[Series] Escapes, murders, serial killers… These criminal cases that fascinated Africa

Long chases, endless investigations, ever deeper mysteries, enigmas finally solved… Throughout the week, young Africa makes you discover or rediscover some of the main criminal cases that have marked the continent in recent years.

Thriller

Sometimes they keep an entire country in suspense. In some cases, its media coverage went far beyond borders. This is the case of the terrible drift sect of guru Paul Mackenzie in Kenya – a case whose implications have not yet been understood. Day after day, researchers combing the Shakahola forest, not far from Mombasa, exhume the bodies of new victims, numbering in the hundreds.

Less deadly, but equally well-known and fascinating in many ways, the Thabo Bester case continues to fascinate South Africa and beyond: how did this serial rapist and killer manage to fake his own death and escape, in May 2022? Researchers are putting the pieces of the puzzle together and shedding light on an incredible chain of complicity.

Decapitator

How the couple formsDid Jean-Claude Lacote and Hilde Van Acker manage to escape Belgian justice for twenty years before being arrested? he has Abidjan, in 2019? How did the Malian police detect a serial killer who, since 2018, has been decapitating his victims and sowing terror in the city of Fana? In Senegal, it was another type of story that captivated the media: that of Boy Djinné, a young delinquent imprisoned for robbery, banditry and criminal conspiracy, who managed to escape so many times that the prison administration found itself ridiculed.

These crimes were sometimes overshadowed by turbulent political events. However, these stories are fascinating for what they say about the society in which they take place. Also allow us to learn a little more about the investigation methods of African police forces.

One series in five episodes :