Africa Eye

Thousands of young people across West Africa are being lured in by the promise of work opportunities abroad. Victims often spend large sums of money, only to be held captive and coerced into recruiting friends and family from back home. Traffickers have been using the name of a legitimate company - QNET - as a front for their activities. Saidu Bah reports on the police teams trying to clamp down and follows one father’s desperate search for his missing children.

When Samia Suluhu became Tanzania’s first female president in 2021, after the sudden death in office of her predecessor, there were hopes that her presidency would mark a break from authoritarian rule. She lifted a ban on opposition rallies, allowed the media to operate more freely, and called for greater political inclusivity. Expectations of lasting change, however, soon faded. From opposition figures and human rights activists, to artists and members of the ruling party itself, an unprecedented crackdown on government critics has shaken Tanzania. Through powerful testimonies from survivors of abduction and torture, and vivid reconstructions of their harrowing experiences, this film reveals the campaign of intimidation and fear that government critics endure in the country.

In the mountains of far-eastern Somalia, a mother of eight prepares for battle. Muna Ali Dahir is an officer in the Puntland Defence Forces. For more than a year she has been fighting militants linked to the Islamic State group. Each morning, before heading back to the front line, she calls her children to let them know she is safe. Africa Eye embeds with Puntland Defence Forces as they push into remote valleys and caves where Islamic State fighters have entrenched themselves. Soldiers describe capturing foreign recruits who travelled to Somalia to join the group. Puntland commanders say this branch has grown into one of the Islamic State group’s most significant operational hubs in Africa. In recently liberated villages, residents recount life under militant rule, describing the fear, disappearances and killings that still haunt families. Communities are slowly rebuilding, but the scars remain. The impact of the fighting reaches far beyond Somalia’s borders. US Africa Command (AFR

In Malawi, parents raising autistic children confront fear, stigma, and impossible choices. From desperation to determination, three Malawian families reveal to Africa Eye the painful realities of living with autism. Natasha seeks traditional healing for her young son, paying $15 in an attempt for his soul to be returned, Martha shares how she reached breaking point and considered taking her own daughter's life, and Onil and Angela explain the fear, devastation and acceptance in learning that two of their children are on the spectrum.

Nanyuki, Kenya, is home to one of Britain’s largest overseas military training areas, where thousands of British troops train each year. Over the years, nearly 100 children have been fathered by British soldiers here - with many of their dads disappearing without a trace. Now, in a landmark case, UK scientists and lawyers are aiding these young abandoned adults. By analysing their DNA and uploading it to commercial databases, they are identifying fathers — and in some cases, pursuing legal action through UK courts. This documentary follows three Kenyans who have never known their British fathers but hope they might finally track them down. Could their fight ignite the way for others like them, throughout the world?

A town in Uganda is at the centre of a bizarre and cruel business: sham pet shelters. Hundreds of social media accounts, operated from the town of Mityana, pump out video after video of pitiful looking animals - mainly dogs, cats, and some rabbits - needing donations for food, shelter, and vet treatments. But not all is as it seems. Instead of benefitting the animals, these videos have been used to scam dog lovers around the world, and line scammers' pockets. As donors realise their donations have been funding cars, phones, and pool parties, online activists globally have begun organising unofficial missions to remove dogs from shelters they consider abusive. Africa Eye goes undercover to expose how social media’s love for dogs has been used to turn cruelty into profit.

Most survivors of the Biafran War are now in their 70s and 80s. The trauma of the war has prevented many of them from sharing their stories. Time is running out to record their memories. This documentary is directed by award-winning Nigerian filmmakers Meji and Leke Alabi, whose grandfather, a senior Federal Army Commando, took part in the war. Between 600,000 and 3 million people died in Biafra amidst allegations of war crimes. Through deeply emotional testimonies from frontline eyewitnesses, intercut with the BBC’s vast and largely unseen video archives, this programme sheds light on a civil war which impacted the lives of millions and still shapes conversations in Nigeria today. This documentary was produced by BBC Africa Eye with expert support from the BBC Igbo Service. Eyewitness accounts from both sides of the conflict are reflected in the programme.

Lissu's journey has taken him from a rural village in Tanzania to the forefront of the country's opposition movement. Along the way, he has become one of the government's most outspoken critics, facing repeated arrests, and periods of self-imposed exile in Belgium, before a hopeful return to Tanzania in 2023. His unwavering calls for political reform and accountability have won him supporters, but also made him powerful enemies. In 2017, Lissu survived an assassination attempt in which he was shot 16 times outside his home. Despite the severity of the attack, no one has ever been charged, and Lissu says he was never formally questioned by investigators. The shooting became a defining moment in his life and a stark symbol of the risks faced by political opponents in Tanzania. Through intimate interviews with those closest to him, including his wife Alicia, and former colleagues, this film explores what drives a man to repeatedly put himself in harm's way for the principles he believes