AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Photo by AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Dusk settled on Sainte-Cecile square, and the oil lanterns cast a soft yellow light as a storyteller captivated the audience with a tale about a naughty little girl who disobeys her parents and whistles at night — a way of summoning evil spirits. Fierce beasts attack her, but her neighbor, a hunter, courageously intervenes and saves her from death. Melissa Djimadja, a high-school student, was among those who were spellbound by the centuries-old story. “I was always told never to whistle at night but never understood why,” she said. “Now I know.” Benin’s rich…
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.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Photo by AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Every year, thousands of Yorubas gather to celebrate Osun, the goddess of fertility and water. The festival held by the West African ethnic group takes place in the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove in southwestern Nigeria. According to UNESCO, which named the area a World Heritage site in 2005, the dense forest of the grove and its river “is dotted with sanctuaries and shrines, sculptures and artworks in honor of Osun and other deities.” Priestesses prepare offerings and sacrifices to the great goddess: a heady mixture of sacrificed chickens, ochre powder, potato chips and gin. Crowds…
Extremist Groups Threaten Security Across the Continent ADF STAFF A United Nations peacekeeping mission battles al-Qaida-linked extremists and others in Mali. The African Union Mission in Somalia holds al-Shabaab militants at bay. Nigeria has teamed with Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger to battle Boko Haram in and around the Lake Chad Basin. There are big players and smaller groups launching attacks. The following is a look at what terrorism is, who is using it and what can drive people to participate in it. Terrorist Groups in Africa According to “Terrorism in Africa: A Quantitative Analysis” by Adriana Lins de Albuquerque,…
Radical Groups Have Flourished Online. They Can’t Be Silenced, but They Can Be Defeated. ADF STAFF Photos by Reuters When it comes to radical recruitment, the medium has changed over the years, but the strategies and the message remain the same. Islamist extremists have a long history of operating in the shadows and spreading propaganda by any means available. From the 1970s to the 1990s, radical preachers used audiocassette tapes and pamphlets handed from person to person as a means of influence. In the video era, recruiters often used VHS tapes. One of the founders of al-Shabaab, Ibrahim al-Afghani, made his…
Kenya’s Vice Chief of Defence Forces Looks to Finish the Mission in Somalia and Secure the Homeland ADF Staff Photos By Kenya Defence Forces Lt. Gen. Robert Kibochi was appointed Kenya’s vice chief of Defence Forces in 2018. Previous posts during his 39-year military career include commander of the Kenya Army and assistant chief of Defence Forces in charge of operations, plans, doctrine and training. He commanded the Kenyan contingent in the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone from 2000 to 2001. He holds master’s degrees in international studies and computer-based information systems and is pursuing a Ph.D. He spoke to…
REUTERS Photo by Reuters The cooling of hostilities between Eritrea and Ethiopia is more than just a momentous political event for East Africa. For many on both sides of the long-disputed border, it has been a time of joy, reunion and healing. Eritrean Airlines began regular flights to Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, on August 4, 2018, an early step in improving relations between the two countries after a generation of hostility. Ethiopian media confirmed that a plane carrying Eritrean transport and tourism ministers and other officials had landed at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport — the first time in two decades…
Isis Fighters Leaving Iraq And Syria May Not Pose Primary Threat To Africa DANIEL HAMPTON, AFRICA CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES As of late 2018, ISIS had lost 97 percent of the territory it once controlled in Syria and Iraq. More important, it had lost almost all means of revenue generation that came from holding that territory. The flow of fighters moving into Syria came to a virtual standstill. For as long as ISIS has been a force, people have been asking: What will happen in Africa when ISIS fighters return to their home countries? There are three main scenarios: Foreign fighters…
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…
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…