ADF

ADF STAFF Two reports shed light on the growing connection between Islamic State group affiliates in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). For the first time, the United Nations Group of Experts on the DRC highlighted organizational links between the insurgents in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province and the Allied Democratic Forces terror group based in the eastern DRC. “Since late 2021, [the Allied Democratic Forces] has held several meetings with representatives of [the Islamic State group] and/or Ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama’a (ASWJ) in Mozambique, in South Kivu, to discuss operational strategy and tactics,” the experts stated in…

ADF STAFF Vast deposits of cobalt, copper, molybdenum and other metals have made the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zimbabwe important centers of the global mining industry as companies seek resources vital to modern technology. Chinese companies have built significant mining footprints in both countries, often at the expense of the people doing the backbreaking work or living in the shadow of the mines. Researchers at the nongovernmental organization Business & Human Rights Resource Centre recorded 102 violations of human rights and environmental laws at 39 Chinese mines in 18 countries between January 2021 and December 2022. Of…

ADF STAFF Portable surface-to-air missiles from Russia’s mercenary Wagner Group and weaponized drones are helping Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) level the field in its conflict against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). At the outset of the conflict, both sides were closely matched in personnel. But the SAF, armed with planes and heavy weaponry, was substantially better armed than the lightly equipped RSF. That has changed over the past four months as portable missile systems have poured in from Wagner bases in the Central African Republic and Libya. The source of the drones is less clear. Like other militias in…

ADF STAFF The Tunisian Air Force has received the first batch of eight Beechcraft T-6C Texan II trainer airplanes from the United States. The remaining four are expected to be delivered later in August. Designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Defense, the T-6C is a single-engine turboprop aircraft with an approximate 10-meter wingspan and an all-digital, pressurized glass cockpit that offers pilots an unobstructed view. Other features include ejection seats, collision-avoidance and ground proximity warning systems, and an on-board oxygen system that provides supplemental oxygen for the pilots. “Becoming a regional leader in military flight training excellence is one of…

ADF STAFF Dark clouds of fear gathered in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, after Russia’s recent decision to end its Black Sea grain deal. Bakers, traders and hungry customers prepared for another surge of pain as Russia’s war on Ukraine continues to affect Africa. Halima Hussein, a mother of five who lives in a crowded Mogadishu camp for displaced people, was among those worried about shortages. “I don’t know how we will survive,” she told Reuters. “Aid agencies try their best to sustain our lives. They have very little to give.” Wheat prices that had doubled in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine…

ADF STAFF Officials recorded three pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea over four days in late June and early July. Crew members of a cargo ship reported that three pirates boarded their vessel in late June as it was anchored in Takoradi, Ghana. The crew sounded an alarm that scared off the pirates, but not before they had stolen goods from the ship, according to a report by The Maritime Executive. Pirates attacked a cargo ship on the Wouri River, near Douala, Cameroon in early July. The river has an estuary on the Atlantic Ocean. Pirates abducted six crew…

ADF STAFF Mali’s ruling junta has repeatedly pledged to restore peace to the country after using the terror threat as justification for coups in 2020 and 2021. But violence in the country has risen steadily over the past year and it shows no signs of slowing. From mid-2022 to mid-2023, violent events linked to “militant Islamist groups” rose to 1,024, up from 862 such events over the previous time frame, according to a report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. The violent events, launched by terrorist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group (IS), include attacks on…

ADF STAFF As it works to secure the Gulf of Guinea from multiple threats, the Ghana Navy received $6.4 million in support from the U.S. government. The funding is part of a $48 million package for the Ghana Armed Forces. The funds are enough to cover two interceptor vessels, a new pontoon pier at the Ghana Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), joint training exercises, a new mobile training center for NAVTRAC’s Special Boat Squadron, and the construction of new classrooms at the Nutekpor Basic School located near NAVTRAC. U.S. Naval Forces Africa will also help complete naval infrastructure construction projects and…

ADF STAFF The attempt by Burkina Faso’s ruling junta to rein in the Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS) group has produced few results and led to more military and civilian deaths even as the extremists have added to their own ranks, according to expert analysis. Extremists have committed an estimated 5,000 acts of terrorism in Burkina Faso since January 2022, when a coup led by Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba deposed then-President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré. Damiba claimed to have launched the coup out of frustration at the government’s failure to stop terrorism. Eight months later, Damiba was overthrown…

ADF STAFF Armed men kidnapped at least 66 women, girls and babies who were out searching for food in northern Burkina Faso, near the Mali border, in early 2023. The victims were likely forced to scour the bush for food due to shortages linked to terrorist groups that cut off trade routes and supply lines. Rodolphe Sorgho, lieutenant governor of the Sahel region, condemned the attack, one of an increasing number of kidnappings around the Sahel region. “While they had gone out in search of wild fruits, these wives, mothers and daughters were unfairly taken by armed men,” Sorgo said…