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BBC World Service

Africa Daily has now come to an end. But do listen to Focus on Africa for all the big stories and for the African perspective on major global news. Hosted by Audrey Brown and ready by late afternoon every weekday. Search for Focus on Africa, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

Africa Daily

Two prominent journalists in Ethiopia, Abdulsemed Mohammed and Yonas Amare, have been missing for more than a week after being abducted by what reports say, were men wearing masks and military uniforms. There has been no news about their whereabouts but their disappearances have raised concerns about a crackdown on media freedom in the country. 

Aid agencies warn that a surge in the number of people with the respiratory illness diphtheria is becoming 'the most urgent and dangerous threat' to public health in Somalia. Why are cases of the disease increasing?

And how the conflict on the ground in Sudan is affecting migratory birds in the sky.

Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Tom Kavanagh and Nyasha Michelle in London. Richard Kagoe in Nairobi
Technical Producer: Francesca Dunne
Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Maryam Abdalla, Alice Muthengi and Andre Lombard

Focus on Africa: Increased concerns over missing Ethiopia journalists

The US government has approved a $346m arms deal with Nigeria which would include munitions, precision bombs and precision rockets. What is behind the change in a decade-long US policy about selling certain kinds of weapons to Nigeria?

The mining of gold has been a key driver of Sudan's economy, and now it is a major source of funding of the two-year civil war. We look back at its history in Sudan, and its role in the current conflict.

And one year on since Ghana's parliament passed its landmark Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Act, which was hailed as a victory for women's rights, how have things changed?

Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Nyasha Michelle and Stefania Okereke in London. Charles Gitonga in Nairobi
Technical Producer: Philip Bull
Senior Journalist: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: Nigeria negotiates $346m arms deal with US

Doctors Without Borders and other NGOs have raised concerns about anti-migrant groups preventing non-South Africans from accessing healthcare services. The South African government has called on all communities to uphold the rule of law, respect human dignity. So why are activists blocking health clinics and hospitals?
 
The African Union sends a delegation to South Sudan to encourage the warring sides in the country to revive a 2018 peace deal and pave the way for elections. Can they bring both sides back to the table?
 
And as Africa Fashion Week London comes to an end, how can African fashion leverage its global appeal?

Presenter: Richard Kagoe
Producers: Tom Kavanagh and Stefania Okereke
Technical Producer: Francesca Dunne
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: Activists block foreigners from South African hospitals

What began as a three-day strike by taxi drivers against rising petrol prices in Angola, has escalated into one of the most widespread and disruptive waves of protest the country has seen in recent years. What has life been like in the capital Luanda, against the background of the unrest?

Why do fewer than a quarter of South Africans trust their police service? A new survey shows only 22% of South Africans have any confidence in the institution.

And we meet the Nigerian filmmaker, Joel Kachi Benson, who won an Emmy for a film he made about the young boy dancing in the rain who thrilled the world in a viral video a few years ago.

Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Blessing Aderogba in Lagos. Tom Kavanagh and Nyasha Michelle in London
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Senior Producers: Patricia Whitehorne and Karnie Sharp
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: What is fuelling Angola's fuel protests?

This week the International Criminal Court sentenced two commanders of a civilian militia in the Central African Republic to a total of 27 years in prison. One of them, Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, had formerly been the head of the country’s football federation. What was the conflict that engulfed CAR a decade ago, and what were the crimes that led to the ICC convictions?

Also in this episode, the impact that continuing aid cuts are having on women and girls in Somalia.

And we uncover the melodic contributions of Congo's queens of rumba music.

Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Yvette Twagiramarya, Sunita Nahar and Tanya Hines in London
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: Who are the CAR commanders jailed for war crimes?

The city of Goma in the conflict-hit east of the Democratic Republic of Congo was seized by the M23 armed group earlier this year after intense fighting with government forces. How has the city changed after six months under the group’s control?

