ADF

ADF STAFF The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) hosted a five-day workshop in September with the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) that focused on enhancing the capacity of civil-military operations (CMO) amid increasing insecurity in northern Ghana. Military forces use CMO to build trust with civilians and win allies in counterterror efforts. The workshop supported the GAF’s efforts to create a CMO directive that will institutionalize CMO, enhance CMO training and operations, support civil authorities, and improve security and stability. “This symposium represents a vital opportunity to share knowledge and strategies that can address the pressing challenges we…

ADF STAFF Tunisia in early September received four Textron C-208 aircraft from the United States government. Equipped with control, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, the aircraft are used for intelligence missions. The donation, valued at $54 million, includes long-term training and maintenance. The aircraft are equipped for a variety of missions, including border security, counterterrorism operations and disaster response. “The delivery takes place under the Tunisia-U.S. cooperation and in application of the military cooperation program agreed during the 34th session of the Tunisia-U.S. Joint Military Commission held in 2020,” Tunisian Defense Minister Khaled Shili said during a handover ceremony at the El…

ADF STAFF The Saloum River delta in Senegal is a vast region of sun-drenched salt marshes, brackish estuaries and hundreds of islands. Bursting with wildlife and thick, green mangrove forests, it could provide the perfect cover for the kind of smugglers and militant groups that the Armed Forces of Senegal are training to deter. It’s where members of the Senegalese Compagnie Fusilier de Marin Commando (COFUMACO) recently took part in a six-week Riverine and Jungle Warfare Course with their partners, the United States Marines. “This training is very interesting for us,” 1st Lt. Oumar Ndiaye, one of the COFUMACO’s program…

ADF STAFF A new Russian news service is drawing criticism for spreading misleading and harmful information in Africa. The African Initiative is an online platform with deep ties to the notorious Russian mercenary outfit formerly known as the Wagner Group, which now operates on the continent under the control of the Russian Defense Ministry with a rebranded name: the Africa Corps. Artyom Kureev, director-general of the African Initiative, claims his organization aims to become the “information bridge between Russia and Africa.” But experts say its true purpose is to disguise and proliferate disinformation in the hope that it will be…

ADF STAFF As children prepared to return to school in Cameroon, a wave of violence swept through the Northwest and Southwest regions, sparking fears of a worsening conflict. The surge in fighting began in August, when separatists from the Anglophone region warned the government not to reopen schools, as scheduled, in September. What followed has been a series of bombings, kidnappings and attacks, including rape. On September 19, a bomb blast at a market in Bamenda killed one and injured six, including a baby. Separatists said the violence was intended to enforce a lockdown in the Northwest regional capital. “The…

ADF STAFF China has built and supported African political party training schools since the 1960s. But in recent years, it has shifted its approach on the continent to directly training party and government officials. “We should explore the building of a new type of party-to-party relations,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses its Central Party School to train the top leaders of its ruling one-party system of government. In Africa, China is building and using political party schools to export an authoritarian model and ideology on the continent, according to Paul Nantulya, a researcher…

ADF STAFF The Gambia is increasing its efforts to battle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which has plagued West Africa for decades. In August, Gambian authorities and representatives from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization discussed efforts to implement the Port State Measures Agreement, form a technical working group to tackle IUU fishing and develop a national strategy to address the scourge. The agreement aims to prevent IUU fishing by adopting and implementing effective measures that promote the long-term conservation and sustainable use of marine life. In February, The Gambia’s Department of Fisheries hosted a nine-day course aimed…

ADF STAFF As Niger tries to address a cratering economy and constant terror attacks, its ruling junta is turning to a new ally with a dangerous request. Iran has been working secretly on a deal with Niger’s ruling junta to buy 300 metric tons of uranium ore worth more than $56 million. According to analysts, the uranium could be funneled into Iran’s ongoing effort to develop a nuclear weapon. In exchange for the “yellowcake” uranium ore, Iran has promised the Nigerien junta economic aid, agricultural assistance and weapons, including drones and surface-to-air missiles, according to observers. The deal has been…

ADF STAFF The Kenya Defense Forces has begun receiving helicopters and other military equipment from the United States as it faces ongoing terror threats and participates in regional and international peacekeeping missions. In July, Kenya received two of eight UH-1 “Huey” helicopters. Known as a utility military aircraft, Hueys are designed and produced by the U.S. aerospace company Bell Helicopter. Six more Hueys and eight MD500 light military helicopters are scheduled to arrive between late 2024 and mid-2025. Besides increasing Kenya’s capacity to provide regional peacekeeping support and participate in security operations, the helicopters will be used in air assaults,…

ADF STAFF Troop morale was high when the Multinational Joint Task Force launched Operation Lake Sanity 2 on April 23 and immediately began making headway against the violent extremist organizations that have terrorized the region for years. A video released by the Nigerian Army in May showed as much with troops in Borno State chanting, dancing and marching with their rifles held aloft after a successful mission that led to the surrender of 47 people associated with Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). When Lake Sanity 2 concluded in early August, the task force, also known…