Mystery Surrounds Insurgency’s Leadership, Ideology as Violence Persists ADF STAFF The group is known by many names, including one that evokes the horror and danger of Somalia’s homegrown insurgent group. Its numbers are unclear. Its leadership doesn’t appear to be linked to any one person. Even its central ideology is elusive. Yet the group strikes at civilian and government targets with lethality and ferocity, ambushing security forces and hacking men, women and children to death before burning their homes to the ground. In September 2018, these extremists killed 12 villagers and injured 14 others in the northern Mozambique village of…
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ADF
ADF is a professional military magazine published quarterly by U.S. Africa Command to provide an international forum for African security professionals. ADF covers topics such as counter terrorism strategies, security and defense operations, transnational crime, and all other issues affecting peace, stability, and good governance on the African continent.
An Intergovernmental Authority on Development Facility Will Use Research, Engagement to Counter Violent Extremism ADF STAFF East Africa stretches from the mountains of Eritrea south through the Great Rift Valley, which burrows from Djibouti across Ethiopia and into Kenya. Somalia cradles its neighbor Ethiopia at Africa’s horn. To the west, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda complete the region that comprises the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), one of eight African regional economic communities recognized by the African Union. This is a region notable for its rich history and diverse geography and culture. However, in recent years, the region has been…
The CJTF of Nigeria Shows the Benefits and Challenges of Working with Civilian Security Actors DR. ERNEST OGBOZOR | Photos By Reuters In parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the military and police can’t guarantee security. Many of these areas are remote, sparsely populated and have limited security resources. In these regions, civilians have taken matters into their own hands to defend their communities. These nonstate security actors include the Civilian Joint Task Force of Nigeria (CJTF), the Arrow Boys of Teso in Uganda, the Zende Arrow Boys of South Sudan and the Kamajors of Sierra Leone, according to the International Crisis…
An anti-extremist organization says the ISIS ‘handbook’ is based on distortions of the Quran ADF STAFF | photos by AFP/GETTY IMAGES In the name of Allah, ISIS fighters have committed unspeakable atrocities. They have beheaded civilians. They have burned people alive. They have gang-raped children as young as 12 years old. They have not hesitated to slaughter women and children in a war against their enemies. Their enemies are, simply, anyone who is not among them. ISIS murdered 1,700 fellow Muslims — young army recruits — in June 2014 at a former palace compound of Saddam Hussein near Tikrit, Iraq. ISIS…
BBC NEWS AT BBC.CO.UK/NEWS Photo by AFP/GETTY IMAGES Malian singer and composer Khaira Arby, known as “the diva of Timbuktu,” died at a hospital in the capital, Bamako, in August 2018. She was 59. Arby was one of the first women to break onto Mali’s music scene in the 1970s, according to news site MaliWeb. Her father did not approve of her singing and made sure she was married when she was 16. She had children and later divorced her husband, saying she left him because she wanted a singing career. A native of the northern city of Timbuktu, she was…
BBC NEWS AT BBC.CO.UK/NEWS Photo by REUTERS Kenya’s Mary Keitany has won the New York City Marathon for the fourth time in five years as Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa sealed the men’s title. Lelisa won the Boston Marathon in 2013 and 2015 but had never won in New York. Keitany, 37, was second in 2017 but won back the title in 2018 in an unofficial time of two hours, 22 minutes, 48 seconds. She finished almost four minutes ahead of compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot, while Shalane Flanagan of the United States was third. Keitany now is indisputably one of the greatest distance runners…
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Photo by REUTERS The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has picked its first African host of any Olympic competition, formally awarding the 2022 Youth Games to Senegal. Senegal will host the youth games for ages 14 to 18 in three places: Dakar; a new city of Diamniadio, close to the capital; and the coastal resort of Saly. Senegalese President Macky Sall said a 50,000-seat Olympic Stadium will be built for the government-backed project. The budget for the games is estimated at $150 million. Senegal’s games are likely to be held in late May 2022. This would be at the…
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Photo by AFP/GETTY IMAGES In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they call him “Doctor Miracle” for his surgical skill and dedication to helping women overcome the injuries and trauma of sexual abuse and rape. In October 2018, Dr. Denis Mukwege was recognized globally with the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with victims from the conflicts that have ravaged his homeland. He shared the award with Nadia Murad, an Iraqi human rights activist and member of the Yazidi minority who has challenged ISIS. “Denis Mukwege is the foremost, most unifying symbol, both nationally and internationally, of the struggle…
Photo by AFP/GETTY IMAGES Côte d’Ivoire authorities have seized nearly 400 metric tons of fake medicine over two years. The country is battling the scourge of counterfeit drugs, particularly in Abidjan, which has become a West African haven for the crime. Counterfeit medicine results in 100,000 deaths annually in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. “In the course of the last two years, 385 [metric] tons of fake medicines — representing a financial loss of 152 million euros [$173 million] for the pharmaceutical industry — were seized,” said Able Ekissi, a Health Ministry inspector. “In Ivory Coast, 30 to 40…
ADF STAFF Photo by AFP/GETTY IMAGES The U.S. has pledged $111 million to the G5 Sahel Force to bolster the fight against extremism in the Sahel region. The 5,000-person regional force includes troops from member nations Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger. Extremist violence in the region has tripled over the past year and resulted in 895 deaths, according to an October 2018 report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. “Since our initial pledge of $60 million in October 2017, U.S. assistance has nearly doubled to approximately $111 million to meet the needs and strengthen the capabilities of the…