logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
35m 35s

Why land routes through Africa are more ...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Refugees and migrants taking land routes across Africa to get to the Mediterranean and Europe, face extreme violence, abuse and exploitation, with far more believed to be dying there than at sea, a UN-backed report says.

Plus, why is Tanzania struggling with a huge shortage of university professors?

And how the Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay made history at the gruelling Tour de France.

Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Joseph Keen, Bella Hassan, and Nyasha Michelle in London. Charles Gitonga in Nairobi Technical Producer: Nick Randell Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Up next
Nov 21
Gender-based violence declared a national crisis in South Africa
<p>South Africa's president declares gender-based violence and femicide a national crisis after planned protests   A campaign to encourage us to donate our bodies to medical science   And Audrey Brown bids farewell to Focus on Africa     Presenter Audrey Brown   Producers: Nyasha ... Show More
29m 14s
Nov 20
Amhara conflict: Thousands of reports of rape and assault
<p>A special BBC investigation has collated data which shows there have been thousands of reports of rape between July 2023 and May 2025, in the conflict between militias and Ethiopian government forces in the Amhara region. We hear a personal testimony and also find out more abo ... Show More
32m 1s
Nov 19
Did Kenyan authorities use technology to silence Gen Z protestors?
<p>Amnesty International alleges that the Kenyan government used digital tools to suppress Gen Z organised demonstrations   Has the rift between Senegalese President Faye and Prime Minister Sonko widened?   Also, Nigeria has Nigeria canceled mother-tongue teaching in primary scho ... Show More
27m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2025
Focus on Africa: Ghanaians lured into football job scam
Ghanaian authorities have rescued more than 70 young men from a trafficking ring in Nigeria. The men thought they were heading for football contracts or overseas opportunities. Why has football become a gateway for trafficking? Leaders from five African countries - Gabon, Guinea- ... Show More
28m 15s
Oct 3
Focus on Africa: Can Botswana continue to depend on its diamond industry?
In an exclusive interview with the BBC's Waihiga Mwaura, Botswana's President Duma Boko, outlines his plan to reduce his country's reliance on the diamond industry amid falling global demand, and how he is pushing for a 0% tariff deal with the US.Guinea is showing signs of econom ... Show More
27m 30s
Jun 2024
Is Uganda and Tanzania’s oil pipeline worth the human impact?
The East Africa crude oil pipeline - also known as EACOP - is facing ongoing backlash. The pipeline, which will pass through Uganda and Tanzania, is backed by a French and Chinese company. This week protesters have targeted several Chinese embassies to discourage further foreign ... Show More
13m 8s
Mar 2025
Why are students protesting in Serbia?
How did Serbia’s students prompt a national movement for change? They’re leading countrywide protests after a railway station collapse killed 15 people last November. The protests have grown beyond demands for resignations, calling for structural change. Will they pull it off? In ... Show More
23m 44s
Feb 2025
Is AI paving the way for anti-refugee EU borders?
<p>AI-powered border enforcement, funded by the European Union, could become Europe&rsquo;s new normal. From the "smart" Greece-Turkey border at Evros to Samos&rsquo;s high-tech refugee camp, critics warn it&rsquo;s a crackdown on migration that puts asylum rights at risk.</p> <p ... Show More
21m 1s
Jul 2024
Why are Bangladesh students protesting?
School’s out in Bangladesh, and students are up in arms against government job quotas. In response, there’s been a deadly crackdown in which authorities shut down all public universities and cut mobile phone services. Are students in Bangladesh losing faith in their country’s pro ... Show More
17m 12s
Jul 2019
Jamal Khashoggi - unanswered questions
There was an international outcry following the murder of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year. Saudi officials blamed rogue agents sent to persuade him to return to the kingdom. Frank Gardner reflects on his encounters with Jamal Khashoggi an ... Show More
28m 48s
Feb 2025
Guantanamo’s other history
The Trump administration has begun detaining migrants at Guantanamo Bay. For more than 40 years, the US has sent immigrants to Gitmo, explains Jeffrey Kahn of UC Davis, who interviewed asylum-seekers there. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Amina Al-Sadi ... Show More
25m 54s
Sep 2024
Is it really possible to “smash” the smuggling gangs?
This year has been the deadliest on the English Channel in three years. Six children and a pregnant woman are among the twelve who died on Tuesday after their boat sank off the French coast, bringing the number killed in 2024 to nearly 40. <br /><br />Today, the Home Secretary Yv ... Show More
21m 38s
Oct 25
Another Take: Nigerians speak out to #EndSARS
A movement to stop police brutality in Nigeria has taken over the streets – and international headlines. #EndSARS, the youth-led movement demanding an end to police violence, and specifically to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), has created a moment of reckoning for Nigeria’ ... Show More
14m 28s