ADF

In a new initiative, Ghana offered college graduates the opportunity to experience what it is like to serve in the armed forces. Interested graduates can register for a six-week basic training course that will test their discipline, resilience and teamwork, “while fostering a greater appreciation of national security imperatives,” the Ghana Armed Forces said.  An initial group of 10,000 volunteers is participating in the course that began August 31, 2025, and is designed to train young Ghanaians in emergency response, security and civic responsibility. “This programme is not compulsory; it is voluntary,” then-Minister of Defence Dr. Edward Omane Boamah said.…

The Kenya Defence Forces destroyed 6,000 illegal firearms in Ngong, Kajiado County, in an event attended by President William Ruto. This action is part of the government’s fight against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons that fuel banditry and intercommunal violence in parts of the country. The firearms were recovered between 2022 and 2025, with the majority voluntarily surrendered by the public through amnesty programs and community disarmament campaigns. Officials also recovered a significant number in targeted security operations. “I commend both our security agencies and responsible citizens, including religious and community leaders, whose civic-mindedness and patriotism have…

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other groups have launched initiatives worth more than $140 million to strengthen trade competitiveness and market access, and improve peace and security, institutional capacity, and trade in services throughout West Africa.  The initiatives support ECOWAS in addressing security and governance challenges by focusing on four elements: improving early conflict detection, security sector reform, electoral support and inclusive peace processes. ECOWAS launched the initiatives, co-funded by the European Union, Germany and Spain, at an event at its headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. It brought together more than 80 senior officials and partners from…

The African Union Peace and Security Council has reaffirmed its commitment to the South Sudan peace process and has called for renewed dialogue. Innocent Shiyo of Tanzania reiterated the collective responsibility of the council and all stakeholders to protect the achievements of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. He said that although progress has been made, “the comprehensive implementation of the agreement remains hindered by persistent political disagreements and security challenges,” the Daily News of Tanzania reported. South Sudan’s political and security landscape has continued to deteriorate since renewed violence erupted in March 2025,…

The Armed Forces for the Defense of Mozambique is partnered with European trainers to advance military, mechanical and technical expertise in a three-week logistics maintenance program. A mentoring and training team from the French Armed Forces in the Southern Indian Ocean Zone, headquartered on Réunion, worked with the resident European Union Military Assistance Mission in Mozambique to manage the program for Mozambican forces, also known as FADM, defenceWeb reported. The program provided hands-on maintenance training for 30  mechanics at the Maputo military driving school. The EU mission also conducted a transport supply and management program at the school, improving the…

Islamic State militants approached a neighborhood on the outskirts of Mocímboa da Praia in northern Mozambique on January 25, seeking to kill a member of the Maconde local militia. Failing to find him, they abducted his young son. Two days earlier, members of the Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) reportedly terrorized people on and around several small islands just off the coast. They looted, stole a motorboat and kidnapped fishermen, demanding a ransom of 50,000 meticais ($784) each. “My brother was there on the islands night fishing, and he and his colleagues were taken off their boat by the insurgents,” a…

In mid-January, Nigerian troops serving in Operation Hadin Kai raided an Islamic State West Africa Province hideout in the Timbuktu Triangle in Borno State. As the troops advanced on the base, armed drones attacked them. A new report by The Premium Times news outlet suggests that terrorist group, also known as ISWAP, plans to increase its use of armed drones against Nigerian military forces in the northeast. The report appeared as Nigerian troops are increasing pressure on ISWAP across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. On several occasions in January, troops fought with ISWAP forces and cleared abandoned hideouts, according to…

Aerial photos show that a small airport in southeast Libya has become a key transit point for arms and supplies to the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in Sudan, according to government and intelligence officials. Satellite images show that the airport in Kufrah has been renovated and expanded in the past year, Reuters reported, with a steep increase in cargo flights that coincided with the growth of the Sudanese paramilitary group, also known as the RSF. The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces, known as the SAF, since April 2023. The two sides are fighting over control of…

Allegations of weapons smuggling have set off a new war of words between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The long-simmering dispute threatens to draw in regional powers and plunge the Horn of Africa back into conflict. On January 14, Ethiopian federal police said they intercepted a truck in Woldia carrying 57,000 rounds of ammunition. Ethiopian officials alleged that the ammunition came from Eritrea and was being shipped to the Fano, an ethnically Amhara militia waging war against Ethiopia’s government. In a statement, Ethiopian police said Eritrea had been caught “red handed” trying to arm rebels and destabilize the country. Eritrea’s information minister…

Illegal mining by Chinese companies in Nigeria is undercutting the nation’s economy, degrading the environment and driving residents from their homes in part by exploiting weak regulations and corrupt security forces, according to a new analysis. The report by Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), a Nigerian nongovernmental organization, titled “Silent Conquest: The Chinese Infiltration of Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Sector,” focuses on mining between 2018 and 2025. It pays particular attention to the period since 2022, when Nigeria put more emphasis on mining minerals to diversify an economy dominated by oil and natural gas. Researchers studied mineral-rich states — Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa,…