The death of Mark Doyle, a BBC correspondent in many African countries over several decades, was announced on 22 September 2026 by Paul Danahar, head of BBC International News:

"I’m extremely sad to say that Mark Doyle, who was not only a friend and colleague to many of us but one of the best journalists to ever work in Africa has died after a short illness.

He was a legendary figure during his time as the BBC's West Africa correspondent. That is captured in the piece Andrew Harding wrote about him when he left the organisation in 2015 and which I’ve linked too below. It’s really worth a read.

Mark was a brilliant, brave, empathetic reporter. I worked with him for several years covering the conflict in Sierra Leone. He taught me a lot, his mere presence kept us all safe in what was a brutal civil war. He was just a fantastic, funny, clever person to be around."

David Bamford, a long-time BBC World Service Africa correspondent, adds:

"Shocking news. He was a good friend in the 90s, my predecessor in Lagos and successor in Abidjan. A very brave journalist, most notably in Sierra Leone and Rwanda."