ADF

ADF STAFF Mali’s military junta has repeatedly pledged to restore security to the country after using the terror threat as justification for coups in 2020 and 2021. Instead, the violence has gotten worse. Last year, Mali recorded a 38% increase in violence targeting civilians, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED). Deadly clashes between security forces, terror groups and Tuareg rebels have continued this year. In August, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), the main terror group operating in Mali, launched a widespread offensive in central, western and northern Mali. This followed a fierce July battle during which JNIM…

ADF STAFF A time-worn military adage says: “Amateurs talk strategy; professionals talk logistics.” Experienced leaders know that without solid logistics, any military plan is destined to fail. That philosophy was at the heart of the 2024 West African Logistics Conference held recently in Douala, Cameroon. The Cameroonian Armed Forces and U.S. Africa Command sponsored the two-day event. The region’s second annual logistics conference brought together more than 60 West African and U.S military logistics leaders to address the challenges they face in support of military missions, whether they are to counter extremists and transnational criminals or to address humanitarian crises.…

ADF STAFF Al-Shabaab, the terrorist group that continues to launch deadly attacks against Somali civilians, Soldiers and international peacekeepers, has reached its 18th anniversary. The group’s long lifespan is significant as an estimated 25% to 74% of terror groups worldwide do not last more than one year, according to the United States’ National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. However, some terror groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State in Africa have survived for many years, and Al-Shabaab continues to thrive despite efforts by the Somali National Army, African Union forces and local clan militias.…

ADF STAFF A series of undercover “Operation Jackal” investigations have dealt a blow to Nigeria’s notorious Black Axe criminal networks. But authorities warn that the group’s global reach and technological sophistication means much work remains. Interpol took part in operations targeting Black Axe and other West African organized crime groups across five continents. Police arrested 300 people, seized $3 million and blocked 720 bank accounts, Interpol said in July. In one investigation, Canadian authorities said they had busted a money-laundering scheme linked to Black Axe worth more than $5 billion. “They are very organized and very structured,” Tomonobu Kaya, a…

ADF STAFF Tension already was bubbling in the Horn of Africa in late August when two desert-camouflaged Egyptian military cargo planes landed in the Somali capital of Mogadishu with weapons, ammunition and about 300 special forces commandos. Dressed in full combat gear, the Soldiers stood in formation on the tarmac as an Egyptian official explained that these were the first of thousands of troops to come, mandated by a recently signed security agreement to equip and train Somali army units and help protect key government facilities and officials. Egypt’s pledge to send thousands of Soldiers to Somalia is the latest…

ADF STAFF Militiamen waved their weapons in the air and chanted triumphantly over the lifeless bodies of five young men, all brothers, at the Kassab displacement camp near Kutumin Kassab, in western Sudan. Described by a local farmer as hard-working, the Suleiman brothers included a 14-year-old student, two tailors and one cattle herder. They were members of the Zaghawa ethnic group, not involved in the country’s ongoing civil war and staying with their mother when the attack occurred. “I saw a young man, about 16 years old, force the door of their house and enter, with a number of soldiers…

ADF STAFF Increasing violence in Togo by extremists has stoked fears that neighboring Ghana might be the next coastal West African country in the terrorist groups’ crosshairs. The Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) militant coalition claimed responsibility for a July 20 attack on Togolese Army forces in Kpankankandi, near the border with Burkina Faso. More than 1,000 fighters attacked a Togolese Army barracks, killing at least 12 Soldiers, destroying one armored vehicle, and making off with two motorcycles, dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to Nigeria-based security analyst Zagazola Makama. About 70 kilometers to the west,…

ADF STAFF Long after a battle to control Tripoli erupted in 2019, Libya’s rival factions have continued to rely on foreign fighters. Analysts say that although these fighters aren’t highly visible, their continued presence delays the country’s reconciliation and unification. Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan National Army leader based in Benghazi, relies on Russian paramilitary forces for support and protection. Haftar is committed to seizing Tripoli, where the country’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) is based. Turkey supports and protects the GNA, and has also has deployed Syrian fighters around the national capital. “Both sides have paid…

ADF STAFF Militaries can no longer assume they dominate the skies. Extremist groups are increasingly using drones to conduct surveillance, guide mortar attacks, and deploy as miniature, airborne weapons platforms. The widespread availability of consumer-grade drones — helicopter-style and fixed-wing machines — is leveling the playing field between terrorist groups and better-funded, better-equipped military forces, according to experts. “Airborne capability allows [extremists] to have a better view of the battle space and their operating environments,” Barbara Morais Figueiredo with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research recently told Voice of America (VOA). “It also provides them with a new way…

ADF STAFF Somali security forces intercepted a shipment of suicide drones being secretly transported across the Puntland region, possibly to be deployed against military and peacekeeping forces in the nation’s south. The five devices, which were hidden in speakers, were commercial drones modified to carry explosives. Puntland Security Forces officials said they believe the drones came from Houthi rebels in Yemen, smuggled through Puntland’s Gulf of Aden port at Bosaso. Authorities believe the drones were destined for al-Shabaab terrorists. The discovery was a reminder of terror groups’ desire to acquire weaponized drones. It also appeared to confirm concerns among some…