ADF

ADF STAFF When President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) attended the 77th United Nations General Assembly, his country’s restive eastern provinces were at the top of his agenda. After accepting the DRC as a new member in March, the East African Community (EAC) agreed in June to send thousands of troops to four provinces that have been plagued by violence for two decades. “The force is being deployed,” Tshisekedi told reporters on September 26. “That is why we were here and why we made contacts. It was to sensitize donors to support this regional force.”…

ADF STAFF The leaders of Mali’s ruling junta recently met with a high-level delegation of West African leaders seeking the release of 46 Côte d’Ivoire Soldiers held in Mali since July, a reflection of Mali’s increasingly strained relationship with its neighbor to the south and with the international community. The meeting with junta leader Col. Assimi Goïta by Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, Gambian President Adama Barrow, and Togolese Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert Dussey produced no change in the status of the peacekeepers, whom Mali has accused of weapons trafficking and conspiracy to overthrow the junta-led government. Analyst Alec Smith,…

ADF STAFF Dozens of suspected human trafficking victims were rescued from two industrial fishing vessels in Namibia in early September. Of the 60 people rescued from MV Shang Fu and the Nata 2 in Walvis Bay, most are from the Philippines, although several were from Angola, Indonesia, Namibia, Mozambique and Vietnam, according to The Namibian newspaper. The suspected victims worked a variety of jobs on the vessels. “The assessment on the victims were done by social workers, and that is still ongoing, as well as inspection of the vessels by labor ministry officials, and it was detected that these people…

ADF STAFF The Ghana Special Boat Squadron (SBS) has graduated its first batch of operators who were 100% domestically trained. The eight new graduates completed the rigorous six-month course and were the only ones out of a class of 25 to successfully finish and receive special forces badges. They trained at the Naval Training Command in Nutekpor which was opened two years earlier. They will now join the SBS, an elite special forces unit trained to counter piracy and trafficking and conduct opposed boarding of ships. Building domestic training capability is a major part of the country’s SBS 5-year Development…

ADF STAFF African nations lose an estimated $10 billion annually to illegal fishing, which also drives food insecurity across the continent. To combat the issue, maritime security experts have long called for greater transparency in fisheries management. A new collaboration between the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) aims to enhance transparency by establishing unique, standardized IDs for fisheries in Africa and around the globe. The universal ID codes will be available through FishSource, an online resource established by SFP that offers profiles on thousands of fisheries worldwide. Information gleaned from the codes will…

ADF STAFF From energy to shipping, tourism and fishing, the ocean plays a major role in South Africa’s economy. But, as the nation hopes to expand this sector, a researcher at Stellenbosch University said it is time to develop a better strategy to protect it. A three-step process can help the country protect its waters and boost its blue economy, Francois Vreÿ, emeritus professor of military science at the university, wrote in an opinion piece published by The Conversation. The first step would be to create a government-led process that includes a “high-office body” and key stakeholders. Secondly, Vreÿ argued that…

ADF STAFF After the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Nigeria’s Borno State in 2014, the then-leader of Boko Haram took to social media to celebrate the act and to post grainy video of the hostages. Since then, Boko Haram and other terrorist groups across West Africa have expanded their use of social media channels, including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, along with Telegram and WhatsApp, to spread propaganda, recruit new members, incite attacks, and plan. According to Bulama Bukarti, a senior fellow at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, social media helps provide Boko Haram and groups like it with…

ADF STAFF Burkina Faso has become the third West African country to acquire Turkish-made armed drones for use in the fight against extremism. The Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly in demand by countries looking for relatively cheap air power to give them an upper hand against insurgent groups. Niger and Togo purchased TB2s recently. Analysts say the appeal of the weapon is clear. “They can stay in the air for a long time, differentiate between targets and wait for a shot even if there is a short-range air defense system,” Akram Karief, an Algerian defense journalist, told Radio…

ADF STAFF Since gaining independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced at least nine different coup attempts. The most recent plot, in February, shared similarities with others in that it involved members of the military who are connected to the country’s infamous drug trade. Heavily armed gunmen surrounded the presidential palace while President Umaro Sissoco Embaló held a cabinet meeting. Seven members of his security detail, three government workers and one assailant were killed in the ensuing five-hour battle. Afterwards, Embaló said the “failed attack against democracy was well-prepared and organized and could also be related to people involved in drug trafficking.”…

ADF STAFF Ghana sees enormous potential in its blue economy, but faces threats including piracy, illegal fishing, drug smuggling and human trafficking. The new National Integrated Maritime Strategy (NIMS) aims to ensure that Ghana’s maritime domain will be safe and its blue economy thriving by 2040. The strategy has been in the works since 2016. It was drafted after consultations with state agencies and departments; local private entities, including those with fisheries and environmental interests; commercial and non-commercial maritime actors; experts and international partners; among others. It was developed with support from the Centre for Maritime Law and Security (CEMLAWS)…