Mark Doyle, the BBC correspondent who stayed longest through the Rwandan genocide, dies aged 67

From the Newshound archive · first published 23 September 2026 · last updated 24 September 2026.

Mark Doyle witnessed people being killed with screwdrivers in Rwanda and kept broadcasting after every other BBC journalist had left — colleague Fergal Keane said 'those who were in that awful place at that awful time will know what Mark Doyle gave for the cause of truth'. The veteran Africa correspondent, who joined the BBC in 1986 and spent nearly three decades covering the continent's bloodiest conflicts, died after a short illness at the age of 67. BBC foreign editor Paul Danahar described him as a 'legendary figure' and a 'brilliant, brave, empathetic reporter'.

Doyle covered the Rwandan genocide from 1993, Sierra Leone's civil war and Liberia's conflict aftermath — winning a UN Correspondents Association award in 2004.

Jeremy Vine said 'brilliant reporter, so respected'; Mark Lowen recalled: 'In 1994, the world depended on his reports — he was fearless, astute and kind.'

Sir David Richards, who commanded British forces in Sierra Leone, credited Doyle with saving 'thousands of Sierra Leonean lives that would otherwise have been at huge risk'.