Africa Daily

Another week has gone by, and the conflict in Sudan is still ongoing. Despite a ceasefire that was in place over the last three days, the fighting has continued. Many Sudanese have found themselves with an impossible decision to make…to stay or to go. So, what has the journey been like for people fleeing Sudan?Guests: Kholood Khair - Founding Director of Confluence Advisory, a think tank based in Khartoum - @KhooloodKhair Amar Saeed - BBC Arabic Ferdinand Omondi - BBC Africa @FerdyOmondi#AfricaDaily

In a remote and hidden area in the Shakahola forest near the Kenyan coast, a grisly and distressing operation is taking place: around 60 mass graves are gradually being dug up and the bodies they contain exhumed. The authorities were called in after it was reported that members of a cult had been persuaded to starve themselves to death as a way to be accepted into heaven. So far 89 bodies have been exhumed – but the Red Cross has said that 112 people have been reported missing. When police arrived they also found 29 sick and weak survivors - but many continued to refuse food. The leader of the church - Pastor Paul Mackenzie - has been arrested. For Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja hears about this case from the human rights worker who first alerted the police – and also asks why people get lured into religious cults in the first place? GUESTS: Hussein Khalid from HAKI Africa and Dr Kennedy Ongaro of Daystar University in Nairobi.

An upcoming Netflix documentary film has caused drama in Egypt.The film is part of a series about African queens and one of those featured is Cleopatra, the Egyptian Queen.So many movies about her have been made over the years, but there’s one difference with this new film – Cleopatra is played by a Black actress. Alan Kasujja is looking at why a Black actress playing Cleopatra has enraged a nation, and he’s been speaking with the BBC Arabic Trending reporter, Fairouz Hosny.He also spoke to Dr. Zahi Hawass, an Egyptologist and historian, to look back into Cleopatra’s heritage.

“Other people want to teach us about conservation. They do not understand we are conservationists par excellence. Wildlife is not all we have. Nature is all that we are.” Today on Africa Daily, Alan Kasujja considers the question of whether the conservation industry is fit for purpose when it comes to Africa. For years, critics have complained that it has been dominated by foreigners – and they say problems remain, including the blackwashing of organisations and a lack of respect for local knowledge. So should conservation be remodelled to better benefit the continent?Presenter: @kasujja Guests: Dr Mordecai Ogada, author of ‘The Big Conservation Lie’, Dr Maurus Msuha, Director of Wildlife for Tanzania's Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism. Adams Cassinga of Conserv Congo

“We found out in the middle of an operation that the guy were trying to arrest was related to the hotel owner and we were locked in the hotel… We had to use a weapon at that stage – to disperse the crowd but also to break the padlock and get scot free.”What does a wildlife investigator do and what part do they play in conserving Africa’s natural heritage?For today’s Africa Daily podcast, Alan speaks to Adams Cassinga, the founder of Conserv Congo. Its more than 100 members work undercover to catch poachers and smugglers using fake personas and sting operations. They also have a network of informants in local communities.So how does such an operation manage with meagre resources? And how did Adams, who used to work in the mining sector, get involved in this work?PRESENTER: Alan Kasujja @Kasujja GUEST: Adams Cassinga @ConservC

Africa is facing a power dilemma – it needs to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, but renewable energy sources currently produce very little power on the continent. This is why some governments are looking seriously at nuclear power as an alternative. There is currently only one commercial nuclear power station on the continent, but there could soon be more. Questions of cost and safety will have to be addressed, and there are strict international regulations that take years to fulfil. So today Africa Daily is looking at what it takes to become a nuclear powered state, and which countries in Africa are considering it. Alan Kasujja speaks to Dr Stephen Yamoah, Executive Director of Nuclear Power Ghana, nuclear scientist Senamile Masango and nuclear policy analyst Dr Olamide Samuel.

Alan Kasujja is in conversation with former Leeds United captain Lucas Radebe and popular African commentator Christophe Bongo. He’s trying to understand why a country like South Africa, for example, with world class stadiums and football academies, finds it difficult to dominate the Africa Cup of Nations. But it’s not the only one. Egypt, Ghana and Nigeria haven’t been doing well either in recent years, despite churning out great players for global teams. This conversation comes as qualifiers for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations are set to continue in the coming weeks.

There are reported to be tens of thousands of mercenaries belonging to the Wagner Group fighting for Russia in Ukraine. This group has been present in Russian military operations not just in Ukraine but around the world. In Africa, they work in Mali, Mozambique and the Central African Republic. They also have a presence in Sudan where in the last few days fighting between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has left almost 200 people dead. In today’s Africa Daily Alan Kasujja has been looking at the Wagner Group and why some African governments have invited them.

This episode contains graphic descriptions of violenceOver the past few days there has been heavy fighting in Khartoum and other areas of Sudan. The UN believes as many as 180 people have lost their lives in the violence. The fighting is the result of a vicious power struggle within the country's military leadership. Members of a paramilitary force - Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - and regular soldiers have found themselves on opposite sides. In this episode, Alan speaks to people in Khartoum who paint a vivid picture of the violence and how people are coping. And he asks how tensions reached such a point in Sudan.#AfricaDaily

Since 2021, the United Nations has recorded more than 30,000 teenage pregnancies, every month in Uganda. In the East African nation, the age of consent for sex is 18, which means some of these girls are victims of defilement – a term for unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor. Alan Kasujja speaks to BBC’s journalist Paul Bakibinga who’s been investigating this. He also spoke to Pamela Angwech, Executive Director Of Gulu Wormen Economic Development and Globalisation, as well as Eunice La Carabel Latim, a legal counsel with Caritas, a Catholic charity, to look at how this unfortunate trend can be reversed.