ADF

ADF STAFF The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is home to some of the world’s most sought-after minerals. Four-fifths of the world’s cobalt, a critical component in batteries used in electric vehicles and electronic devices, is in the DRC, along with more than 70% of global production. The DRC also holds the world’s seventh-largest reserves of copper and is the third-largest producer. The country and its people should be on verge of an economic boom. The constitution states that: “All Congolese people have the right to enjoy the national wealth.” But there is a dark side for the Congolese…

ADF STAFF The United States in mid-September committed $80 million to the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) to supply four Bell 412EP helicopters to help the country respond to crises. The grant includes three years of service, parts and training. U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), announced the donation in September at the 2023 Africa Senior Enlisted Leaders Conference in Lusaka, Zambia. Zambia and AFRICOM hosted the event. The helicopters will help Zambia continue to support domestic needs, enhance regional security and participate in United Nations peacekeeping missions. Zambia Air Force Maj. Gen. Oscar Nyoni…

ADF STAFF The Ghana Navy in early September commissioned six vessels into service as it faces multiple maritime security challenges. The United States government donated four of the vessels. They include two 27-meter Marine Protector class patrol ships, which are former U.S. Coast Guard vessels, and two 12-meter Defender class patrol boats. The vessels were commissioned during a ceremony at Sekondi Naval Base attended by Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghanaian defense leaders and members of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). “I am aware of the enormous responsibility on the Navy in seeing to it that the maritime spaces of Ghana…

ADF STAFF The earthquake that struck Morocco this month created an opportunity to ease tensions between the kingdom and its neighbor, Algiers, which broke off diplomatic ties in 2021. The magnitude 6.8 quake killed more than 2,000 people and left thousands more homeless in the community of Amizmiz. As relief efforts began, Algerian authorities opened their airspace to planes headed to Morocco and offered to send three military aircraft loaded with humanitarian aid and support personnel to help Moroccans recover. The Moroccan government turned down the aid, however, saying it wasn’t needed. The moment represented a fleeting improvement in relations…

ADF STAFF Solidarity lives on both sides of the border between Nigeria and Niger, where most people belong to the Hausa ethnic group and cherish their historical and economic ties. The specter of regional conflict has loomed since a military junta detained and ousted Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum in late July. Some in the Hausa community, an ethnic group that makes up more than half of Niger’s population and also are the dominant ethnic group in northern Nigeria, are looking for ways to use these ties to avoid conflict. “We speak Hausa! We are from the same root,” Nigerien citizen…

ADF STAFF On the border of Benin and Burkina Faso, the disputed Kourou-Koualou area hosts a wide-ranging market of illicit activities that fuel insecurity and help extremism spread south from the Sahel. Like its neighbors along the Gulf of Guinea, Benin is threatened by the extremism that has made the countries along its northern border — Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — the global epicenter for terrorism. So far, Benin has largely fended off those threats, but experts say the government must do more to counter the illicit activities, such as fuel trafficking, that could undermine that success. “We see…

ADF STAFF An unspecified number of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Soldiers were killed and injured during a suspected al-Shabaab attack in Lamu County’s Boni Forest on September 10. The Soldiers were patrolling along Milimani-Baure Road when their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device (IED), Kenya Ministry of Defence Spokesman Brig. Zipporah Kioko said in a report by Kenyan newspaper The Daily Nation. Hours before the attack, a contractor suffered head and spine injuries when his vehicle ran over an IED al-Shabaab was suspected of planting nearby. IEDs, such as roadside bombs, have become al-Shabaab’s preferred weapon. They killed 20…

ADF STAFF Community fighters are taking the lead in Somalia’s fight against al-Shabaab as the government switches tactics against the group. The Somali government launched the second phase of operations meant to eliminate al-Shabaab in August. The clan militias, locally known as “Ma’awisley,” will focus on the central Hirshabelle and Galmudug states. The government pays the fighters monthly stipends and may eventually integrate them into the national Army. Former national intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Abdirahman Turyare is helping mobilize the local fighters. “The current mobilization is different from the mobilization that was taking place in the past few months, which…

ADF STAFF Weeks after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the future of the mercenary operations led by Russia’s notorious Wagner Group remains uncertain. Prigozhin’s death “represents an inflection point in Russia-Africa relations,” according to Joseph Siegle, director of research at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Can Russian President Vladimir Putin maintain the Wagner Group in Africa without Prigozhin and the network he built? Does the military seek to command the group, or will Wagner simply be absorbed by another existing Russian mercenary company led by a different oligarch? Leaders in Central African Republic (CAR), Libya, Mali and Sudan continue…

ADF STAFF Plagued by weak governments, riven by internal strife and scarred by violence, the Sahel region now ranks as the world’s epicenter for terrorism, even as other parts of the world have seen it decline in recent years, according to the Global Terrorism Index. “Terrorism is becoming more concentrated,” said Steve Killelea, founder and executive chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), which produces the yearly index, also known as the GTI, based on data from 163 countries. It has become particularly concentrated in Sahel countries, which account for 43% of all terrorism deaths worldwide, compared to…