ADF

ADF STAFF On December 22, units from the Somali National Army joined local clan militias to liberate Ruun-Nirgood, a strategically important community in the Middle Shabelle region. A military spokesman said the operation eliminated al-Shabaab’s last stronghold in the region and solidified the government’s control over Middle Shabelle, just north of the capital, Mogadishu. The assault was the latest in a string of successful campaigns against al-Shabaab by a rapidly improving Somali military. A sustained rebuilding effort aided by the African Union has produced a Somali military that can stand on its own and push back against al-Shabaab, according to…

ADF STAFF Fisheries officials have long known that trawlers involved in illegal fishing turn off their automatic identification systems (AIS) to cloak their activities. Researchers using Global Fishing Watch data have specified for the first time that West Africa is among the world’s hot spots for AIS disabling. The region is mostly targeted by China’s distant-water fishing fleet, the world’s largest. The study, which tracked AIS disabling between 2017 and 2019, showed that up to 6% of global fishing is hidden due to the practice. West Africa accounted for the third-highest number of AIS-disabled hours tracked in the study, trailing…

ADF STAFF Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing continues to rob the Gulf of Guinea of precious fish stocks and threatens the marine ecosystems necessary for their survival. Maj. Gen. Richard Addo Gyane, commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Ghana, made his frustration with the situation clear during a maritime security conference in late November. About 5 million people in the region depend on fisheries for food and income, but for decades industrial and semi-industrial foreign trawlers, mostly Chinese, have targeted Gulf of Guinea fish. The trawlers are known to use illegal gear, fish in prohibited…

ADF STAFF Nigerian authorities in early December reopened the railway linking Kaduna to Abuja eight months after it was attacked by local bandits and Boko Haram terrorists. At least 10 people were killed in the March railway bombing. Most of the 170 people unaccounted for in the attack’s aftermath eventually were released for ransom. It was not the first time the terrorist organization was linked to joint attacks with local bandits. Nigerian military officials revealed their suspicions of such cooperation in 2021, when it was reported that Boko Haram was training bandits to use anti-aircraft guns, explosives and other weapons,…

ADF STAFF Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing continued to be a costly issue around the continent in 2022. That fact was highlighted by an October 2022 report by the Financial Transparency Coalition (FTC) that showed that illegally caught fish costs the continent almost $11.5 billion annually. The study found that one-third of vessels engaged in illegal fishing in Africa are Chinese and that almost half of the world’s industrial and semi-industrial trawlers involved in illegal fishing operate in Africa. “Developing countries also lose billions of dollars in illicit money flows due to illegal fishing, yet vessel owners continue operating…

ADF STAFF When he took power in Eritrea nearly 30 years ago, Isaias Afwerki promised multiparty elections and the development of civil-society institutions. Decades later, Afwerki has consolidated all power into himself and appears to be grooming his son, Abraham, to take his place. The senior Afwerki is 76 and has reportedly suffered health issues in the past. With no vice president and no established line of succession, Afwerki appears to be an example of a leadership issue affecting many countries across Africa: family dynasties as male heads of state place their sons in positions from which they can eventually…

ADF STAFF With the signing of a truce in early November, the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan rebels ended their brutal conflict and showed the capability of the African Union to find an African solution to the chronic problem of armed disputes within its member states. The role African Union (AU) officials and various African governments played in brokering a peace deal in Ethiopia’s 2-year-old conflict shows how a more active continental security system is emerging, according to researcher Alexander Clarkson. “The recent efforts by African states and institutions to mediate the peace agreement in Ethiopia and contain the growing violence…

ADF STAFF The attempted coup that shook São Tomé and Príncipe in late November likely had its roots in the country’s national elections the previous year, according to experts familiar with the island nation’s politics and history. The precise cause of the coup attempt remains under investigation by Portugal, which was invited to conduct the review by the current government. The current government is led by President Carlos Vila Nova and Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada, who took office in October and November 2021, respectively. The attempted coup happened overnight on November 24-25, 2022. In requesting the investigation, Vila Nova described…

ADF STAFF As 2022 ended, the story of African security was marked by continuing conflicts, coups and the unrest caused by them. Civil war continued to roil Ethiopia, and regional forces continued their battle against jihadist militants in Somalia, the Sahel and northern Mozambique. Even Ebola reared its head again, this time in Uganda. Below is a rundown of some of the events and stories that continue to present security challenges across the continent as the year draws to a close. ETHIOPIA’S CIVIL WAR: After two years of civil war, there was hope of a breakthrough when Tigrayan and government…

ADF STAFF As Ukraine acquires weapons and materiel from NATO and other Western countries, Russia is pushing disinformation using social media to say that these weapons are falling into the hands of terrorists and criminals in Africa and around the world. “A considerable part of these weapons have already entered, or will soon enter, the black market,” Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, told reporters in Moscow in October 2022. “Now the world community is facing this.” “The NATO military cargos are ending up in the hands of terrorists, extremists and criminal groups in the Middle East, Central Africa and…