FREETOWN, 24th September 2026 – All Peoples Congress (APC) stalwart and former Foreign Minister, Dr. Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara has mourned the death of veteran BBC correspondent Mark Doyle, describing him as a legendary journalist and a true friend of Sierra Leone.
Doyle, 67, died on Monday, September 22 after a short illness, the BBC announced. He joined the BBC in 1986 after living in Africa and rose to become one of its most respected Africa correspondents. He was East Africa correspondent from 1993, covering the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and West Africa correspondent from 1997 to 2002, when he extensively covered Sierra Leone’s 11-year civil war and the Liberian conflict.
In a moving statement titled “I am deeply saddened,” issued from Kamalo, Dr. Kamara said he worked closely with Doyle while serving at the Ministry of Finance during the war.
“In the darkest days of our civil war, while I served at the Ministry of Finance, Mark and I worked closely together, sharing information so the world could see the full horror of the atrocities inflicted on our people,” he said.
Dr. Kamara said Doyle’s courageous reporting played a direct role in bringing British troops to Sierra Leone in 2000.
“His brave reporting helped persuade Prime Minister Tony Blair to mount the robust British intervention that ended the war and saved thousands of Sierra Leonean lives.”
The former presidential candidate also recalled Doyle’s award-winning reporting on child soldiers and his support during the Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016, which helped rally doctors, nurses and vital aid to the country.
“Mark did not simply visit Africa. He lived among us and told our stories with courage, honesty, and compassion,” Kamara added.
Doyle retired from the BBC in 2015 as World Affairs correspondent. He was a winner of the UN Correspondents Association Prize for his post-war Liberia coverage in 2004 and was described by the BBC’s Foreign Editor as a “legendary figure.”
Dr. Kamara extended condolences to Doyle’s family and BBC colleagues, saying: “Sierra Leone will never forget him. Rest in peace, my friend.”
