the headlines at 9:30pm. tens of thousands of people march through london to demand a vote on the final deal on the uk's departure from the eu. senior cabinet ministers stress that the uk still prepared to away from brexit talks without a deal. after an explosion in zimbabwe, the president walks away unharmed. the scientists going to extreme lengths to save chicks from plastic pollution. now, france and america leading counterterrorism operations in the sahara desert in the fear that ies soldiers are looking to recruit there. the sahara desert is the size of america.

for centuries, nomads have been amongst this hospitable wilderness, trading gold or sold. but people are the new commodity. human trafficking drives the migrant trail to europe and funds of violent extremists who are spreading across sahel, the desert‘s long, southern edge. and so the soldiers are coming. sahel is a place for us to focus now because of al-qaeda and isis affiliated violent extremist organisations which are growing in strength. us bases are being built across africa but just how fast is america's military footprint growing? drones and special forces are the tools of modern western warfare. but are united nations peacekeepers becoming collateral? as they struggle to bring peace to a fast changing landscape. there is still a peace to keep. better equipped, better trained contingents.

government has abandoned villages, allowing historic feuds to erupt and radical islamist is to become the law. this potent mix is turning the sahara into the new front line on the war on terror. the sahel spreads 5000 kilometres from mauritania in the west to sudan in the east. these nations are struggling, with an encroaching desert, massive population growth, unemployment and increasing insecurity. here in northern niger, the scrap of desert on the edge, the world's special forces have assembled to tackle the threat. the purpose of this meeting is to give you an overview of all activities that have been in the last 24 hours. for african nations, it is a chance to learn how

western armies work. for the visitors, an opportunity to find partners who can help fight foreign terrorfor them. to work by, with and through our african partners and our western partners as an international coalition of the willing to help improve the security and structure capability and capacity in these multinational organisations. the men whose faces cannot be seen are sharing tactics with african troops. i been trying peek inside, without showing my muzzle. but their students are poorly trained and equipped. progress is slow when the message passes through two translators. as soon as this is in this door, it goes here. while rich nations balk at losing men in a distant desert, these are the boots that will be

on the ground. for us, this is an opportunity to help our african partners deal with threats of mutual interest with a modest investment by the international community to deal with a problem that is bigger than any one state can deal with and if we don't take this opportunity to do that now, where it is at a level that is affordable and sustainable, both in blood and treasure, then it may cost much, much more to deal with overtime. billions are already being spent. modest in america means much in niger. after years of secrecy, we were let in to see work on airbase 201. in name it belongs to niger. to us forces, it is expeditionary or temporary, rather than enduring. but it is unmistakably american and being built to last. the scale of this new us airbase is huge.

when this runway is finished, it will be able to land some of the biggest cargo planes the military has got and it will also be able to fly armed drones from here. it is a dramatic indicator ofjust how much the american military footprint in africa is growing. actually, it's the largest airforce us—labour led project in history. $110 million project and at the request of niger and we are here providing the security that they're looking for. why such a big base and why here? we're trying to help project power onto the kind of africa to be able to support niger. because it is so remote here, it's important to provide a space big enough to support the mission. and american power is slowly and secretly being projected across the sahara. there are now at least 3a individual us bases in africa. few knew about their mission until four american special operations troops were lost last october, a long way from home.

islamist fighters ambushed four us soldiers in niger. an investigation into what went wrong continues. staff sergeant jeremiah johnson and justin wright remained with brian black until overwhelming enemy fire forced them to withdraw. this is where america met islamic state in the great sahara. their biggest loss on the continent since somalia's black hawk down. five nigerians also died. questions are still being asked in washington. insecurity and instability are rife across the sahel. poco her ram has been causing chaos in north—eastern nigeria and the country's bordering chad for years. northern mali was overrun by islamist ‘s five years ago and now groups affiliated with al-qaeda and the so—called islamic state are dividing and growing, competing for a influence across the region.

libya has become a key route the sub saharan african migrants trying to reach europe by sea. agadez as has been at the heart of sahara's people smuggling business since libya's collapse in the chaos. it used to be a thriving tourist town but most visitors here and now on their way to, rather than from, europe. tour guides have become traffickers. the money bankrolls islamist groups directly and corrupt officials in niger taking their cut have no incentive to kill off their cash cow. are you frustrated by the amount of corruption that allows this to happen? yes, of course. i'm frustrated. it has been a very old phenomenon going on. it generates a lot of money, not to mention that even

the violence in these organisations is also involved. they are making a lot of money out of it. he makes excuses for the government but corruption is allowing islamist is to thrive. the future could be that these are violent extremist organisations won't expand. you've seen how they've overtaken most of mali but in 2012, so if nothing is done, they will keep on expanding and, actually, join forces across the continents. the desert of neighbouring mali is still a dangerous, ungoverned space. international troops here have wildly different goals, from seek and destroy to bringing and keeping peace. in early 2012, a rebellion in northern mali and a military coup

in the capital opened the door to help feed back is the mists. they took timbuktu and then occupied the north. they destroyed ancient artefacts and imposed strict sharia law. as the violence spread, the government asked for help. french troops arrived in january 2013. they were joined by african forces. within a month, they had striven the violent extremists into the desert. they were down but not out. then the un came in to help police a peace deal between the rebellious armed groups. minusma, as it is known, is still here. it is one of the largest un peacekeeping missions and is currently the most dangerous in the world.

nearly 111,000 personnel from almost 60 countries but they're not in harmony. different countries have different priorities and accept different levels of risk. these bangladeshi troops were rehearsing weeks ahead for their departure parade. cambodia is in charge of mine clearance. the un supply convoys that cross northern mali every month and are often targeted by roadside bombs. blue helmets no longer provide the protection they used to. the hours it takes to safely deal with a bomb, the heightened risks and damaged roads, means a mission that used to take a few days now takes a few weeks.

over the past five years, the un memorial wall has gradually filled up with names. hundreds more have been severely injured in targeted attacks across mali. that is the main problem, we have to cope with and we have had to face that violence and protect ourselves, we have to protect medics, we have to protect the un system and we have to protect the civilians. it is a billion—dollar a year mission. the top priority is protecting themselves. i have several objectives. first, being present, be present and that is important for the population because i need the support of the population. but that means leaving their base, which is more dangerous. every time they go out on the streets to show that presence, they also provide a for extremists to attack.

it takes a convoy of armoured vehicles and heavily armed senegalese troops to escort a local policeman out on his beat. locals have gathered around tv screens to watch european cup football. they seemed genuinely pleased to see the police drop by but said it was the first time this had happened. all the substances scared about the terrorists. sometimes they steal the vehicles and kill people. this is not good for us. that is why we are scared. but right now, everything is ok. is its dangerous? translation: security is not 100%, to understand? but we need to be able to first secure ourselves

so that we can work better. without the un vehicles, would you be afraid to be on patrol? of course, of course. but we are obliged to carry out our mission, the mission our state has entrusted us with. we are forced to do it. half an hour on the ground and not much achieved in terms of either being present or winning the support of the population. germany is one of the largest western contributors to the un mission mostly staffed by african forces. their drones watch over patrols and search for potential threats from above. but it is not enough. i need better trained and better equipped contingents. i do not need additional 2000, 3000 people, no. you need better troops

are better trained troops? yes. i need some additional capabilities like helicopters, for sure. i need an additional two hospitals, but i need first of all, equipment, more vehicles and protective vehicles to protect my people against the ieds and explosions and so on and i need to upgrade the training level of my contingents, for sure. this united nations mission is undermined by its own rules. the un here doesn't do counterterrorism but yet the biggest threat to peace is from these terror groups and with thousands of international troops being sucked into the sahel to deal with the islamist threat, you've got to wonder about recreating a target, fuelling the very fire that they've come here to put out.

the lines between different international missions are blurring. while us and french troops are carrying out counterterrorist trikes, the un is trying to make friends, build wells and bring peace. in the middle ages, mali was a great islamic empire. they grew rich on gold and trade. its mosques is still revered. the sultan of the mali empire, thought to have been the richest man who ever lived, created a centre of learning for science, literature, religion and art. centuries—old manuscripts would always been destroyed in timbuktu by the modern extremists were it not for the ancient families who protected them. mali's rich history brought hundreds of thousands of tourists, the town that clings to the niger river as it arcs through the desert.

but violence has driven the visitors away. it has robbed the region of an income. islam here had always been tolerant of local norms and customs but the voices of radicalism have now started to take root. the boats would normally be out on the river but the water is low. there is little workaround and the economy is struggling. translation: young people sitting on the boats need tourists to survive. djougal goro is leader of a youth group here in mopti. when you talk about unemployment, it is all about young people. today, here, if there is nothing else to do but hang around, you will eventually be swayed by negative influences. and you will be forced to be radicalised. he'll be forced to go to their side, that is what causes the insecurity here.

with dramatic population growth here, there is a lot more chance of that happening. the only way to really understand these issues is to take the risk of going out into remote villages to meet local leaders. this part of central mali used to be safe but the influence of violence extremists is spreading. wejoined a rare and heavily protected convoy of un staff trying to find friends and influence people. they had been hit by roadside bombs on this route before. the soldiers were on high alert.

they were nervous. a senior un commanderjoined to neighbouring and rival villages. the elders were waiting. young people, security, the un team listed what they wanted to talk about. they're trying to work out how to win people over. translation: it is important to tell us what is happening here. what you would like solved. what is the main security problem from your perspective and my second question is what is your perception of minusma and military forces? translation: and i know you are here to alleviate suffering but there is no security. he couldn't explain why. they laughed awkwardly, everyone knew islamists had a presence in the room.

