ADF

ADF STAFF Security forces in the Puntland region of Somalia recently destroyed several operating bases for Islamic State (IS-Somalia) in the Cal Miskaad Mountains at the country’s northern tip. The mountains have become a haven for IS-Somalia and a magnet for foreign fighters moving into Somalia both from neighboring African countries and from the Middle East across the Gulf of Aden. Security forces found a Saudi passport among the items captured in the raid, according to the Somalia National News Agency. The attacks in the Cal Miskaad region were part of a broader strategy by Puntland authorities to enlist the…

ADF STAFF As ethnic violence continues to roil Ethiopia, some believe religious leaders can play a critical role in the peacebuilding process. Yirga Damtie, a scholar at the Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding, who spoke during a discussion hosted by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Africa Program, says it’s time to empower these leaders to push for peace. In recent years religious institutions have provided humanitarian aid, offered psychosocial and financial support, helped with public service delivery and acted as mediators between civilians and armed groups in conflict areas where government access is limited. “Religion is considered as…

ADF STAFF Communal violence has surged in South Sudan’s Warrap State and Central Equatoria State, and it continues to be the primary driver of conflict throughout the country, according to the United Nations peacekeeping mission there known as UNMISS. In a recent report, UNMISS chief Nicholas Haysom noted that the highest number of victims killed and injured were in Warrap State, accounting for 60% of civilian casualties in the third quarter of 2024. The majority of abduction victims, most of them men, were from Central Equatoria State, constituting 69% of all documented abductions in the country. Conflict-related sexual violence also…

Technology is transforming the battlefield. Men and women in uniform today know they have to stay up to date with the latest advances because if they don’t, their adversaries will.  Innovations such as drones and artificial intelligence (AI) serve as force multipliers that give security professionals greater reach and capacity to defend their homeland. But these tools are only as good as the people who operate them. Each can be turned against the public and cause great harm.  About 31 militaries in Africa now operate drones. These affordable tools are deployed for surveillance, to secure borders and to stop illicit…

Dr. Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi, president of Botswana, spoke at the opening ceremony of the African Chiefs of Defense Conference in Gaborone, Botswana, on June 25, 2024. His remarks have been edited for length and clarity. As you gather here today under the theme, “On the Rampart Together: Expanding Cooperation and Sharing Values,” you are called upon to reflect on the critical importance of unity and collaboration in addressing the challenges facing our continent. Now, more than ever before, it is imperative that we come together as one cohesive force to achieve the African Union’s noble vision of “Silencing the…

Botswana Defence Force Commander Lt. Gen. Placid Segokgo was eager to host the 2024 African Chiefs of Defense Conference in his home country in June 2024, making it the first African nation to do so. “Your presence here today demonstrates your commitment to ensuring not only continental peace and security but also world peace and security, which are fundamental to sustainable social economic development,” Segokgo said in an opening ceremony address to 34 defense chiefs. “[This] conference offers military leaders an opportunity to learn from fellow commanders’ personal experiences from various military engagements that target Africa’s wide-ranging challenges and opportunities.”…

ADF STAFF Senegal in June 2024 joined the ranks of oil-producing nations in Africa, with output expected to be up to 100,000 barrels per day and revenues expected to approach $1 billion a year for three decades. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was elected in April 2024, said profits from oil and natural gas sales will be “well managed,” and he told students in June that an “inter-generation fund” had been set up to benefit them and generations to come, according to Agence France-Presse. Australia’s Woodside Energy holds 82% of the Sangomar oil and gas field being developed off the…

Djibouti became the first nation in East Africa, and the second on the continent, to release genetically engineered mosquitoes in the continuing fight against malaria. It was the pilot release of “Friendly” Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes arranged through a public-private partnership between the government and Oxitec, a United States-owned developer of biological solutions to control pests that cause disease. Oxitec is headquartered in the United Kingdom.  The effort is aimed at curbing the invasive mosquito, which is responsible for a dramatic increase in malaria in Djibouti’s capital city, from near-eradication in 2012 to more than 73,000 cases in 2020. Tens of…

ADF STAFF On a runway at an undisclosed location in South Africa, the Milkor company marked a milestone. On September 19, 2023, the Milkor 380, a medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, took to the skies for the first time.  The flight of the UAV, with a wingspan of 18.6 meters, put South Africa in an elite group of about 10 countries worldwide capable of producing a drone of that size and sophistication.  “This is officially the largest UAV that has ever been produced, developed, flown and tested on the African continent,” said Milkor Communications Director Daniel du Plessis.  With a…

Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar has served in the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) for more than 30 years. A pilot with more than 4,500 flying hours, he has served as the officer commanding ‘B’ Squadron and commanding officer Base Services Wing at 81 Air Maritime Group. He spent much of his career at the 88 Military Airlift Group in Ikeja. He also served as the fleet operation officer and later as the commander of the 011 Presidential Air Fleet in Abuja. Internationally, he was a team leader for the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In June…