ADF

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 military (FARDC), primarily to fight the M23 rebels who have terrorized North Kivu province for nearly two years. Fighting has intensified since October 2023, and the growing number of combatants has heralded a dangerous new phase. “Before, we too were called rebels. Today, they call us Wazalendo and we don’t hide anymore,” a member of the Mazembe Mayi-Mayi self-defense group…

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. Chinese loans constitute about half of Ethiopia’s $28 billion in foreign debt over the past 25 years. Since 2000, Ethiopia has borrowed $13.7 billion from China to build roads, railroads, water systems and telecommunication infrastructure, among other things. Most of those Chinese loans came from the Export-Import Bank of China or the China Development Bank and carry higher interest…

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 MONUSCO handed over control of a base it had occupied for 21 years. One resident recalled the peacekeeping force’s arrival and its efforts to secure the surrounding roads. “At the time, to get from Goma to Beni, the only way was by plane,” he told a U.N. representative. “No trader dared to use the road due to the presence of armed…

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 fighting, the RSF controls most of the west part of the country and much of the capital, Khartoum, while the SAF is holding onto areas in the east. Both sides appear to have the weaponry and external support to continue fighting for months, making this new phase of the war particularly dangerous, according to an analysis by the International Crisis Group (ICG). “The paramilitaries have…

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 to its arsenal of ship-based drones to help monitor coastal waters. “In an era where the nature of warfare is evolving rapidly, embracing cutting-edge technologies becomes imperative for enhancing our national security,” Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla, chief of naval staff (CNS), said during a recent ceremony inaugurating 12 British-made Ovation unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) by Comstrac Systems. Ogalla…

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 Enhancing Africa’s Response to Transnational Organized Crime (ENACT) project, which found that crime  “has grown undeterred since 2019, with illicit markets increasing in pervasiveness and the influence of criminal actors expanding” around the continent. The rise in crime is tied to ongoing conflicts, rampant insecurity, declining democratic order and state accountability, according to the report, which is published every two years. It lists human…

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 was thrown into disarray after the August 2023 death of former leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin before Prigozhin led Wagner’s aborted revolt against the Russian military in June 2023. Wagner’s rebranding with the name Africa Corps shows the group is in the midst of restructuring under Putin and Russian Deputy…

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 use of remotely controlled vehicles made possible by the accessibility of the technology and the ridiculous costs of its implementation is becoming a real threat for any air force, however modern it may be,” Brig. Gen. Papa Souleymane Sarr, chief of staff of the Senegalese Air Force, told Agence de Presse Senegalese during a gathering of African Air Force chiefs last October…

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 Strait and into the Atlantic, heading for South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. With backing from Iran, Houthi militants in Yemen have terrorized the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since late November 2023. They have launched a series of missile and drone attacks and raids against cargo ships and other vessels.As a result, an increasing number of ships are…

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 southwestern department of Abala, officials closed 41 schools, 31 for security reasons and 10 due to a lack of teachers, according to Boubacar Oumarou, Abala’s prefect. “When teachers leave, the schools inevitably close,” Oumarou told Global Voices. “This doesn’t bode well for us since we have thousands of students. Around 3,000 are currently hanging around.” The affected schools were mostly in…