2024

ADF STAFF Liberia’s journey with United Nations peacekeeping forces has come full circle over the course of two decades. In need of support after 14 years of unrest and two civil wars, the West African country hosted a U.N. peacekeeping…

ADF STAFF Mairame Ba joined a unique group of women in 2022 when she graduated from a six-month training course to become one of Senegal’s first “Solar Mamas.” The course, run by India’s Barefoot College International, aims to train women…

ADF STAFF Having secured most of the Cabo Delgado region, the Mozambique Defence Armed Forces plan to sever supply lines for the few terrorists hiding in the Catupa Forest as they push to rid the country of the threat entirely. With the…

ADF STAFF A United Nations helicopter in mid-January was conducting a medical evacuation when a technical problem forced it to make an emergency landing in an area long controlled by al-Shabaab in central Somalia. The terror group…

ADF STAFF In early December, a Maltese-flagged merchant ship was hijacked off the coast of Somalia. It is believed to be the first successful attack on a merchant ship in the region since 2017. Gerry Northwood, a former captain who…

ADF STAFF On the surface, Diamville SAU is a Central African company working in the diamond trade. But Diamville is more than that: It’s the front for a Russian operation selling diamonds from the Central African Republic to finance…

ADF STAFF That Senegal has never had a coup or a civil war is both a source of great pride among its people and a rarity in Africa. The coastal West African country, surrounded by what recently has become known as a “coup belt” of…

ADF STAFF The Somali National Army and local forces in late December recaptured Masagaway, a town in central Galmudug State, from al-Shabaab, marking a significant victory in the ongoing war. Masagaway is about 270 kilometers…

ADF STAFF Five people were kidnapped on the Mayo Djarendi-Madingring road in northern Cameroon in early September. The abductors, known for their activity in the Mayo-Rey department, demanded a 40,000,000 Central African CFA francs…

ADF STAFF In the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the word “Wazalendo” has become nearly as ubiquitous as the sight of armed men in fatigues. They are local militiamen who have partnered with the Congolese…