ADF

After the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Russia has scrambled to transfer military equipment to other areas, including eastern Libya. Experts question Russia’s long-term strategic goals and fear the expanded presence of mercenaries and military personnel could further destabilize Libya, Sudan and other nations in the region. The Kremlin increasingly has used Al-Khadim air base, about 100 kilometers east of Benghazi, as a hub for conducting operations, supplying arms, and trafficking resources in and out of the restive Sahel region. “One of former Libyan leader Mu’ammar Qaddafi’s greatest foreign policy failures was undoubtedly his 1980s attempt…

South Africa’s Border Management Authority (BMA) has deployed four drones and added 40 body cameras to halt illegal migration, smuggling and human trafficking at the borders it shares with six countries. Using the new technology, the BMA arrested 6,253 undocumented immigrants trying to enter or leave the country from April 15 to April 24. This marked a 61% increase from the 3,841 people intercepted during the same period in 2024. BMA Commissioner Michael Masiapato said the authority recorded just more than 1,000,000 movements across the country’s 71 ports of entry during that time frame. Of those apprehended, 2,019 were Zimbabweans,…

Fake investment scams, ransomware, digital sextortion and business email compromise are surging across the continent. Experts say African countries must do more to protect their citizens. Rising digital dependency in the public and private sectors, along with “a severe lack of cybersecurity capacity,” have combined to make Africans extremely vulnerable, according to Anna Collard, senior vice president of content strategy for security software company KnowBe4 Africa. “It means that Africa is an attractive target area for criminals,” she told ADF. “The majority of cybersecurity incidents go unreported or unresolved, meaning that cyber threats in Africa are likely much worse than…

African nations’ counterterrorism strategies range from battlefield combat to cat-and-mouse hunts in cyberspace. But there is one aspect of counterterrorism that some experts say deserves more attention — the influence jailed terrorists can have on other prisoners. The concern, according to Gen. Paul Phiri, commander of the Malawi Defence Force, is that terrorists will spread their radicalization to other prisoners, who then will carry it back into the community when they are released. “We need to make better connections between the military and corrections authorities,” Phiri told ADF during an interview at the African Chiefs of Defense Conference earlier this…

The World Hongmen History and Culture Association is a modern organization that describes itself as an ethnic fraternal group dedicated to promoting Chinese culture abroad. Established in 2013, it takes its name from a centuries-old secret society in China, also called the Hongmen. In the past, as in the present, the group has been revealed to be a facade for organized crime. It is active around the world and has a growing presence in Africa. Wan Kuok Koi, one of Asia’s most powerful crime bosses, leads the modern iteration of the Hongmen. He created the association after serving nearly 14…

Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire have launched joint patrols along the Cavalla River, which forms part of their border, as part of a broader strategy to combine forces against piracy and illegal fishing in the western Gulf of Guinea. The relationship is important to Liberia, which depends on its neighbors to help it defend its coast, Maj. Gen. Davidson Forleh, chief of staff for the Armed Forces of Liberia, said during the recent African Chiefs of Defense Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. “It’s important to have relations with countries that we share borders with,” Forleh said. “Bilateral relations, when aligned with regional…

Al-Qaida-linked terrorists attacked seven Malian military posts July 1 in a series of coordinated, simultaneous early-morning assaults on urban centers and towns. Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) claimed that it gained control of three Army barracks during the attacks. Mali’s Army claimed that it killed 80 terrorists but did not report any other casualties. JNIM claimed it killed dozens of Soldiers and destroyed more than 100 military vehicles and motorcycles. One military post was in Diboli, a town near the Senegalese border, that largely has been spared from terrorist attacks. “The border region to Senegal is a major gateway for…

At least four vessels from China’s Liao Dong Yu distant-water fishing fleet have operated illegally in Somali waters since at least 2019 and have heavily targeted yellowfin tuna. Now, stocks of one of the world’s most commercially valuable species is facing a collapse that could devastate Somalia’s economy, affect food security and threaten the livelihoods of up to 90,000 artisanal fishermen. China is the world’s worst illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing violator, according to the IUU Fishing Risk Index. As in other parts of coastal Africa, IUU fishing by industrial and semi-industrial foreign trawlers is forcing Somali’s artisanal fishermen…

In September 2024, Col. Assimi Goïta, Mali’s junta leader, traveled to Beijing to visit Norinco, a weapons manufacturing company. Mali and Norinco signed an agreement that will provide Bamako with military equipment, training and defense-related technology. According to Anadolu Agency, the delivery was made near the end of an Economic Community of West African States embargo in 2022. Sadio Camara, Mali’s defense minister, expressed gratitude “We will not forget this act.” Analysts say Beijing strives to become a key player in African security — a reflection of its efforts to expand its diplomatic influence and soft power globally. While China’s…

Ask experts for solutions to Africa’s myriad security challenges, and many are likely to call for greater cooperation, training and professionalism among the continent’s armed forces. For many military and security personnel, the path toward that goal leads through one of Africa’s many centers of excellence. Over the last 25 years or so, Africa has experienced a boom in institutions designed to help its military leaders understand and respond to key security issues — everything from artificial intelligence (AI) and counterterrorism to maritime security and empowering noncommissioned officers. Centers of excellence are hubs of specialized knowledge designed to develop leadership,…