ADF

ADF STAFF Kenya was among seven African nations to receive an array of equipment from the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) to help fishing inspectors battle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Delivered in December 2022, the equipment includes floater suits, hand-held GPS devices, onboard and waterproof cameras, and laptop computers and tablets. Kenya’s marine resources are threatened due to an influx of foreign industrial trawlers. “The materials and equipment donated will help facilitate their exercise of reporting, to improve their security and to promote transparency in the performance of their mission,” Vêlayoudom Marimoutou, secretary-general of the Indian Ocean Commission, said…

U.S. AFRICA COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS U.S. Special Operations Forces have conducted a civil affairs joint combined exchange training alongside the Tanzania Marine Special Forces in Dar es Salaam. The monthlong training let the U.S. and Tanzanian service members develop and maintain critical military-to-military connections and improve joint and allied readiness and interoperability. “This course is very crucial for our special forces because it enables us to be better prepared for various scenarios and upcoming duties,” said Lt. Col. Athumani Ghamunga of the Tanzania People’s Defence Force. “It is also the opportunity to share experience and knowledge between our special forces.”…

DEFENCEWEB France and South Africa, which share a maritime exclusive economic zone (EEZ) border, have completed the biennial Exercise Oxide. France and South Africa share one geographical area of interest, the southern Indian Ocean close to the EEZ of the French island Crozet and the South African islands of Prince Edward and Marion. The aim of the exercise is to enhance cooperation and interoperability between the two forces. This year’s iteration, which took place around the False Bay area and the West Coast of the Western Cape, ended on November 28, 2022. The exercise included various maritime exercises, with the…

ADF STAFF The Maravi kingdom, which took up parts of what are now Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and eastern Zimbabwe, was a vibrant society of skilled administrators, ivory traders, healers, sages and metallurgists. It began with the tribes of the Banda, Mwali, Nkhoma and Phiri, and would eventually include other tribes.  The kingdom dates to the 13th century, with large-scale migrations of related clans settling in the Lake Malawi region, attracted by its natural abundance. The migrations continued for hundreds of years, peaking probably by the 16th century. Historians say the actual kingdom was established about 1480 and mostly was dissolved…

CLUES Ibadi Muslims established a community in this region in the 10th century. Five fortified villages, or ksour, constitute walled citadels that contain a mosque surrounded by houses built in concentric circles. Mosques here were conceived as fortresses. They served as watchtowers and included arsenals and grain storage. The settlements have influenced Arab architecture and planning for nearly 1,000 years. ANSWER  M’Zab Valley, Algeria

ADF STAFF The increasing violence between Sudan’s warring generals has prompted some experts to call for the African Union (AU) to step in with a “boots-on-the-ground” approach through its African Standby Force. “Considering the escalating destruction of the conflict, the need is urgent to end hostilities, establish a humanitarian corridor and protect civilians and infrastructure,” analyst Maram Mahdi recently wrote for the Institute for Security Studies. “To achieve anything, such an approach must be tougher than current efforts.” The African Standby Force (ASF) has a combined 25,000 troops contributed by AU members spread across the continent’s five economic regions. Since…

ADF STAFF The sounds of airstrikes, artillery and small-arms fire reverberate through the streets of Khartoum and Omdurman on opposite sides of the Nile as war persists in Sudan with no end in sight. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, has air supremacy. But the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its leader, known as Hemedti, have an estimated 100,000 fighters experienced in urban warfare. “We’re terrified; every day the strikes are getting worse,” Nahid Salah, a north Omdurman resident, told Reuters. Initially focused on the capital, Khartoum, the fighting has spread through four of the…

ADF STAFF Piracy is drastically declining in the Gulf of Guinea, but experts say more can be done to eliminate the threat. The number of piracy incidents in the region fell from 81 in 2020 to 34 in 2021, when the Gulf of Guinea also accounted for all kidnappings at sea worldwide. In 2022, there were only three attacks recorded in the Gulf. There were five incidents of piracy and armed attacks reported in the region in the first quarter of 2023, according to the United Nations Security Council. Despite the declining threat, “piracy incidents continued to threaten the safety of…

ADF STAFF Joyous singing and dancing punctuated a June 23 ceremony in Maputo to celebrate the end of a dark era in Mozambique’s history. Dancers symbolically exchanged wooden props, replacing assault rifles with shovels and hoes. Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and Ossufo Momade, leader of the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO), radiated pride during a gathering that recognized the rebel group’s transition to a political party. “With this process, the country has won credibility as an example of how to lead peace processes,” Nyusi said. In another ceremony eight days before, the two men smiled broadly and embraced in Vanduzi at…

ADF STAFF Cyberattacks cost African governments, companies and citizens an estimated $2.5 billion in 2020. That figure is likely to grow to $3.7 billion in the next few years partly due to a lack of coordinated, continentwide investment in cybersecurity. Internet access is growing rapidly across Africa. Although internet penetration is 28% continentwide, it is more than 50% in Nigeria and more than 85% in Kenya, which are two of the continent’s top targets for cyberattacks. South Africa, where nearly 72% of the population is online, spends a larger share of its economy on cybersecurity than any other African country,…