Africa Eye: Somali soldiers fighting IS

The BBC’s Africa Eye embeds with Puntland forces in Somalia’s northeastern Al-Miskaad mountains as they fight Islamic State (IS) militants. Nearly a decade after its defeat in the Middle East, IS has spread across Africa. Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland has become a key hub, with the UN estimating that IS in Somalia was comprised of up to 800 fighters last year. Over half of these militants were believed to be foreign recruits.

We also look at the rising number of Egyptians migrating irregularly to Europe. Victims' families said that smugglers were demanding thousands of dollars, sometimes issuing death threats, leaving loved ones living in fear. Egyptians now represent the largest African group entering the European Union (EU) and the second largest globally, after Bangladeshis. This episode explores what’s behind this surge in migration.

Presenter : Nkechi Ogbonna
Producer: Ayuba Iliya
Technical Producer: David Njenga Kinyanjui
Senior Producers: Bella Twine and Blessing Aderogba
Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla