Focus on Africa, Focus on Africa

Focus on Africa

Focus on Africa

31 August 2026

Available for over a year

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