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Kate Adie introduces insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents and writers.

Kate Adie introduces insight, wit and analysis from BBC correspondents, journalists and writers telling stories from around the world.

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From Our Own Correspondent: Al-Shabab's Defectors

14/03/2020

Al-Shabab's Defectors

BBC Radio 4 - From Our Own Correspondent, Al-Shabab's Defectors

Stories from Afghanistan, US, France, Estonia and from a Somalian rehabilitation centre.

Stories from Afghanistan, the US, France, Estonia and from Somalia where Mary Harper meets once violent young men who escaped from the Al Qaeda linked terrorist group, Al Shabab.

For well over a decade, the Al Qaeda linked group Al Shabab has struck terror in Somalia, Kenya and beyond blowing up shopping malls and hotels.  Its  senior leaders want to establish a caliphate, where their draconian form of Islam is imposed. But most Al Shabaab foot-soldiers come from deprived backgrounds and now hundreds  have defected and are rebuilding their lives. Mary Harper visited a rehabilitation centre in the capital Mogadishu.

In Afghanistan too, there are hopes of militants disarming, Taliban prisoners being released and of an end to a long drawn out conflict.  But the peace process is overshadowed by a crisis in government. The defeated candidate in the presidential election, Abdullah Abdullah, proclaimed himself as president at the same time as the official inauguration of President Ghani earlier this week. David Loyn was there.

There was much praise for the three journalists whose dogged investigations ultimately led to Harvey Weinsteins's  conviction. But an important question remains says Kirsty Lang: why was the movie mogul's systematic abuse of women, kept out of the media for so many years?

In France schools are closing until further notice as the government battles to stem the spread of the coronavirus.  But President Macron said  local elections would go ahead as planned.  Elderly people, most at risk, may stay away from the polls.  But in Pamiers, Chris Bockman met a candidate for mayor, a hardy nonagenarian.   

Despite its beautiful lakes, forests and hilltop castles Estonia had a hard time attracting tourists in the 1970s. Few Westerners fancied spending their holidays on that side of the Iron Curtain.  But then the Soviet authorities built a luxury hotel fitted out with state of the art listening devices says Rob Crossan.

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