The emir of Kano is one of Nigeria's most respected traditional leaders but there is a tussle for the throne.

The blind musician, who helped bring Malian music to the world in the 2000s, died last week aged 70.

In 1991, a horrific civil war erupted between rival warlords in Somalia. A US-led United Nations mission tried to restore order and provide humanitarian aid. But, the mission ended in an embarrassing withdrawal in 1995 after US helicopters were shot down, as depicted in the film Black Hawk Down.

Halima Ismail Ibrahim risked her life to work for the UN mission. She speaks to Ben Henderson.

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: UN soldier in Mogadishu. Credit: Thielker/ullstein bild via Getty Images)

The African nation is "taking advantage" of the US by not accepting its citizens, says the top US diplomat.

President Mnangawa says he wants improved relations, days after Donald Trump said the US would impose an 18% tariff on Zimbabwe.

Charlie Parish is running the 155-mile desert marathon to raise money for suicide prevention.

Wigs and beauty contests are big business in Ivory Coast, but the industry is facing change.

A Wraysbury cafe owner says he wants to give back by passing his culinary skills to young people in Africa.

Stephen Sarkodie is 90 minutes away from his dream of playing Wembley coming true.

Some African countries got privileged access to US markets, but the future of that deal is uncertain.

Teams from across the continent, created to boost the health of older women, face off in a tournament.

The lack of progress in the case of an alleged rape of a seven-year-old has sparked angry protests.

There are "horrific videos" of "armed men executing civilians in cold blood", the UN's Volker Türk says.

The hunters were on their way home when they were stopped by vigilantes in an attack that shocked Nigeria.

DR Congo hopes that US involvement in its minerals sector would help deter Rwandan-backed rebels.

The groups, including the UN refugee agency, are accused of trying to change Libya's "demographic composition".

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

Rhinos are at extreme risk of extinction because of poaching and habitat loss. The work of conservationists has made sure that their numbers have continued to rise, but poaching is still a major threat to their existence. Most of the global rhino population lives in South Africa, where the government has taken big steps to prevent the killings, but recent data shows criminal poachers are still targeting the animal

So scientists are getting experimental with how to protect them!

We hear from the BBC Africa’s Ayanda Charlie who has speaking to scientists in South Africa coming up with ways to prevent poaching, including using radioactive material in horns as a deterrent.

Plus, we get the story behind why there’s videos of rhinos hanging upside down from helicopters. Riley Farrell from BBC Future tells us about how choppers are being used in rhino conservation.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Emily Horler and Benita Barden Editor: Verity Wilde

“A secret society of murderers with a king for a ringleader”.

In 1885 King Leopold of Belgium; an awkward, ruthless, selfish man, was recognised as the sovereign of the Congo. Long determined to carve out his very own private colonial domain, he had alighted upon the Congo - Africa’s vast and unplundered interior. With the help of the explorer Henry Morton Stanley, who had found a way to circumnavigate the Congo’s formerly insurmountable rapids, he concocted a cunning scheme to legally make it his own, while casting himself as a civilising saviour. Yet, despite his ostensibly philanthropic motivations, Leopold’s goal was always profit. More specifically, ivory, and later rubber, and before long a thriving hub of industry had been established in the Congo, bustling with soldiers, traders and missionaries. Meanwhile and most significantly, tens of thousands of Congolese people were being beaten, coerced and essentially enslaved into harvesting and carrying the riches of their land for their European oppressors. Their treatment was barbaric, the conditions in which they were made to live grotesque, and their suffering unimaginable. It was there, in King Leopold's Congo, that for years some of the worst violations of human life in all of human history were perpetrated. A terrible, secret heart of darkness, Until, at last, a young shipping clerk in Antwerp stumbled across something that would change the course of history forever...

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X: @TheRestHistory @holland_tom @dcsandbrook

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

Only Chinese goods are facing higher US tariffs than exports from Lesotho, which will be charged at 50%.