After retired police officers in Nigeria held demonstrations earlier this week calling for better pensions, we look at wider pension provision and ask if young Nigerians see pension planning as a secure path to protecting their retirement in the future? 

And could there be a new type of diabetes that accounts for the rising number of cases among young people in Africa.

Presenter: Richard Kagoe
Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Sunita Nahar and Nyasha Michelle in London. Blessing Aderogba in Lagos
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

How has Goma changed under M23 fighters?

Burkina Faso's military rulers have disbanded the country's electoral commission calling it a waste of money. The government says the interior ministry will handle elections in the future. Will this move by the ruling junta further delay democratic elections?

Hundreds of thousands of premature deaths occur each year in Africa due to illnesses caused by cooking with polluting fuels like wood, charcoal and even animal dung. So what is being done to ensure more people have access to clean cooking?

And why are ancient and cultural heritage sites in Ethiopia facing a crisis.

Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Sunita Nahar and Nyasha Michelle in London
Technical Producer: Philip Bull
Senior Producer: Patricia Whitehorne
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: Why Burkina Faso discarded its Electoral Commission

Cameroon's Paul Biya has the distinction of being 'the world's oldest sitting president' and yet at age 92, he is seeking to run for an eighth term, that will see him serve until he is almost 100 years old. How much popular support does he have, and how strong is the opposition?

Sudan's newly appointed prime minister, Kamal Idris, has named his cabinet ministers who will form his "government of hope". How will they function in the country still in the grip of war?

And after the announcement by Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is complete and will be officially inaugurated in September, why has US President Donald Trump weighed in on the long-running dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt over the giant construction?

Presenter: Charles Gitonga
Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Sunita Nahar and Mark Wilberforce
Technical Producer: Gabriel O'Regan Senior
Producers: Patricia Whitehorne and Karnie Sharp
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: Cameroon's president seeks re-election at age 92

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-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal - have been invited to a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House. What will they discuss? 

And we hear how women in Morocco are keeping the art of rug-weaving alive, and how traditional rugs are a symbol of cultural identity. 

Presenter: Charles Gitonga 
Producers: Nyasha Michelle, Yvette Twagiramariya, Alfonso Daniels and Sunita Nahar in London. Blessing Aderogba in Lagos 
Technical Producer: Pat Sissons 
Senior Journalists: Karnie Sharp and Patricia Whitehorne 
Editors: Andre Lombard and Karnie Sharp

Focus on Africa: Ghanaians lured into football job scam

Angola was certified as polio-free in 2015, but is now combating a new outbreak of the disease after several cases were reported in a Western province. What has caused the virus to come back?

A new report says Islamist militants are using Starlink technology to ramp up operational capabilities in Niger. 

And why are South Sudanese women fashion's favourites and are being sought after on the catwalk?

Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Charles Gitonga in Nairobi. Yvette Twagiramariya, Bella Hassan and Alfonso Daniels in London
Senior Producers: Patricia Whitehorne and Richard Kagoe
Technical Producer: Jonathan Greer
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi

Focus on Africa: Why has polio re-emerged in Angola?

"The pilot told us, ‘Don’t go back...either you will be raped or killed at the airport if you go back.’"

Safia Omer, a former member of Somalia’s national women’s basketball team, vividly remembers the day she knew she couldn’t return home. 

In 1991, as civil war erupted in Somalia, Safia and her teammates were in Ethiopia for a tournament when they were warned that it was too dangerous to return. Stranded for 10 days at the airport, Safia eventually sought refuge in the United States, mirroring the fate of many Somalis who fled the escalating violence. 

Today, Somalia continues to struggle with insecurity and violence from the extremist group Al-Shabab, preventing many from returning home. 

But each summer, Somalis from around the world make their way to Ashland, Oregon where they reunite to share stories, reminisce, and of course, play basketball.

Presenter: Alan Kasujja. Guests: Abdiaziz Guled, Safia Omer, and Abukar Shiino

How civil war turned basketball stars into refugees

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