ADF

ADF STAFF Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Gen. Francis Ogolla took command of the country’s military in early May when Gen. Robert Kibochi retired after 44 years of military service, the final three of which he spent as KDF’s leader. During the change of command ceremony, Kibochi was praised for strengthening the Kenyan military’s personnel welfare and logistics support. His philosophy centered on an unwavering commitment to “sharpening the arrowhead” for mission readiness. “Sharpening the arrowhead is a continuous process and entails first-class training of all personnel and a soldier-centric welfare approach for mission readiness,” Kibochi said in a statement. “The…

ADF STAFF On a recent oversight visit to South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, the Joint Standing Committee on Defence (JSCD) saw an ill-equipped defense force. JSCD member Kobus Marais told National Assembly parliamentarians on May 25 that the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is in “intensive care.” Only two of 11 Rooivalk combat support helicopters were airworthy, he said. Only one of the four Super Lynx specialist helicopters was available. Just one of six C-130BZ Hercules medium transport aircraft could be used. “We cannot provide logistic support to our Soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique with…

ADF STAFF Samuel Otoo and Alfred Ofore Kae launched their artisanal fishing canoe into the waters off Jamestown, Ghana, before dawn. About a dozen fellow fishermen helped them drag their canoe back onto shore when they returned in midafternoon. That alone is arduous work, and the men dripped with sweat as they sang West African work songs. Otoo and Kae regarded their catch — a box of sea bream and a small bucket of sardinella — with frequently felt disappointment. “Twenty years ago, we could catch four or five times as much,” Kae, 42, told the newspaper The Telegraph. Fish…

ADF STAFF When a terrorist group launches an attack these days, it is likely that one or more airborne drones are recording the action for use later in social media. Across Africa, violent extremist organizations (VEOs) are quickly adopting digital technologies designed to expand their arsenals beyond bullets and bombs to include cyberattacks against key infrastructure and propaganda to recruit new members. The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence could further help VEOs exploit those technologies in a way that makes it difficult for governments and security agencies to keep up, according to Geoffrey Jackson, a professor of military history and…

ADF STAFF Decades of warfare, corruption and ethnic conflict have left West Africa awash in small arms that continue to fuel instability and extremism across the region. Although numbers are difficult to pin down, some experts estimate that as many as 8 million small arms and light weapons (SALW) circulate across the region despite a 2006 convention on the international trade in small weapons by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Some of those weapons originate in national military stockpiles and are either stolen, captured or retained after Soldiers leave service. A small number are manufactured within the…

ADF STAFF As Sudan’s capital city continues to be rocked by explosions and gunfire, its residents are being victimized by another attack: relentless disinformation and propaganda campaigns. Between them, Sudan’s two warring generals –– Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, have more than 2.3 million Twitter followers — 1.4 million for al-Burhan and the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), and 900,000 for Hemedti and his Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. According to analysts, the RSF has also hijacked 900 dormant Twitter accounts to spread messages presenting itself in a positive light. “Both warring sides have…

ADF STAFF When recent reports emerged of widespread, yearslong cyberattacks by Chinese hackers on Kenya’s government, China was quick to offer a boilerplate denial. But, experts say, in the digital environment, it is harder than ever for attackers to cover their tracks. Writing for Chatham House, Dr. James Shires, senior research fellow in the International Security Program, said strategies for covert action have evolved. “The digital age has created many new opportunities for covert action but has also made traditional strategies much harder to conceal,” he wrote. One is to “use distraction and disinformation, hiding embarrassing or sensitive facts in…

ADF STAFF Nigeria has a new president facing old problems. Insecurity has long been atop the list of concerns for Nigerians, who have lived under the specter of increasing violence from extremist groups, bandits, intercommunal fighting and other threats. As the situation has deteriorated, citizens have demanded a return to peace, safety and a more effective security sector. In a recent survey, Afrobarometer found that more than three-quarters of Nigerian respondents (77%) called the country “somewhat unsafe” or “very unsafe.” “People’s concern about crime and insecurity continues to rise, as a growing number rank it as the most important problem…

ADF STAFF Russian flags have become a fixture of rallies and public protests in Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic and Mali — an indication of the way Russia is pushing its propaganda and disinformation by filtering it through local influencers. One of those influencers, Kemi Seba, a French-Beninese social media figure with more than 1 million Facebook followers, was invited to speak at the Moscow Institute in Russia. During his presentation, he defended Moscow’s actions across the region, particularly those of the mercenaries of the Wagner Group, who have become Russia’s military proxies in many countries. Other pro-Moscow influencers…

ADF STAFF Pirates attacked a Danish-owned oil and chemical tanker known as the Monjasa Reformer in March about 140 nautical miles off the coast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Authorities later found the ship off the coast of São Tomé and Príncipe, but six of its 16 crew members had been kidnapped. The attack underscored the reality that while piracy is down globally and in Africa, the threat has not been eliminated. Navies of West African countries and international navies, including the Danish, have recently increased patrols in the region, but the shipowners’ organization Danish Shipping has called…