Gangs control most of the capital but the attack seems to suggest they are expanding to other towns.

he story of King Leopold of Belgium’s brutal regime in the Congo Free State, during the late 19th century, is one of the darkest and most important in global history. It is a story of horror - the murky depths of the human soul pushed to its primal limits, European colonialism and the first Scramble for Africa, royalty and politics, celebrity, and modernity. From that pit of depravity, in which the Congolese people endured unimaginable suffering at the hands of their dehumanising western drivers, the first human rights campaign was born, and one of the most seminal novels of all time. So, how was it that the Congo, Africa’s as yet unplundered, un-impenetrable, and deeply mysterious core in the late 1870’s, became the private financial reservoir of one ambitious monarch, while Europe looked on? What occurred during the reign of terror he unleashed there, and why? And, who was King Leopold himself, the troubled, cunning and utterly twisted individual behind it all?

Join Dominic and Tom as they lead us - following in the footsteps of Henry Morton Stanley, the explorer who first pierced the shadowy veil of the Congo in Africa’s interior, and let it bleed into the hands of King Leopold himself - deep into the heart of darkness. As the curtain is lifted from the Congo’s formerly obscuring unknowability, her people's grotesque future of abominable exploitation is revealed, along with man’s capacity for evil, and the demonic greed of one man in particular…

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X: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook

Producer: Theo Young-Smith Assistant Producer: Tabby Syrett Editor: Vasco Andrade Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

Many streets across Zimbabwe remained deserted and empty on the day of a planned protest.

Nigerian boxer Gabriel Oluwasegun Olanrewaju has died after collapsing during a light heavyweight bout in Ghana on Saturday.

In the early 1900s, the first diamond was found in Kolmanskop, in the African country of Namibia.

It led to a diamond rush and the town was created.

Having become one of the wealthiest places, when the diamonds ran out it was abandoned.

It meant this once vibrant place started being buried by the Namib Desert.

Dieter Huyssen speaks to Megan Jones about his memories of visiting the town, which is where his family once called home.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Dieter's father's house. Credit: Dieter Huyssen)

An undercover BBC investigation exposes how rogue agents are exploiting a UK visa scheme.

Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of Ramadan.

Human rights journalist Abdalle Mumin spends a week in Jersey for respite after fleeing his country.

With UK school fees rising, Nigeria's elite can now choose to give their offspring a British education at home.

The breakaway republic argues Berbera port and airbase are not Somalia's to give away.

Moussa Dadis Camara, pardoned on health grounds, was less than a year into a 20-year sentence.

Ukrainian helicopter crew hailed after coming under fire during an evacuation of a military base in South Sudan.

Ebrahim Rasool, who was accused of "race-baiting" by the US, tells the BBC racism in the White House was "self-evident".

It comes ahead of planned protests by a group of war veterans who want Emmerson Mnangagwa to resign.

Kenya goalkeeper Patrick Matasi is provisionally suspended for 90 days amid an investigation into match manipulation in the East African country.

Plymouth Argyle head coach Miron Muslic says he "will try everything possible" to extend Mustapha Bundu's stay at the club.

A selection of the week's best photos from across the African continent and beyond.

Details of the victims have not yet been released, but two children were reported among the dead.

Another 39 people were rescued after the vessel sank in the Red Sea on Thursday morning.

But Ghanaian investigative journalist tells the BBC that the message his victory sends is more important.