ADF

ADF STAFF The U.S. State Department has approved a possible sale of ground command and control equipment to Morocco for an estimated $141.1 million.  The proposed sale will improve Morocco’s ability to meet current and future threats by providing timely intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and target acquisition for its security and defense, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency reported.  “The capability is a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its self-defense,” the agency said. “Morocco has demonstrated a commitment to modernizing its military and will have no difficulty absorbing these articles into its armed forces.” The Moroccan government has…

DEFENCEWEB The armored vehicle company Streit has opened a new factory in Uganda, built in partnership with the National Enterprise Corp. (NEC). NEC announced the partnership with Streit Group for the manufacture of armored vehicles in Nakosongola in central Uganda in late 2021. The new company, NEC-Streit Uganda Ltd., was dedicated a year later and will provide a range of security solutions, including through technology transfer. Parliament established the NEC in 1989 to serve as a commercial arm of the Ministry of Defence and the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF). It produces goods and services that are beneficial to the…

ADF STAFF Observers are calling for a greater emphasis on cybersecurity to protect Africa’s growing maritime sector.  The discussion came at a workshop organized by Stellenbosch University, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.  About 90% of trade on the African continent is conducted by sea, yet ports and ships remain particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Panelists said the 2021 Transnet ransomware attack, which shut down several key South African ports, should serve as a wake-up call to the threat.  “We are dependent on well-functioning maritime infrastructure, which needs to be protected, including…

U.S. AIR FORCES IN EUROPE-AIR FORCES AFRICA Nations are working to develop an air transport sharing mechanism (ATSM) to improve Africa’s airlift capability, leaders said after a conference in Botswana, co-hosted by the United States in August 2022. The goal of the ATSM is to help the African Union offer strategic lift for things such as medical evacuation, humanitarian action and natural disaster relief. The lift would be offered through the Africa Air Mobility Command Center, a multinational airlift unit that is under AU authority.  “The role of this Pan-African unit is to provide air mobility in support of peace…

ADF STAFF A new cybersecurity center in Togo will help governments monitor threats, share information and collaborate to stop cybercrime. The Togolese government is creating the African Cybersecurity Coordination and Research Center in collaboration with the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa.  “We aim to become a significant digital hub in Africa,” said Cina Lawson, Togo’s minister of digital economy. “Our partnership model with the private sector is an innovative approach that we want to showcase to inspire other countries for safer cyberspace on the continent.” Togo is one of the few countries to have ratified the African Union’s Malabo Declaration,…

Authorities in Liberia, Tanzania and Togo worked with United Nations officials throughout September 2022 to take illicit small arms and light weapons out of circulation. The event supported the African Union’s “Silencing the Guns” initiative, which is part of the AU’s Agenda 2063. Signed in 2013, the agenda represents a 50-year Pan-African vision of an “integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena,” according to the AU. More than 40 million weapons are circulating in Africa, many unlicensed, causing more than 500,000 deaths each year. On the first day of…

ADF STAFF | Photos by Ghana Armed Forces When torrential rains forced operators of the Weija Dam in Accra, Ghana, to release excess water, it displaced thousands of people and left others in peril.  In response, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) sprang into action, rescuing more than 100 people on October 4, 2022. In some cases, Soldiers carried civilians through waist-high water. In other cases they used small boats to transport people. The efforts were part of Operation Boafo, which means “helper” in the Twi language. The annual search and rescue operation coincides with the rainy season.  “The Ghana Armed…

Reuters Nigerian authorities seized a record 1.8 tons of cocaine from a warehouse in Lagos in September 2022. The drugs had carried a street value of $278.5 million. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said the drugs, found in a warehouse on a residential estate, were destined for buyers in Europe and Asia. Authorities arrested four Nigerians and one Jamaican national. West Africa is a major transit hub for cocaine made in Latin America and sold in Europe. In April 2022, police in Côte d’Ivoire seized more than 2 tons of cocaine, while authorities in the island archipelago of…

UNITED NATIONS A peacekeeper from Burkina Faso serving in Mali has been honored for her work to boost trust between authorities and local communities, including survivors of gender-based violence.  Chief Warrant Officer Alizeta Kabore Kinda received the 2022 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award. It was established in 2011 to recognize exceptional contributions of female police officers in U.N. peace operations and to promote women’s empowerment.  Kinda is deployed as a gender focal point with the U.N. Mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA.  She supports the Malian Security Forces in the Ménaka region to promote and improve understanding…

JENNA RUSSO, INTERNATIONAL PEACE INSTITUTE The East African Community (EAC) deployed troops to one of its member states for the first time in June 2022. The deployment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a test of the regional body’s ability to respond to complex conflicts. Already, the regional bloc has scored some victories. In early December 2022, after peace talks in Nairobi, Kenya, 53 of the more than 100 armed groups operating in the DRC agreed to a cease-fire. The DRC, which joined the EAC in April 2022, has been trapped in cycles of violence for nearly…