ADF

Attack drones launched by the Government of National Accord during Libya’s civil war in 2020 reportedly used artificial intelligence (AI) to locate, target and fire upon vehicles and troops that belonged to Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army. The Kargu-2, made by Turkish company STM, comes with “automatic target selection and facial-recognition capabilities,” leading some experts to contend that Libya was the site of the first autonomous combat weapon used in Africa. “It’s been five years now, and it is clear that this was not the last attack of this kind,” said Africa Center for Strategic Studies researcher Nate…

Faced with a rising tide of external threats in the north, Benin has spent much of the past eight years modernizing and expanding its military. It has built several forward operating bases and outposts near the border, recruited and deployed more troops, acquired drones and armored vehicles, and strengthened relationships with international partners, including U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). On January 22, the United States and Benin signed a bilateral cooperation agreement “strengthening collaboration between the Beninese Armed Forces (FAB) and the U.S. Army,” the U.S. embassy said. Benin has suffered several deadly attacks in recent years, as groups linked to…

Rowland Turaki was a cybersecurity student in Lagos, Nigeria, when he answered an advertisement seeking customer service representatives for a Chinese-owned company called Genting International Co. Ltd. Turaki’s interview focused on his typing skills instead of his computer skills. When he joined other young men in their 20s on the staff, he received a script that he was to use to interact with clients through a computer chat window. “The chat was basically befriending the client and gaining the client’s trust,” Turaki recently told a Nigerian court. “I was to present myself as a woman to gain the client’s trust.”…

Although Morocco has not experienced a major terror attack in more than a decade, it remains a target for terror organizations. The Islamic State group (IS), particularly, has turned its attention to Morocco in a bid to establish supply lines and spread its influence. The kingdom’s strategic location and aggressive counter-terror posture put it “on the front lines of the fight against transnational terrorism,” according to Cherkaoui Roudani, a Moroccan professor specializing in diplomacy, international relations, security and crisis management. “Through a robust defense doctrine, ongoing modernization of its security forces, and close international cooperation, Morocco has become a true global…

The Islamic State group’s Somalia branch has become a crucial hub for financing terror across Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, according to recent studies. Islamic State-Somalia (ISSOM) operates out of the mountains of northern Puntland, placing it at the center of IS’s network reaching from Afghanistan to Mozambique. From that position, ISSOM funnels arms, fighters and millions of dollars in cash to IS affiliates across the region. Once considered a minor security threat, the group’s al-Karrar office has become a major player in the broader IS system. In February, ISSOM fighters killed nearly 100 people and wounded 60…

Nigeria’s National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) is reviewing its strategy as terror organizations launch fresh attacks. The NCTC, the Office of the National Security Advisor and other stakeholders discussed the strategy during a two-day workshop in February. It was held amid a surge in terror attacks near the country’s northern border with Niger. During the event, Maj. Gen. Adamu Garba Laka, the center’s national coordinator, characterized violent extremism as “one of the most complex security challenges of our time.” “It threatens national security and the very fabric of various communities, institutions and social cohesion,” Laka said in a report on the…

ADF STAFF In recent months, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have recaptured crucial territory from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) thanks in part to a key addition to their arsenal: Turkish drones. In October, Sudan’s military received two Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2s, bringing its total to eight TB2 drones. The SAF used the drones to attack RSF supply convoys and artillery units in el-Gezira State, including an attack on the Baka Bridge near Wad Madani. The drones joined the assault on Khartoum State in late 2024 as the military pushed to retake parts of the capital region. The drones accelerated the…

The Ghana Armed Forces showcased its new skills house where personnel will be trained to combat terrorism. The facility, which opened in February at the Ghana Army’s Special Operations Training School in Daboya will help troops refine skills in house-clearing tactics, cross-border operations and urban warfare. It also is expected to enhance intelligence sharing and joint military exercises among Ghana and its neighbors. Brig. Gen. Frank Nartey Tei, the GAF’s general officer commanding the Northern Command, expressed gratitude to the U.S. government during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. He noted that the U.S. has long been a key security partner for Ghana,…

After years of on-again, off-again negotiations, Sudan has agreed to let Russia establish its first naval base on the continent along the war-torn country’s Red Sea coast. “We are in complete agreement on this matter, and there are no obstacles,” Foreign Minister Ali Youssif said at a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow on February 12. After the ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, the country’s new government terminated a treaty that had granted a long-term lease for Russia’s only foreign naval base. The Kremlin has stepped up efforts since then to…

A peace agreement between the government of Senegal and separatist rebels in Casamance is raising hopes that one of the continent’s longest-running conflicts may be nearing an end. On February 23, after three days of meetings, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and members of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance signed an agreement at an event hosted by Guinea-Bissau. Sonko called the signing a “very big step towards peace.” “Guinea-Bissau and Senegal must work together to promote peace in Casamance, because the instability of this region affects us all,” Sonko said, according to state broadcaster RTS. The peace deal…