2024

ADF STAFF Weighed down by the costs of war, the COVID-19 pandemic and billions of dollars in Chinese loans, Ethiopia defaulted on a loan payment recently, joining Ghana and Zambia on the list of African countries unable to pay their debts.…

ADF STAFF High in the Virunga mountains in the town of Lubero, United Nations peacekeepers ceremonially lowered their flag and raised that of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). On December 26, 2023, the U.N. mission known as…

ADF STAFF As Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues to claim territory from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), experts are warning of a protracted civil war with disastrous regional implications. After nine months of…

ADF STAFF The kidnapping of crew members from a tanker ship traveling between Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon on January 1, 2024, is a stark reminder that piracy remains a concern in the Gulf of Guinea. In response, the Nigerian Navy has added…

ADF STAFF Overall resilience to organized crime has improved across Africa since 2021, but resilience levels are not keeping pace with rising crime. That is according to the Africa Organized Crime Index 2023, compiled by the…

ADF STAFF The Wagner Group may have a new name for its operations in Africa, but it’s the same Russian mercenary outfit that has pillaged mineral wealth and left a trail of atrocities across the continent. The future of the shadowy group…

ADF STAFF The spread of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) across Africa has many security experts concerned that it is only a matter of time before terrorists begin using armed drones to attack military and civilian targets. “The massive…

ADF STAFF The Liberian-flagged Zim Europe was the first cargo ship to divert its course. Bound for Malaysia, the ZIM company ship changed course far into the Mediterranean Sea before turning, retracing its path back through the Gibraltar…

ADF STAFF Armed groups in Niger have increasingly targeted schools to try to recruit new members and destabilize the country. In 2023, more than 920 schools in the Tillabéri region alone were closed due to security concerns. In the…

ADF STAFF Almost 600 former Boko Haram fighters swore an oath to Nigeria and apologized for their past actions during a ceremony in northern Gombe State. The voluntary defectors were participating in a March 2023 graduation ceremony…