Focus on Africa Nigeria: What's behind Benue state attacks?
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has ordered security agencies to bring an end to the wave of killings in Benue state. It's believed that more than 200 people were killed in attacks across various communities. What's behind the increase in violence?
Also, a young man from the DRC is on the path to sainthood in the Catholic Church. Who was he and what did he do to achieve this?
And we discuss the state of the book industry on the continent, following the first ever UNESCO report on the issue, with one of the authors of the report, Elitha van der Sandt and the internationally acclaimed Nigerian author, Lola Shoneyin.
Presenter: Audrey Brown
Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Sunita Nahar and Wedaeli Chibelushi
Technical Producer: Chris Ablakwa
Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp
Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
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BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Scepticism in Goma over peace deal between DR Congo and Rwanda
The signing of a peace agreement between the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda in Washington has elicited mixed reactions, with the former Congolese president, Joseph Kabila, describing it as "nothing more than a trade agreement".The deal signed on Friday demanded the "disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration" of armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo - but offered few other details. While some, including Kabila, have been critical, others have hailed the agreement as a turning point in a devastating conflict that has dragged on for has denied allegations it backs an armed group, known as M23, which has been fighting in the eastern DR Congo. The conflict escalated earlier this year when M23 rebels seized control of large parts of eastern DR Congo, including the regional capital, Goma, the city of Bukavu and two of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians forced from their homes following the recent rebel the loss of territory, DR Congo's government turned to the US for help, reportedly offering access to critical minerals in exchange for security guarantees. Eastern DR Congo is rich in coltan and other resources vital to the global electronics the fighting in DR Congo all about?Ceasefire deal still faces many challengesIn a post on X following the signing of the agreement on Friday, Kabila questioned the choice of the deal's participants, saying the DR Congo was not at war with the states depicted in a photo of the signing, which included President Donald Trump and other US officials, as well as Rwanda's foreign is not entirely clear if his comments were an indirect criticism of the absence of M23 representatives in Washington."We must stop distorting the facts to disguise a propaganda agenda," Kabila said, adding "Congolese people deserve the truth, not a diplomatic show".The absence of M23 representatives was also noted in the rebel-held city of Goma in eastern DR Congo. "How can they say they sign for peace, yet they have not involved M23?" a resident questioned, adding the rebels ought to have been included in the talks for "collective peace" to be resident, a commercial motorbike rider told the BBC "people are tired, they are not interested in talks", insisting "all they want is peace".He argued previous peace talks and agreements were not endorsed or implemented by the conflicting parties, leaving little hope for a return to Sam Zarifi, executive director at Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), an international NGO that has worked in the DRC for more than a decade, said the Washington-brokered agreement is replete with "major omissions"."There can be no durable peace without meaningful justice. But the human rights and fails survivors," Mr Zarifi added: "The agreement overlooks how hostilities can continue through proxy armed groups that our research has shown are responsible for serious violations."Stephanie Marungu, head of a humanitarian organisation in Goma, was more positive. "The signing of the deal…is a momentous and hopeful development for the eastern region," she told the BBC, adding it could "lead to increased stability and it's going to make it easier for us to deliver aid and access those in need". However, she acknowledges there may be challenges in implementing the deal."If the agreement is what will bring peace we have no problems," another Goma resident remains to be seen what the situation on the ground will be going forward, with concerns the Washington deal may simply enrich a few people with the country's mineral resources to the detriment of ordinary people.
The Independent
9 hours ago
- The Independent
Labour should introduce minister for porn, Conservative peer says
Labour should appoint a minister for porn to tackle the wave of 'violent, abusive and misogynistic' images, a Conservative peer has said. Baroness Gabby Bertin, who leads the Independent Pornography Review Taskforce, said that MPs shy away from tackling abuse in the porn industry out of embarrassment. 'We're really British about it so we don't want to have a graphic conversation about sex and porn. But you've got to shout about it as loudly as possible. The reason why we've got into this mess is because nobody has really wanted to talk about it,' she told The Guardian. She is pushing for the government to appoint a ministry for porn to make sure the issue gets addressed. 'You can't leave the pitch on this stuff just because you're worried about being accused of being too strait-laced,' she added. A review, commissioned by Rishi Sunak's government and led by Baroness Gabby, proposed banning degrading, violent and misogynistic pornography. The report, which was published in February this year, urged ministers to give Ofcom further powers to police porn sites for dangerous material. It also suggested banning online porn videos that would be deemed too harmful for any certificate in the offline world. One of the report's recommendations, making strangulation in pornography illegal, has now been accepted by the government. Minister for victims and tackling violence against women, Alex Davies-Jones, said that 'cracking down on the appalling rise of strangulation pornography will protect women and send a clear signal to men and boys that misogyny will not be tolerated'. Recent research published by Ofcom found that eight per cent of children aged eight to 14 have watched online pornography. Boys aged 13 to 14 were the most likely viewers, with two out of 10 visiting adult sites. Major porn sites, including Pornhub, Stripchat and Youporn, have agreed to implement stronger age verification measures, with platforms now facing fines of 10 per cent of their global turnover if they fail to make changes.
Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Telegraph
DRC and Rwanda sign peace deal in Washington
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) signed a peace deal Friday aimed at ending decades of deadly conflict – a move which Donald Trump has claimed credit for. The two countries pledged to pull back support for guerrillas, with the US-brokered deal demanding the 'disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration' of armed groups fighting in eastern Congo. The US president, flanked by JD Vance, the US's vice-president, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, said that the peace treaty was 'a glorious triumph'. 'Today, the violence and destruction comes to an end, and the entire region begins a new chapter of hope and opportunity,' Mr Trump said as he welcomed the two nations' foreign ministers to the White House. 'This is a wonderful day.' The deal comes after the M23, a Tutsi rebel force linked to Rwanda, raced across the mineral-rich east of the DRC this year, seizing vast amounts of territory, including the regional capital Goma, the city of Bukavu and two airports. Thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee following the offensive. However, the agreement does not explicitly address the gains of the M23 in the area torn by decades of on-off war, instead calling for Rwanda to end the 'defensive measures' it has taken. Rwanda denies supporting the M23 despite overwhelming evidence. Previous peace deals in the region have failed and crucial questions also remain unanswered. They include whether the M23 will withdraw from the areas they have seized, if Rwanda admits having troops in eastern DRC and withdraws them, and if thousands of Congolese people will be allowed back from Rwanda. Experts have also stressed that while the deal could mark a turning point in the long-standing conflict between M23 rebels and Congolese forces in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, large parts of the country remain plagued by violence and instability. In Ituri, a province in the north-west of the country, a patchwork of armed groups made up of varying ethnic groups continues to clash over territory and resources. Both Uganda and Rwanda have been accused of involvement in the conflict, which has displaced more than 100,000 people since the beginning of 2025, according to the UN. 'We hope that this deal could bring lasting peace to the DRC and spread beyond just North and South Kivu, but we know it will take time,' Dr John Agbor, the UNICEF representative for the DRC told The Telegraph. 'We've seen a huge increase in grave violations against children in the last year [...] rates of recruitment and use of children as soldiers, sexual violence, maiming, and killing. And it's not only North and South Kivu, this is across all of the DRC. 'There are six provinces in active conflict in the DRC, until peace is brought everywhere only then can we bring real and impactful difference to the lives of children,' Dr Agbor added. While the US president admitted that he 'didn't know too much about' the conflict and that it was 'a little out of my league', he added that the United States will be able to secure ' a lot of mineral rights from the Congo '. The DRC has enormous mineral reserves that include lithium and cobalt, vital in electric vehicles and other advanced technologies. The deal had been negotiated through Qatar since before Mr Trump took office, but the US president also started his White House event by mentioning a journalist who said he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. The US president is widely believed to want to win the award, and has frequently criticised its awarding to his predecessor Barack Obama. Last week – before the US bombed Iran and later negotiated a ceasefire – Mr Trump unleashed his frustration on that front. 'No, I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran, whatever those outcomes may be, but the people know, and that's all that matters to me!' he wrote on Truth Social. The new agreement drew wide, but not universal, praise. Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, called the deal 'a significant step towards de-escalation, peace and stability'. Germany hailed the 'excellent news', and Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, praised the 'historic step forward'. However others – including Denis Mukwege, a gynaecologist who received the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end the DRC's epidemic of sexual violence in war – also criticised the agreement, saying it effectively benefits Rwanda and the United States. The deal 'would amount to granting a reward for aggression, legitimising the plundering of Congolese natural resources, and forcing the victim to alienate their national heritage by sacrificing justice in order to ensure a precarious and fragile peace,' Mr Mukwege said.
