ADF STAFF Maj. Gen. Simon Motswana Barwabatsile is commander of Ground Forces Command and is Joint Force commander for the Botswana Defence Force (BDF). He joined the BDF in March 1989 and rose through the ranks as a commander of armored units. In 2015, he was promoted to brigadier as an armored brigade group commander. He was named major general in September 2023 and assumed his current BDF commands at that time. He served in the 1993 U.S.-led humanitarian operation known as Restore Hope in Somalia, and he served in the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique from February…
ADF
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.
As summer gave way to fall in 2021, the Ethiopian government found itself on the back foot against secessionist Tigrayan rebels, who had just captured the towns of Dessie and Kombolcha in the neighboring Amhara State. The strategic victories positioned Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front forces about 400 kilometers north of the capital, Addis Ababa. It also placed the rebels in the forefront of the minds of worried government officials. “Our country is facing a grave danger to its existence, sovereignty and unity,” Minister of Justice Gedion Timothewos said in a November 2021 news conference in Addis Ababa, according to The National…
ADF STAFF | Photos by CHIEF PETTY OFFICER ARIF PATANI/U.S. NAVY Participants in exercise Cutlass Express 2024 jump into a swimming pool for diver training in Victoria, Seychelles, on February 29, 2024. Eleven African naval forces participated in the U.S. Africa Command-sponsored exercise that was hosted by Djibouti, Kenya and Seychelles. The exercise goals are to enhance maritime domain awareness and collaboration, and strengthen the capability of nations to combat piracy, illicit trafficking, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The first week involved classroom sessions on how to deter sea crimes. The second week focused on tactical combat casualty care,…
ADF STAFF As Russia’s Wagner Group expands its reach across Africa with promises of security and support for authoritarian leaders, nations that invited the mercenaries suffer from increased exploitation, violence and instability. From Sudan in 2017 to Burkina Faso in January 2024, the group’s formula is simple: It targets precarious authoritarian regimes, promises to protect their sovereignty, then begins a lucrative exploitation campaign that even the Russian government has admitted smacks of colonialism. “The narrative that Russia is pushing is that Western states remain fundamentally colonial in their attitude,” Jack Watling, land warfare expert at the Royal United Services Institute…
ADF STAFF Spring 2023 was a tense time in Senegal. Protesters packed the streets of Dakar and, in a rare move, the Armed Forces deployed in the capital to maintain order. With tires burning, armored cars on street corners and Soldiers manning barricades, one writer described the country as “sitting on a volcano.” As a presidential election approached, some on both sides of the political debate wanted the military to take a more active stance. Calls grew louder for them to either support the opposition movement or back then-President Macky Sall and his party. In a show of defiance, the…
ADF STAFF A ransomware bug infecting computer systems across Africa is the latest evidence that criminals are using the continent as a testing ground for new attacks. The Medusa virus targets businesses and government agencies, locking users out of the system and threatening to expose sensitive information if a ransom is not paid. It has hit the Kenya Airport Authority, banks in South Africa, and other companies and organizations. The London-based cybersecurity company Performanta studied the attacks and discovered what appears to be a strategy to focus initially on organizations in countries with limited experience in cyber defense, including countries…
ADF STAFF | Photos by Reuters Recent seizures of illegal drugs in the Sahel indicate that the conflict-riddled region is becoming a busy route for drug trafficking. In 2022, authorities seized 1,466 kilograms of cocaine in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger, compared to an average of 13 kilograms between 2013 and 2020, according to an April 2024 United Nations report. “Although annual estimates were not available for 2023, 2.3 tons of cocaine had already been seized in Mauritania by June 2023,” the report said. “The region’s geographical location makes it a natural stopover point for the increasing amount of cocaine…
ADF STAFF The Djiboutian Air Force will receive two Cessna Grand Caravan EX turboprop aircraft for special missions such as border patrols after a contract award to Textron Aviation. The contract was placed by U.S. Army Contracting Command, U.S.-based Textron Aviation announced. “The two special missions Cessna Grand Caravan EX aircraft will be intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) equipped to ensure the border sovereignty of the country of Djibouti,” Textron announced, as reported by defenceWeb. The United States has supplied Caravan aircraft to a number of African nations for ISR missions. In March 2022, Textron revealed that it was awarded…
ADF STAFF The Tunisian Air Force is upgrading two of its Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The two planes flew to Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore for upgrades by ST Engineering Defence Aviation Services. The aircraft are being fitted with Honeywell’s Cockpit Display System Retrofit, which is available in three-display and five-display options with large format LCD displays, flight controls, air data and altitude sensors. Improvements also include digital instruments, a multifunctional display, and an array of peripherals such as weather radar, a traffic collision avoidance system and advanced flight controls, defenceWeb reported. The retrofits have been designed…
DEFENCEWEB In a move to improve Nigeria’s air defense capabilities and help uphold regional stability, the country’s military is acquiring 12 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters. U.S. manufacturer Bell Textron has been awarded a $455 million contract to produce and deliver the aircraft. The U.S. Department of Defense announced the sale in March 2024, adding that the contract includes engineering, program management and logistics support. Work is expected to be completed in July 2028. In April 2022, the U.S. approved the sale of 12 Bell AH-1Zs to Nigeria for $997 million. The proposed deal included 28 T-700 GE 401C engines, 2,000…