VETERAN BBC star Mark Doyle has died, aged 67, following a short illness as tributes flood in from his former colleagues.
He was best known for his coverage of conflicts in throughout the 1990s and 2000s after joining the broadcaster in 1986.
Doyle became East Africa correspondent in 1993 and was widely praised for his work covering the Rwandan genocide the following year.
Between 1997 and 2002, he was West Africa correspondent and covered the civil war in Sierra Leone.
Doyle’s illustrious career came to an end with his retirement in 2015 after becoming BBC World Affairs correspondent.
Following his death, BBC foreign editor described Doyle as a “legendary figure” and a “brilliant, brave, empathetic reporter”.
Upon leaving the BBC in 2015, BBC Correspondent Fergal Keane said of Doyle’s work in Rwanda: “He stayed longer than any of us.
“Those who were in that awful place at that awful time will know what Mark Doyle gave for the cause of truth and for the BBC.”
Doyle was also praised by Sir David Richards, who was in charge of British forces in Sierra Leone’s civil war in 2000, arguing it was his work that convinced the UK government to take action.
“Hence the saving of thousands of Sierra Leonean lives that would otherwise have been at huge risk,” he said.
Mark Lowen, BBC News presenter and correspondent, took to social media with a touching tribute, calling Doyle “extraordinary”
“I produced Mark in Rwanda & Congo as a 24-year-old BBC newbie, on the Congo war and illegal mining,” he said.
“In 1994, the world depended on his reports on Rwanda genocide. He was fearless, astute and kind.”
In 2004, Doyle received a United Nations Correspondents Association/UN Foundation award for his coverage of post-war Liberia.
