ADF

ADF STAFF For a time, skirmishes between rival Nguni tribes in what is now South Africa were all bluster and no battle. Opposing fighters would stand 35 to 45 meters apart, each armed with an assegai, a 1.8-meter spear, and a tall shield called an isihlangu. The warriors would throw the spears at each other, but because of the distance and the arc of the tosses, the spears were easily dodged. The “fighting” generally ended when both sides had thrown all of their spears, with no one injured. Shaka Zulu of the Zulu tribe of the Nguni found the ceremonial…

CLUES Arabian legend says these trees look peculiar because the devil pulled one up and plunged its branches into the earth, leaving its roots exposed. This tree-lined dirt road is one of this country’s most popular tourist sites. The endangered tree species is further threatened as farmers expand their rice paddies. The trees, which can live up to 3,000 years and grow 30 meters tall, also have spiritual significance to locals. ANSWER  Alley of the Baobabs, Madagascar

ADF STAFF Failing to regulate large fishing fleets puts small-scale fisheries in Africa at risk, according to research by the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Distant-water fishing fleets (DWF) from other nations catch far more fish than Africa’s artisanal fishermen and are a much greater threat to fish stocks, the report found. This is especially true when industrial vessels catch fish illicitly through bottom trawling, fishing with explosives, and using prohibited nets and other gear. Closed fishing seasons and fishing arrangements made with other countries lead to fisheries governance challenges, dwindling fish stocks and a rise in sea crimes,…

ADF STAFF With unprecedented access to the levers of governmental power, Russia’s recent activities in the Central African Republic (CAR) show its intention to spread influence in a conflict-torn country. CAR has been embroiled in civil war since 2012, when an estimated three-fourths of the country was in rebel hands. With a president facing a 2020 election delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, opportunities abounded for Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries to make a power play. “They are cheap and come as part of a package of regime-support services, including political technologies,” Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russian security affairs, said of…

ADF STAFF When protests in South Africa boiled over into violence and looting in July, much of the energy driving the violence came from social media. Across the continent, social media has become a mechanism for amplifying already heightened emotions, from the ongoing conflicts in Ethiopia to political protests in Eswatini to extremist propaganda across the Sahel. It also has become a vehicle for false information about the COVID-19 pandemic and public health efforts to control it. In response to many of these situations, leaders across Africa have hit the “off” switch on their nations’ internet systems, a decision that…

ADF STAFF Niger improved its capacity for national defense earlier this month when it added another C-130 Hercules aircraft from the United States during a handover ceremony at Air Base 101 in the capital, Niamey. The aircraft is part of Niger’s effort to modernize its Air Force and confront extremist groups operating in the northern parts of the country. Niger returned its first C-130H to service in January after repairs and refurbishment by the United States. A third C-130H is expected in 2022. “Niger, in its fight against armed terrorist groups, benefits at different levels from the expertise and assistance…

ADF STAFF A pioneering oceanographer called on world leaders to ban industrial fishing in international waters to preserve fish populations and sustain the livelihoods of small fishing communities. Sylvia Earle, 86, made the comments during Cop26, an annual United Nations conference on climate change in Glasgow, Scotland, in November. “Only a small segment of the human population truly relies on ocean life for sustenance,” Earle said in a report by British newspaper The Guardian. “Many more rely on it for money, using wild animals as a source of revenue.” Earle’s words resonated in Africa, where illegal fishing is taking a major…

ADF STAFF A pro-Russian demonstration on the streets of Bamako, Mali, was meant to look spontaneous. It was anything but. Days after the country’s second coup in nine months, hundreds of pro-military demonstrators marched from the central square to the Russian embassy while waving Russian flags and holding anti-French signs. The gathering on May 27 was designed to appear like a grassroots show of support, but it was planned at an army base and led by members and relatives of the military. “We came to support our men, to support the army and to ask Russia to come and help…

ADF STAFF Members of Sudan’s protest movement are denouncing a revised power-sharing agreement recently signed by the country’s military and civilian leadership. Many had hoped the deal would put the country on a path to democracy, but now fear it will allow the military to maintain its grip on power. The new agreement was signed in late November by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan about a month after al-Burhan led a military coup that arrested Hamdok and the civilian members of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council. The 14-point deal creates a new Sovereignty Council and returned Hamdok to…

ADF STAFF As many African nations struggle to control illegal fishing, some are turning to drones as a relatively cheap way to conduct surveillance over vast expanses of ocean. In March, the Seychelles Fisheries Authority announced that it had bought two long-range drones with artificial intelligence to perform fisheries surveillance in its huge exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The technology was acquired through the FishGuard initiative, a cooperative venture involving Moroccan drone company ATLAN Space, fisheries intelligence analysis company Trygg Mat Tracking, and GRID-Arendal, a nonprofit environmental communications center. Because the Seychelles’ EEZ is 1.3 million square kilometers, enforcing fishing laws…