ADF

Russia has used its so-called “ghost fleet” of aging commercial vessels to evade sanctions on oil exports, but experts say the ships have another purpose: to traffic arms to Russian allies in eastern Libya. A recent report by Interpol documents shipments of weapons and equipment from Russian ports on the Black Sea to Tobruk in eastern Libya to supply Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army. Mercenaries from Russia’s Africa Corps, formerly the Wagner Group, have taken over a Libyan military base in the east. From there, they have also shipped weapons to the Rapid Support Forces fighting government troops…

For the second year in a row, Burkina Faso is the nation most affected by terrorism in the world, according to the latest edition of the Global Terrorism Index. Australia’s Institute for Economics and Peace compiles its yearly list based on terrorism incidents, fatalities, injuries and hostages. Six of the list’s 10 countries most affected by terrorism are in Africa. In addition to Burkina Faso, the other African countries in the top 10 include its Sahelian neighbors, Mali (No. 4) and Niger (No. 5), along with Nigeria (No. 6), Somalia (No. 7) and Cameroon (No. 10). “The Sahel region remains…

The runway at Goma International Airport in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is still littered with abandoned military vehicles and equipment. The control tower, like the airport itself, remains inoperable months after M23 rebels backed by Rwanda’s military took the city by overwhelming force in January. Today, the battered airport stands as more than a symbol of the failure of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission to the embattled eastern DRC. It also is the very reason why 4,000 SADC troops are trapped in M23-controlled territory. SADC leaders on March 13 terminated the mission, known as SAMIDRC, and…

China’s expansion of its network of private security companies in Africa is unfolding in a legal gray area, analysts say. These companies, known as PSCs, are widening their reach without a strong regulatory framework, which poses risks such as lack of transparency, weak national controls and undue influence on governments, according to Habib al-Badawi, a professor at Lebanese University. “Domestic laws in China lack jurisdiction over PSCs operating abroad, and the enforceability of international laws remains a formidable challenge,” al-Badawi wrote in the Journal of Afro-Asian Studies. “The absence of a robust regulatory framework raises concerns about the need for…

Turkey is helping strengthen Somalia’s battle against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and other sea crimes. The two countries in 2024 signed a memorandum of understanding that established the Turkish Armed Forces as a maritime security and law enforcement partner with Somalia for 10 years. Turkey agreed to reconstruct, equip and train the Somali Navy while receiving 30% of the revenue generated from Somalia’s exclusive economic zone. This means Turkish warships could soon be patrolling Somali waters, analyst Ada Baser wrote in the Columbia Political Review. Turkey has a history of helping enhance Somalia’s security sector. This includes selling it…

The three nations that make up the Alliance of Sahel States are home to terror groups that threaten to spread into the coastal countries along the Gulf of Guinea. Experts say the best way to prevent the spread is to rebuild counterterrorism relationships between the alliance (AES) — comprised of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger — and their southern neighbors in the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS). The alliance broke away from ECOWAS in January 2025 following a series of coups driven by a surge in violent extremism. Since then, the alliance and ECOWAS have struggled to overcome mistrust,…

Farai Maguwu has collected stories and testimonies throughout Zimbabwe for years. Some are heartbreaking, some disturbing, and each is accompanied by a call to action. The common thread is Chinese mining operations and their destructive effects on local communities and the environment. Maguwu is the founder and executive director of the Centre for Natural Resource Governance, a Harare-based organization that seeks to defend, protect and support communities impacted by mining. His center summed up the state of affairs in a September 2024 report titled, “Investments or Plunder: An Analysis of Chinese Investments in Zimbabwe’s Extractive Sector.” “Chinese mining ventures have…

African militaries are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) for surveillance, situational awareness, intelligence gathering and to increase operational efficiency in conflict zones. But analysts say the burgeoning technology comes with risks, including the lack of human control of autonomous weapons systems (AWS), cyber vulnerabilities, and AI’s potential to make biased or inaccurate decisions based on data collection, such as in drone target information. This can lead to unintended consequences, such as attacks on civilians. The use of drones in military operations already is fraught with risks. In Nigeria, Beacon Consulting, a security intelligence and risk management company, has documented 18…

It was not easy for Nigerian Maj. Gen. Godwin Mutkut to take a week away from his post as force commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which is fighting extremism and banditry in the Lake Chad Basin. He said the challenges are immense. Terror groups are burrowed into dense island “fortresses” that dot the lake. The task force is short on equipment such as fast boats and aerial assets. Its five-country alliance is fraying with Niger possibly departing. But Mutkut believes that attending the African Land Forces Summit in Accra, Ghana, was not a distraction from his work.…

Graphic videos of a massacre in villages surrounding the western Burkina Faso town of Solenzo spread rapidly on social media in March. Dozens of lifeless bodies — most of them women, children and elderly — were scattered on the ground with their heads covered, their hands and feet bound. Armed with assault rifles and blood-stained bladed weapons, the perpetrators wore uniforms and T-shirts that identified them as a mix of Burkinabe security forces, local self-defense groups and the government-backed militia known as the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP). Many took photos and videos on smartphones as they…