logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2023
15m 53s

Why is there so much instability in the ...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Niger and Gabon are the latest countries in Africa's Sahel to experience military coups. But that’s not the only issue that is facing the area.

Beverly Ochieng from BBC Monitoring in Nairobi explains why several countries in the region are among the worst on the Global Terrorism Index from the Institute for Economics & Peace. And we look at which militant groups operate in the region, why France has faced hostility and backlash in a number of countries, and how the Wagner Group — a group of soldiers-for-hire from Russia — are exploiting existing tensions to gain a foothold in the region.

We also hear more about a new and cheaper malaria vaccine that can be produced on a massive scale. BBC Health & Science correspondent James Gallagher explains why people are hopeful this might save hundreds of thousands of lives.

Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams and Mora Morrison Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks

Up next
Aug 22
ID please! Why the UK is checking your age online
In the UK, if you want to watch pornography or see content on sites like X, Reddit and Discord that is deemed only suitable for people over 18 years old, you now need to provide your identification to prove you are old enough to access this material. The UK government says its On ... Show More
11m 33s
Aug 21
Why fake weddings are India’s latest party trend
The big fat 'fake' Indian wedding is social media’s latest party trend. Fake wedding parties have taken the world and social media by storm with people getting together to enjoy all the fun of a wedding party: the food, Bollywood music, dancing and glamorous outfits. But there ar ... Show More
10m 5s
Aug 20
Why the world is divided on plastic pollution
Life is full of plastic, but it’s not always fantastic. We know that plastic is super useful: it helps keep food fresh and lets medicines, like vaccines, be delivered at scale to billions of people. But the world is drowning in it. In fact, the amount of plastic on our planet now ... Show More
11 m
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2023
Why are IS attacks against Christians on the rise in Africa?
Dozens of people were killed in a bomb blast at a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo last weekend. In Nigeria, a priest was killed and another was abducted in the last few days. By mid-January, women and children were kidnapped in Burkina Faso. These are just a few of rec ... Show More
13m 25s
Feb 2022
Are coups catching on in West Africa?
Burkina Faso just experienced the latest in a series of coups across West Africa. Frustration with the lavish lifestyle of aging heads of state, sustained security problems along the Sahel and an anti-colonial sentiment are all breeding discontent. But why so many countries and w ... Show More
23m 19s
Aug 2023
Niger, and an era of mutiny in Africa’s Sahel region
Last month, the African nation of Niger became the seventh government in Western and Central Africa to suffer a military takeover in the last three years. And as of today, virtually every country in Africa’s Sahel region is governed by a current or former military officer. The Sa ... Show More
30m 59s
Mar 2022
Why is Senegal sending troops to Casamance?
It’s one of the longest running separatist conflicts in the world that has seen the Senegalese army launch an operation against rebels in the Casamance region, in the south of the country. It’s an area that’s distinct socially and linguistically, and cut off from the rest of the ... Show More
13m 22s
Jun 2021
Why is Covid on the rise again in Africa?
The World Health Organisation has said there is a threat of a third wave of Covid in Africa, describing new infections as real and rising. The strain named Delta and first identified in India has now been identified in at least a dozen African countries. The situation has been ma ... Show More
15m 24s
Jun 2024
Why are two million children in northern Nigeria suffering from severe malnutrition?
Millions of children in northern Nigeria are without sufficient food, that's according to the aid agency, MSF. The persistent malnutrition crisis in the region, MSF says, stems from inflation, security issues and insufficient healthcare infrastructure. We'll hear from Dr Simba Ti ... Show More
28m 16s
Jun 2022
Is Monkeypox really an issue for Africa?
Monkeypox was first detected in Nigeria and the DRC in the 1970s. Since then there’ve been a number of cases in West African countries including Cameroon, the Central Africa Republic and Sierra Leone – but it hasn’t been a problem for much of the rest of the continent – and compa ... Show More
14 m
Apr 2024
Massacres, viols de masse : que se passe-t-il en République démocratique du Congo ?
L’une des raisons qui expliquent le conflit qui empoisonne la région du Nord-Kivu depuis plus de trente ans se trouve dans les profondeurs de la République démocratique du Congo, au fond des puits de mines. On y trouve des ressources naturelles telles que l’or, le cuivre ou encor ... Show More
21m 27s
Jan 2024
Why is cholera proving so hard to control in Africa?
On the podcast in November last year we heard the terrible stories of South Africans who’d lost their loved ones to cholera. Then, the disease was sweeping across Southern Africa and was causing a public health crisis in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique and Cameroon. Now, just ... Show More
17m 9s