest from the Kingdom of Kwazulu.