ADF

As Ghana prepared for presidential elections, Chief of Defence Staff Lt. Gen. Thomas Oppong-Peprah warned of misinformation and propoganda campaigns designed to sow division in the country. Speaking at the opening of Cyber Awareness Month in October 2024, he stressed “the need to build the capacity of citizens to detect, prevent the proliferation of cyber threats.” He also pledged that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) would play a support role in keeping the country safe as the December 2024 elections approached. “The Ghana Armed Forces is ready to support civil authorities and other security agencies to ensure Ghana remains a…

Senegal’s emergency medical team became the first in Africa to receive World Health Organization certification for its ability to respond to health crises.  The recognition means the team can deploy to emergencies globally within 72 hours of being activated and set up a 30-bed hospital that can provide medical and surgical care for up to 2,500 patients per month. It is a milestone that “significantly boosts” Africa’s emergency response capacity, the WHO reported.  Senegal’s Type 2 Emergency Medical Team (EMT), made up of military health professionals and under the direction of the Army, underwent a rigorous, six-year process to earn…

The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) is expanding its domestic military training capability by establishing a Noncommissioned Officer Academy.  In December 2024, 40 students completed a nine-week pilot course at the AFL’s Armed Forces Training Center at Camp Ware. Each branch of the AFL was represented, and three female NCOs were among the graduates. “I cannot overemphasize the importance of professional education in the military,” the AFL’s Command Sgt. Maj. Plazian B. Kuoh, senior enlisted advisor at the Armed Forces Training Center, told ADF. “It is the function and responsibility of every commander to lead, develop and achieve. To achieve…

The number of mercenaries operating in African countries has grown in recent years, led by Russia’s former Wagner Group. In response, the African Union is working to curb the destructive impact of foreign fighters and provide oversight through a 40-article draft convention and policy brief on mercenary involvement. The convention, which would be an update of one enacted in 1977, could include provisions for monitoring human rights abuses committed by mercenaries and tougher penalties for countries that employ foreign fighters. “We must take a stand to eradicate this scourge and ensure it respects our sovereignty,” said Pupurai Togarepi, a parliamentarian…

Details of the life of Queen Achivanjila, who ruled the Makua people in what is now Mozambique during the late 19th century, have been passed down from generation to generation. The history lacks some details, but it is clear that the queen faced formidable obstacles. Her kingdom is now known as Niassa, a sparsely populated province in northern Mozambique. She is believed to have ruled from about 1865 until about 1870, when Portugal was the colonial power in her land. She had to negotiate a political path of keeping the Portuguese at bay while convincing her people that she had…

CLUES It covers 42 hectares and was an example of urban development at the frontiers of the Roman Empire. The site shows evidence of several civilizations across 1,000 years of occupation. A substantial amount of artistic material, such as mosaics, marble and bronze statues, and hundreds of inscriptions have been found at the location. This was the capital of the Mauretanian kingdom during the reigns of Juba II and Ptolemy. ANSWER  Archaeological site of Volubilis, Morocco

Yemen’s Houthi rebels are increasing their support of al-Shabaab in Somalia, potentially increasing security risks along commercial Middle Eastern shipping routes. That is according to a March report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which said the partnership could increase al-Shabaab’s ability to attack vessels with drones or missiles. The Houthis also might be providing the terror group with military training. “The Houthis intend to supply al-Shabaab with more advanced weaponry that might enable them to target shipping in the Gulf of Aden,” a senior aide to the leader of Yemen’s National Resistance Front said in the…

Craig Sholto-Douglas was looking for a white rhino and her calf. The two animals, members of a near-threatened species prized by traditional Chinese medicine for its horns, made inviting targets, as the mother’s smart band had come off her leg. Sholto-Douglas’ primary focus as environmental manager at Kwandwe Game Reserve in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province is protecting black rhinos and white rhinos. Poaching is the biggest threat. “It’s actually at its worst, partially because it’s a different type of poacher that we’re dealing with,” he said in a 2024 video. “They’re coming prepared to kill not just one or…

A Malian drone shot down over the border in Algeria has escalated tensions between the two countries as they take different approaches toward Tuareg groups living along their shared border. Algerian forces shot down the Turkish Akinci drone in early April after it crossed into Algerian airspace near the border community of Tin Zaouatine, a remote town deep in the Sahara that is a base for Tuareg rebels fighting Mali’s ruling junta. Malian officials claim the drone crashed 10 kilometers inside their border. Tin Zaouatine was where Tuaregs in July 2024 killed 47 Malian soldiers and 84 Russian mercenaries belonging…

A Fulani herder named Musa was asleep at his home in northeast Nigeria in early April when he and his family heard gunfire and fled into the bush. When it was safe to return, Musa found that terrorists had stolen the source of his livelihood: 36 cattle and 40 sheep. Musa’s plight, as reported by Agence France-Presse (AFP), is not unique among herders in the Lake Chad Basin, across West Africa and in the Sahel, where livestock is coveted and thieves sell stolen animals at local markets. “Cattle rustling is a major source of funding for armed groups,” an expert…