September 2024

ADF STAFF Al-Shabaab, the terrorist group that continues to launch deadly attacks against Somali civilians, Soldiers and international peacekeepers, has reached its 18th anniversary. The group’s long lifespan is significant as an…

ADF STAFF A series of undercover “Operation Jackal” investigations have dealt a blow to Nigeria’s notorious Black Axe criminal networks. But authorities warn that the group’s global reach and technological sophistication means much work…

ADF STAFF Tension already was bubbling in the Horn of Africa in late August when two desert-camouflaged Egyptian military cargo planes landed in the Somali capital of Mogadishu with weapons, ammunition and about 300 special forces…

ADF STAFF Militiamen waved their weapons in the air and chanted triumphantly over the lifeless bodies of five young men, all brothers, at the Kassab displacement camp near Kutumin Kassab, in western Sudan. Described by a local farmer…

ADF STAFF Increasing violence in Togo by extremists has stoked fears that neighboring Ghana might be the next coastal West African country in the terrorist groups’ crosshairs. The Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) militant…

ADF STAFF Long after a battle to control Tripoli erupted in 2019, Libya’s rival factions have continued to rely on foreign fighters. Analysts say that although these fighters aren’t highly visible, their continued presence delays the…

ADF STAFF Militaries can no longer assume they dominate the skies. Extremist groups are increasingly using drones to conduct surveillance, guide mortar attacks, and deploy as miniature, airborne weapons platforms. The widespread…

ADF STAFF Somali security forces intercepted a shipment of suicide drones being secretly transported across the Puntland region, possibly to be deployed against military and peacekeeping forces in the nation’s south. The five devices,…

ADF STAFF The 2024 African Senior Enlisted Conference in Lilongwe, Malawi, brought noncommissioned officers from across the continent for four days of sharing best practices, networking, and professional development. “NCOs are the…

ADF STAFF The African Union has authorized more than 25 peace support operations across the continent over the past 20-plus years, but few have included community-oriented policing (COP) to counter extremism. Meressa Dessu, a senior…