ADF

A region in northeast Nigeria has been dubbed “the Timbuktu Triangle” by terror groups as they aspire to tighten control and establish a caliphate. New reporting from Borno and Yobe states shows that residents live in fear as they face whippings, taxation and even execution if they violate rules put in place by occupiers. “It feels strange when a day passes without gunfire in the Timbuktu Triangle,” a health worker named Kande told The Africa Report magazine. “Damboa and its neighboring communities are soaked in blood.” Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters began to occupy the savannah region in…

As the Economic Community of West African States prepares to establish a regional force to combat terrorism and security threats, researchers say that identifying a reliable financing source will be critical. In February, chiefs of staff of ECOWAS endorsed the plan, which falls within the framework of the group’s Standby Force as provided for by the African Union. Officials announced the initial plan in August 2025, with a goal of 260,000 troops and an annual budget of $2.5 billion. The chiefs now have opted for a counterterrorism brigade of 1,650 Soldiers to form the core of the force. Benin, Côte…

The campus of the International Counter-Terrorism Academy in Jacqueville, Côte d’Ivoire, looked like a scene from an action movie, as armored vehicles swarmed across the ground and drones buzzed above in a highly coordinated search for attacking insurgents. West African forces and their international partners conducted a dramatic combat demonstration, putting lessons learned to the test and marking the conclusion of Exercise Flintlock on April 30. The purpose of the two-week training also was on display, as the threat of powerful, expanding terrorist groups is a stark reality in the region. “Terrorist threats know no borders and can only be…

Flintlock 26 wasn’t just a military exercise. For co-host Libya, it was a historic event that brought together Libyan soldiers from the country’s Government of National Unity (GNU) and Libyan National Army (LNA) governments, building tangible momentum toward stabilizing and potentially reunifying security forces in the North African country. The focus of Exercise Flintlock was enhancing counterterrorism capabilities and improving regional security coordination. But in Libya, all eyes were on the divided country’s military forces, which came together for joint drills. Some 1,500 service members from more than 30 nations participated in the 21st iteration of Exercise Flintlock, which also…

Mozambique has long been a key transit point for the trafficking of drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and opioids, but recent arrests and government data show that the drug business is expanding alongside rising concerns of domestic addiction problems. After months of investigating evidence and rumors of international cartel activity and at least two hidden drug labs in the nation’s capital, police arrested three men — a Mozambican and two Mexican nationals — during an April 11 anti-drug-trafficking operation at Maputo International Airport. “There is strong evidence linking the three detainees to international drug trafficking, document forgery and criminal…

From the ports of Cameroon to the islands of Comoros, Russian vessels are increasingly registering tankers under African flags to keep its widely sanctioned, oil-exporting “shadow fleet” operating. Russia needs to continue transporting oil to fund its costly invasion of Ukraine. Researchers at the Robert Lansing Institute say that Moscow targets African shipping registries because it lets the shadow fleet obscure the true ownership of its oil-carrying tankers. African shipping registries often are plagued by weak mechanisms to verify a vessel’s registration, operators and ownership origins. “In practice, this means that ships can continue operating within international shipping networks while remaining…

The retreat of Malian and Russian forces from Kidal after their defeat by combined insurgent forces at the end of April called into question the value of the Malian junta’s counterterrorism strategy, which relies heavily on Russia’s Africa Corps private military contractor. The cost of Africa Corps’ services —estimated to be around $10 million a month for a contingent of around 2,000 mercenaries — has many experts thinking the government should demand a stronger commitment to justify a return on investment. According to Habib Al Badawi, a professor of international relations at Lebanese University, the image of Russian forces abandoning…

Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a May 3 drone strike against a fuel storage facility at Kenana Sugar Co. Ltd. in White Nile State, setting fire to one of the country’s most important pieces of economic infrastructure and weakening the nation’s food security. “The targeting of facilities that had just resumed operations after years of shutdown demonstrates systematic economic warfare that compounds Sudan’s humanitarian crisis,” the Darfur Network for Human Rights posted in a statement about the attack on X. The Kenana attack happened weeks after Sudan’s civil war entered its fourth year. It came after drone attacks by…

The future of Rwanda’s military deployment in northern Mozambique is uncertain, as Kigali has tied the continuation of its mission in the insurgency-plagued Cabo Delgado province to securing sustained funding. President Paul Kagame recently warned that Rwandan forces could withdraw as early as May, when the European Union’s financial support is set to end. Rwanda is seeking long-term financial support for continuing counterinsurgency operations in Mozambique. “It’s not that ‘Rwanda could withdraw,’” Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said in a March 14 social media post. “It’s that ‘Rwanda WILL withdraw’ its troops from Mozambique, if sustainable funding is not secured…

Burkina Faso’s military and pro-government forces are accused of killing hundreds of civilians between January 2023 and August 2025, according to a recent report by Human Rights Watch (HRW). Of the 1,837 civilians killed in Burkina Faso during that time, more than 1,200 were slain by the Burkinabe military and allied militias known as the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDPs). Both Burkina Faso’s military junta, led by Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, and the VDPs are accused of ethnic cleansing in Fulani communities. One of the deadliest attacks on civilians came on December 14, 2023, when more than 200 Burkinabe…