this side of the village has a traditional malian mosque. it was just a short distance to what used to be one village, now split between two ethnic groups who fight over land. on this site, brand—new mosque had been built, paid for, we were told by qatar and preaching conservative islam. the kids here don't play football any more. radios have fallen silent and all schools have closed. one of the un staff, not keen to speak on camera, described the meetings. some of the people, they were quite economical in terms of the answers, especially when we refer to schools and security, they were not open. they were not allowed to express their own views very freely. it is quite obvious that security is in the area, there are some forces here that would prefer not have secular teaching.

amid all this talk of violent extremist groups, forget perhaps some of the convocation is that there are here. for hundreds of years, there have been ethnic conflicts between different groups of people, those who are farmers, those who are herdsman who move around with their cattle. those tensions have been inflamed recently. there is no government here at all, because the violence. everyone is completely pulled out of these areas and that means people are losing faith in that. you've also got of course the economy that is failing, the tourists have gone, unemployment is high and it is absolutely prime territory for the extremists to come in and radicalise young people in these areas. the foreign forces provide a target, simply by being here. you are probably well aware there was an attack

yesterday in timbuktu. in april, the airport base for us, french and malian troops suffered what they call a complex attack. attackers were wearing a combination of western military uniforms and blue helmets. translation: it was indeed a complex attack. the first of this type that we have had to face, which shows the coordination of indirect shooting, suicide vehicles, fighters on foot, some of whom were wearing explosive belts. with the strong intention to cause casualties. seven french troops were among the 16 people severely injured but their commander described the attack as a failure. whatever happens, given our level of training and preparation, and the power of our means, any terrorist attack will be doomed to fail.

france is taking the lead in the counterterror effort against islamist groups in the sahel. they are supporting a new force from the five regional armies, the gs. its effectiveness is being questioned before it has been properly formed. the sahel is now a deeply dangerous place. this was an anti—poaching patrol ambushed by suspected islamist state militants. everyone agrees that this region is important, especially if is is looking to start a new caliphate. it is something we worry about a great deal. doing with the collapse of the physical caliphate in iraq and syria, the load of foreign fighters that have moved to the caliphate are likely to go somewhere and if they come here, that could be devastating security situation in north africa. more people, more poverty

and climate change will play into extremist hands in the years ahead. like afghanistan, the people of the sahara don't like outsiders. fighting an ideological insurgency has proved almost impossible feat even the most advanced armies. is the war lost before it's even begun or can the islamist threat in the sahara be broken? time to take a look further ahead with the weather. will this sunshine

last? temperatures have been creeping up a little each day and that trend will continue. strong sunshine and high levels of pollen to watch out for. disappointingly cloudy over the north of scotland but that cloud will tend to melt away spare the time at sunday morning, it will be quite chilly and we have seen that in recent nights, temperatures have tumbled into single figures, particularly in the countryside but as things warmed by day they will warm by night. not high humidity so the night should be reasonably comfortable. high pressure is with this. the most of us, another fine day awaits through the course of sunday. the northerly breeze may bring more clouds to east anglia but at the same time, we are

clearing that cloud away so cooler here but temperatures into the low 20s across parts of southern scotla nd 20s across parts of southern scotland and into northern ireland. grass pollen season at the moment and it has been persistent. monday brings not the coolest part, dawn and mist that will clear but you can see the gradation in the temperatures here but that heat is starting to push further northwards. not quite on the coast. highs are creeping up so 26 or 27 into monday and then slowly creeping up on that. we pick up a little bit of an easterly breeze on tuesday that may moderate the temperature but that high—pressure steering those weather fronts at bay and it is notjust here in the uk but right across siberia and western europe and eastern parts of europe as well. the

heat is developing either further north on tuesday. temperatures getting into the high 20s and that is into the 80s fahrenheit. wednesday, a similar story. you can see right on the coast that temperatures went to be quite so high. even in scotland and northern ireland, mid—to high 20s. not much rain however in the forecast. delicate plants, a bit of an issue. selection of towns and cities next week, dipping temperature later in the week with some atlantic air. it does look as we will have some changes we go forward but as the daytime temperatures creep up, so does the night but hopefully the humidity is when too unbearable.

through the week, those temperatures are creeping up by night as well. next weekend, we may see a little bit of rain coming, possibly a thunderstorm but at the moment, it looks set to turn dryer. some hot weather around but some of the stronger sunshine you see here in the uk as well. year this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines at ten: tens of thousands of people march through london to demand a vote on the final deal on the uk's departure from the eu. the will of the people is to have a proper, informed referendum where we know what a brexit deal means. we can't keep going into this absolute disaster without stopping and thinking if we really want to do this. senior cabinet ministers stress the uk is still prepared to walk away from brexit talks without a deal.

the prime minister has always said that nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and that no deal would be better than a bad deal. also ahead this hour: an explosion at an election rally attended by zimbabwe's president. he was unharmed in the blast but at least two senior government officials were injured.