ADF

ADF STAFF Long after a battle to control Tripoli erupted in 2019, Libya’s rival factions have continued to rely on foreign fighters. Analysts say that although these fighters aren’t highly visible, their continued presence delays the country’s reconciliation and unification. Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan National Army leader based in Benghazi, relies on Russian paramilitary forces for support and protection. Haftar is committed to seizing Tripoli, where the country’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) is based. Turkey supports and protects the GNA, and has also has deployed Syrian fighters around the national capital. “Both sides have paid…

ADF STAFF Militaries can no longer assume they dominate the skies. Extremist groups are increasingly using drones to conduct surveillance, guide mortar attacks, and deploy as miniature, airborne weapons platforms. The widespread availability of consumer-grade drones — helicopter-style and fixed-wing machines — is leveling the playing field between terrorist groups and better-funded, better-equipped military forces, according to experts. “Airborne capability allows [extremists] to have a better view of the battle space and their operating environments,” Barbara Morais Figueiredo with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research recently told Voice of America (VOA). “It also provides them with a new way…

ADF STAFF Somali security forces intercepted a shipment of suicide drones being secretly transported across the Puntland region, possibly to be deployed against military and peacekeeping forces in the nation’s south. The five devices, which were hidden in speakers, were commercial drones modified to carry explosives. Puntland Security Forces officials said they believe the drones came from Houthi rebels in Yemen, smuggled through Puntland’s Gulf of Aden port at Bosaso. Authorities believe the drones were destined for al-Shabaab terrorists. The discovery was a reminder of terror groups’ desire to acquire weaponized drones. It also appeared to confirm concerns among some…

ADF STAFF The 2024 African Senior Enlisted Conference in Lilongwe, Malawi, brought noncommissioned officers from across the continent for four days of sharing best practices, networking, and professional development. “NCOs are the backbone of the military all over the world,” Warrant Officer Sally Mussa of the Malawi Defence Force told the gathering. “We have cultures that prevent Senior Enlisted Officers from being empowered, and we need to change those cultures. We need to develop a deliberate strategy to develop our NCOs.” According to the organizers, the September 9 to 13 conference brought together military leaders from 29 nations to nurture…

ADF STAFF The African Union has authorized more than 25 peace support operations across the continent over the past 20-plus years, but few have included community-oriented policing (COP) to counter extremism. Meressa Dessu, a senior researcher at the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS), recently wrote that it is time for that to change as violent extremism spreads across the continent. The hallmarks of COP — problem solving, partnership, service delivery, empowerment and accountability — help police officers build trust through sustained engagement with residents, community groups, business owners and others. Community policing has succeeded globally in preventing crime, reducing…

ADF STAFF The recent lifting of the United Nations’ 11-year-old arms embargo on the Central African Republic has been praised as a diplomatic victory but has also raised concerns for its potential to worsen insecurity across the region. “The Central African security problem cannot be solved simply by importing arms,” the editors of Corbeau News Centrafrique wrote recently. Corruption, a lack of discipline within the Central African Armed Forces, and the government’s continued dependence on Russian mercenaries remain major obstacles to peace, according to the Corbeau editors. President Faustin-Archange Touadéra invited Russia’s Africa Corps, then the private military corporation known…

ADF STAFF United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed was among the many speakers who delivered stark assessments on extremist violence in Africa at a counterterrorism summit earlier this year in Abuja, Nigeria. “The situation in Africa, particularly in the Sahel, is dire with some of the most violent terrorist groups operating in the Sahel; the region is now accounting for almost half of all deaths from terrorism globally,” she said. Citing data from the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism in Algeria, African Union Chairperson Mousa Mahamat highlighted some sobering numbers — an average of eight incidents…

ADF STAFF Soldiers from The Gambia and the U.S. joined for a one-week event in August to share knowledge and best practices related to military professionalism and accountability. Members of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) and the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) attended the meeting in Banjul. It focused on topics including the inspector general (IG) system, the rule of law and improving military cooperation between the two nations. “The opportunity to engage in dialogue with our Gambian counterparts was invaluable,” said Lt. Col. Benjamin Barrett, chief of engagements and exercises, SETAF-AF Inspector General office. “By exchanging…

ADF STAFF The Miombo Woodlands covers parts of eight African countries, stretching from Burundi to Angola to southern Mozambique. Yet most of the logging that goes on in the woodlands benefits a single country: China. Unlike the rainforest to the north, the Miombo is described as a dry tropical woodland. Miombo covers 10% of Africa’s landmass and supports the lives of more than 150 million people. It is home to a variety of tree species, many of which carry red-hued wood that is popular among Chinese furniture makers and high-end shoppers. While some of the trees are species known as…

ADF STAFF Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for an August 21 suicide bomb attack that killed 10 people, including seven security officers and two civilians, at a security checkpoint in Mogadishu. In another August attack, al-Shabaab used a car bomb to blow up a Mogadishu café, killing five people and injuring several others who were watching the Euro 2024 soccer finals. Such attacks, as well as the ongoing threat from an estimated 1 million mines and other unexploded ordnance left over from past conflicts, has civilians living in constant fear. Between March and April, Somali civilians accounted for 56% of all casualties…