2015

Case Studies from Iran, Sri Lanka and Somalia BY FRANCOIS VREŸ, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, PH.D., FACULTY OF MILITARY SCIENCE, STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY, SOUTH AFRICA This article was adapted from a paper the author wrote while on exchange to the…

In North Africa, extremists who fought alongside ISIS on the battlefield are returning home. At the beginning of 2015, an estimated 31,000 fighters in the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, had tightened their grip…

A Kenyan Organization is Fighting Extremism by Empowering Youths PHYLLIS MUEMA/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KENYA COMMUNITY SUPPORT CENTRE If a battle against extremism is being waged in East Africa, coastal Kenya is on the front line. About…

The West African Epidemic Shines a Light on the Need for Water and Sanitation Infrastructure In late 2013, Ebola took root in West Africa, spreading like wildfire and throwing the region into chaos. By early March 2015, it had killed…

Nigeria looks to stem the flow of weapons to Boko Haram. In a blurry, 36-minute video shot somewhere in northeastern Nigeria, a man wearing a black cap and reading from a stack of papers stands beside a weapons cache. “We are now showing…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE For generations, Maasai warriors in Kenya proved their manhood by killing a lion, but a campaign led by Olympic champion David Rudisha is working to swap spearing for sport. As the numbers of big cats rapidly decline…

Rwandan cyclist Valens Ndayisenga celebrates after crossing the finish line to win the Tour of Rwanda.   BBC NEWS AT BBC.CO.UK/NEWS Dubbed “the land of a thousand hills,” Rwanda can leave even the toughest cyclists gasping for air.…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Yacine Brahimi was voted the BBC African Footballer of the Year 2014. The 24-year-old midfielder was the first Algerian to win the award, which is decided by football fans. “It’s a big honor for me to receive this…

DEFENCEWEB South African farmers in the Limpopo province hope to harvest a first crop of energy-rich Solaris plants to be used as aviation fuel. The aviation giant Boeing and national carrier South African Airways (SAA) launched Project…

The Brazilian Navy announced plans to establish a mission in São Tomé and Príncipe, the island nation in the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of Gabon. The mission is intended to improve defense cooperation between the two countries, said…