BBC Africa Today

Niger arrests soldiers behind failed mutiny

Loading player...
Last Saturday, gunfire and attacks near the airport were witnessed in Niamey, Niger's capital city. Defecting soldiers known as the Armed Forces for the Restoration of the Fatherland, attempted a coup which was later contained by the military with the support of its Russia Africa corps. Authorities in the country have not said how many soldiers were involved in the coup, or how many people were killed in the ensuing violence. The current military leader General Abdourahamane Tiani came to power in 2023 after ousting then democratically-elected president Mohamed Bazoum. We look at what the latest mutiny means for the country's stability.

And as a new report shows women make up only 6% of pilots globally, we find out if perceptions about women in aviation are changing in African countries.

Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna
Producers: Keikantse Shumba, Bella Twine, Blessing Aderogba and Ayuba Iliya
Technical Producer: Maxwell Onyango
Senior Producer: Charles Gitonga
Editors: Daniel Dadzie and Maryam Abdalla
31 Aug 11AM English United Kingdom News

Other recent episodes

Gambia in crisis as blackouts persist

For months now, power blackouts have been disrupting life and business for thousands of people in Gambia. The crisis has recently sparked protests in the capital Banjul and surrounding areas and at least 20 people have been arrested. The country's main power provider, NAWEC, says the outage is the result…
21 Sep 10AM 22 min

Is Nigeria ready for a female leader?

In January 2027, Nigeria will be heading to the polls. But there’s one thing still largely missing from the ballot, women. According to Nigerian civil society organisation, policy and legal advocacy centre, Nigeria has one of the lowest rates of women’s political representation in the world. In fact, women make…
18 Sep 10AM 22 min

South Africa probes discovery of women bodies

South Africa has been shaken by a string of unexplained deaths, with nine women found dead in and around Kempton Park, northeast of Johannesburg, over the past two months. South Africa has one of the world’s highest rates of gender-based violence, with women being killed at five times the global…
17 Sep 11AM 22 min

Thousands flee to Djibouti amid Yemeni fighting

More than 2,000 people have fled across the Red Sea into neighbouring Djibouti as fighting in Yemen escalates. The renewed conflict between the Iran-backed Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has also displaced more than 100,000 people inside Yemen. Iran‑aligned Houthi rebels have seized Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast…
16 Sep 11AM 22 min

What does Dangote's IPO mean for young investors?

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has launched Africa's largest-ever share sale, offering a stake in his oil refinery to the general public. The initial public offering (IPO) covers roughly 3% of the Dangote Refinery and aims to raise $1.6 billion across Africa, targeting up to 10 million shareholders. Hours after the…
15 Sep 11AM 22 min
All episodes