ADF

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…

ADF STAFF Uganda has called for stable, sustainable funding for African Union peace support operations anywhere on the continent. “Peace, security and stability is the overarching framework for inclusive and sustainable development and socio-economic transformation of Africa,” said Gen. Jeje Odongo, Uganda’s foreign affairs minister, as reported by the Nile Post. “However, without a sustainable and predictable way of funding the African Union peace support operations, it is likely we may not be able to preserve the gains made thus far.” He spoke at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Tunisia. For 15 years, Uganda has been part…

DEFENCEWEB Cameroon and Namibia represented Africa at the UNITAS 2022 multinational naval exercise in Brazil. They joined the naval and maritime forces of Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uruguay in the 63rd edition of UNITAS. The Namibian Navy’s NS Elephant departed Walvis Bay in late August 2022 to take part in the exercise. The vessel, with its 120-person crew, traveled 6,000 kilometers to reach its destination. Cameroon, meanwhile, contributed the patrol boats CNS Le Ntem and CNS La Sanaga. Namibia…

ADF STAFF In the interests of security and investments, Kenya and Tanzania have reached an agreement to partner in their fight against terrorism and human trafficking at their shared border. “We have agreed to fight terrorism, drug and human trafficking, and the rest of the transboundary crimes that are making our region uncompetitive and giving us a bad name,” Kenyan President William Ruto said, as reported by Anadolu Agency. He spoke during a news briefing shortly after holding talks with his Tanzanian counterpart, President Samia Suluhu Hassan. The two countries also plan to work together in other ways. The Star…

ADF STAFF Namibia and Botswana are looking to a new era in cooperation and have established a commission to that end. The inaugural Botswana and Namibia Bi-National Commission first met in Gaborone, Botswana’s capital, in September 2022. Days later, the Namibian and Botswana governments agreed to abolish the requirement of passports for travel between the two countries. Instead, citizens of the two countries will use identity cards. “Our two countries not only share a common border, but also a common people and heritage,” Namibian President Hage Geingob said, as reported by The Namibian. “A symbiotic and inter-dependent relationship exists along…

ADF STAFF Uganda’s five kingdoms date back hundreds of years and continue to play a role in the lives of people today. The largest and most powerful was the Kingdom of Buganda, which traces its beginnings to the 13th century, when it was formed by the Ganda people.  It was one of several small principalities along the northern shore of Lake Victoria. In time, the kabaka, or king, came to dominate the region. By the 19th century, Buganda was the largest, most powerful kingdom in the region, conquering neighboring territories thanks to its fleet of powerful war canoes. The kabaka…

CLUES The site has coral reefs, sandy beaches, coastal dunes, lake systems, swamps, and reed and papyrus wetlands. It provides habitats for a range of marine, wetland and savannah life that includes more than 6,500 plant and animal species. It has 220 kilometers of coastline and covers nearly 240,000 hectares. No people live in the area, but about 100,000 people from 48 tribal groups live in villages that surround the park. ANSWER  iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa