ADF

ADF STAFF The men purporting to be Central African Republic (CAR) soldiers stood in front of their national flag and pledged allegiance. But they were not pledging loyalty to their country. This was something far different. “We are ready to go to Ukraine and we will go there with determination,” one soldier said. “My Russian brothers, hold on!” a soldier declared in a second video. “We Africans are coming soon. Courage, courage.” The messages were part of a series of videos shared widely on the secure messaging app Telegram. The identity of the soldiers could not be confirmed and efforts…

ADF STAFF Several thousand people gathered in the stands of Barthélemy Boganda Stadium in the Central African Republic (CAR) capital of Bangui to watch a Russian movie called “Touriste.” According to Russian media, “Touriste,” which was filmed in the CAR, was financed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, an oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prigozhin also is reportedly the financier and head of the shadowy paramilitary Wagner Group, which experts believe is a tool of Russia’s foreign policy. Screening a movie in a stadium that wasn’t even one-quarter full might appear insignificant, but the event included several high-level government officials giving pro-Russian speeches.…

ADF STAFF The scene has played out repeatedly across the Sahel in recent years: A group of military officers take to the airwaves to announce that the nation’s president has been deposed and a new leader installed while crowds fill streets in celebration and protest. African countries lead the world in coups, with military takeovers in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali (twice) and Sudan in the past 24 months. Chad experienced a nondemocratic transfer of power and the continent saw attempted coups in Guinea-Bissau and Niger. Extremism, government corruption and economic pressures all have served as justification for the rash of…

ADF STAFF The European Commission has offered to deploy the European Union’s (EU) border agency, known as Frontex, to Senegal to help it battle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and stop migrant smuggling. If Senegal accepts the offer, it would be the first time Frontex will be deployed outside the EU’s jurisdiction, according to SeafoodSource. Frontex typically uses planes and vessels to patrol and monitor the seas. “This is my offer and I hope that Senegal’s government is interested in this unique opportunity,” EC Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said in a SeafoodSource report. Senegal had not made a…

ADF STAFF Obangame Express 2022, the joint international exercise aimed at improving maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea and Atlantic Ocean, produced real-world results in mid-March. As 32 nations participated in this year’s exercise, the Nigerian Navy stopped a vessel for committing “illegalities” in Nigerian waters. “The dark activities of the vessel were monitored by the Nigerian Navy Falcon Eye Surveillance System and Nigerian Navy Ship Ekulu was detached from the Exercise Obangame to intercept and arrest the vessel,” Nigeria’s Director of Naval Information, Cmdr. Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, told Nigerian newspaper Vanguard. “Subsequent interrogation revealed that the vessel with 14…

ADF STAFF The inflatable boat zipped across the water toward the waiting ship carrying a half-dozen Angolan Marines. A few minutes later, the Marines were on board the ship and searching for their targets. The assault was a drill — part of a multiweek U.S. State Department-funded program to train noncommissioned officers (NCOs) in key operations such marksmanship and maritime assault tactics with a constant emphasis on observing human rights. All the training had the goal of equipping the Marines to address illicit activity, including piracy, drug trafficking and illegal fishing along the Angolan coast. Just over a dozen Angolan…

ADF STAFF After operating for nearly 15 years, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has begun transferring duties to a new AU mission that will replace it — the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). AMISOM’s mandate expires March 31, but the United Nations Security Council is expected to vote March 30 to replace it with ATMIS. Bankole Adeoye, the AU commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, announced an agreement with Somali government officials on a new mission that focuses on stabilization and state building. “ATMIS is 100% aligned with the Somalia Transition Plan,” he said at a news…

ADF STAFF For three decades, foreign vessels have targeted Sierra Leone’s waters for sardines, shrimp, bonga shad and grouper, much of which is sold overseas. The activity of industrial trawlers puts the livelihoods of 500,000 Sierra Leonean fisheries workers in jeopardy, as fish stocks plummeted rapidly between 2009 and 2021, according to a report by The European Times. The declining fish stocks drive food insecurity because locally caught fish accounts for 80% of the nation’s protein consumption. Some vessels are permitted to fish there, but observers say that revenue from taxes and licensing fees from foreign fishing companies are negligible.…

ADF STAFF African nations are already feeling the devastating ripple effects from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s war against Ukraine will have a lasting impact on the continent’s economies, most notably increased prices on grains, fertilizer and fuel. “Sometimes we go to bed hungry because life has become so expensive,” Kenyan market vendor Beatrice Atieno told the news website Der Spiegel. “Bread especially is something I can no longer afford to buy. We eat potatoes for breakfast instead.” Experts say food prices will continue to rise significantly, because much of the wheat imported by Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania,…

ADF STAFF China’s distant-water fishing fleet (DWF) has targeted Gulf of Guinea waters in West and Central Africa for decades. Now, the region is rapidly running out of fish, driving food insecurity and loss of income for millions of people who work in the fishing industry. A recent study by the Hoover Institution, a think tank at Stanford University, examined the effects China’s DWF has had on Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Nigeria, where Chinese trawlers notoriously engage in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. In the entire region, 40% to 60% of the fish is caught illegally, analysts…