ADF

Gold mining, a major funding source for the war in Sudan, has spread into some of the country’s agricultural areas, poisoning crops, livestock and people with toxic byproducts. In River Nile State, north of Khartoum, farmers report dramatic drops in the production of staple crops such as wheat and fava beans. At the same time, cattle farmers are seeing birth defects and indications that adult livestock are being poisoned, possibly with mercury. Even more troubling, miscarriages and birth defects are rising among women in the region, according to local doctors. River Nile State has long been among Sudan’s most active…

A series of recent arrests highlights the trend of Mexican drug cartels manufacturing methamphetamine in Nigeria and other areas. Analysts say the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) cartels are sending their own chemists to produce meth. They are also accused of funding terrorists, armed groups and criminal gangs that help them produce and move the drugs in a franchise-like business model. On August 19, Nigerian authorities arrested Arturo Carrera Loaiza, a 40-year-old Mexican national, at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos as he tried to leave the country. Officials said they found digital images of equipment consistent with methamphetamine…

When terrorists attacked Bamako and Niamey earlier this year, the military leaders of Niger and Mali did not turn to their own troops or their newly created Alliance of Sahel States standby force. Instead, they asked for assistance from Africa Corps mercenaries. Security experts say this reveals a dependence on Russia by junta leaders who claim to be seeking independence from foreign powers. “The major concern lies in what this level of dependence does to the cohesion and sovereignty of Russia’s vulnerable client states,” researcher Zikora Ibeh wrote in a September 11 article for International Politics and Society magazine. “As…

In July and August, more than 800 Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters and commanders defected from the Sudanese paramilitary group and declared their allegiance to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), potentially shifting the balance of power in the country. After years of failed international efforts to reach a peaceful settlement to the war, SAF leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has put his support behind a homegrown proposal for a national dialogue aimed at ending the fighting. In July, al-Burhan met with leaders of the Democratic Bloc, alongside a joint gathering of the National Umma Party and the Democratic Unionist Party-Original.…

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) was one of seven armed Ethiopian groups that recently formed an alliance aiming to topple the federal government led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The new association is called the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival, or Alliance for Survival. Some of these groups have clashed in the past, and territorial disputes remain but have been tabled, alliance representatives said. The pact was announced on September 20 amid ongoing Tigray region violence. “We just formed an alliance, we are collaborating with several groups, and our objectives are to remove the regime and facilitating a…

A recent fish trade agreement between Somalia and China is being billed as a job-creating initiative that will boost the country’s Blue Economy. But analysts warn that key details of the agreement remain unknown and, without proper oversight, it could devastate Somalia’s fish stocks and the long-term health of its artisanal fishing industry. The deal, inked in July, allows Somali exporters to sell fish to China’s more than 1.4 billion consumers without having to pay import duties. But observers warn that China’s history in the region warrants skepticism about the deal. “The grim reality is that everywhere China makes fisheries-related…

As China has expanded its investment in mineral mining projects on the continent, allegations of environmental and human rights abuses have risen at an alarming rate. The Business and Human Rights Centre, an international nonprofit organization that promotes corporate accountability and transparency, revealed in a July report that allegations of abuse linked to Chinese mining in Africa more than doubled from 45 in 2024 to 100 in 2025. The abuses involve the mining of energy transition materials, which are naturally occurring metallic and non-metallic substances key to many high-tech devices and electric vehicles. Worldwide, the Centre documented 326 allegations of…

Over the last two years, Somalia’s al-Shabaab terrorists have established a relationship with Houthi rebels in Yemen — one that could alter the decades-long battle between the al-Qaida affiliate and government forces in Mogadishu. A new report by The Century Foundation (TCF) public policy research institution outlines the evolving ties between al-Shabaab and the Houthis as the Somalia-based terrorists seek to gain both knowledge and, potentially, technology from the Iranian-backed Houthis. So far, the relationship has been built around training and knowledge transfer, with hundreds of al-Shabaab fighters traveling from their base in southern Somalia to western Yemen to learn…

The Sudanese Armed Forces might be using and stockpiling chlorine-based chemical weapons for use against the rival Rapid Support Forces in the country’s ongoing civil war, according to new reporting. Documents, videos and intercepted communications appear to describe a program for making chlorine-based munitions, with stockpiles numbering in the hundreds, according to news organizations including The New York Times and The Washington Post. The examined material appears to show weapons being developed and tested in a factory. Mark Albon, former head of the United Nations Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ investigation unit in Syria, told a panel in…

Drones have become an in-demand surveillance tool and weapon of choice with 34 African nations operating drone programs. But a new report suggests that a lack of proper training and oversight has turned drones into a threat for civilians who may be mistaken for military targets. According to a report by Nigerian nonprofit news organization HumAngle, the race to acquire AI-enabled drones is leaving behind a devastating trail of civilian casualties. “The weapons are said to be precise, but evidence proves their use has put civilians in harm’s way,” HumAngle reported in a recent study. Over the past five years,…