ADF

ADF STAFF The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) has established a Regional Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Center (RMCSC) to help counter illegal fishing in the Gulf of Guinea. Headquartered in Tema, Ghana, the center will help FCWC member countries Benin,  Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo manage their fishing sectors. The new center was integrated into the FCWC West Africa Task Force, which is financed by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, known as Norad. The center opened in mid-May. It is equipped with vessel-tracking systems and has the capacity to collect data on authorized fishing…

ADF STAFF Ethiopia’s civil war in the northern region of Tigray has dragged on for more than six months. What Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed initially called “a law enforcement operation” against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has devolved into lawless chaos. The United Nations human rights office says that all parties involved are accused of committing war crimes against civilians. There is no end in sight, and the conflict has sparked violent border disputes within Ethiopia’s ethnically separate, semi-autonomous states and with neighboring countries. When Abiy consolidated power in 2019 by dissolving the country’s ruling party, he promised to…

ADF STAFF Somalia’s leadership announced May 27 that they will hold new elections within 60 days, ending a political impasse that had roiled the country for months. The announcement came after several days of negotiations between Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and representatives of the country’s five federal states. The lower house of Parliament in early May reversed a previous vote granting President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed a two-year extension of his term, which expired in February. The May vote calmed tensions that began when Mohamed’s four-year term expired without elections being held. The resulting conflict threatened to undo many of…

ADF STAFF When Sierra Leone’s government inked a $55 million deal with China to develop an industrial fishing harbor on 100 hectares of beach and protected rainforests, conservationists and local fishermen were outraged. The project at Black Johnson Beach borders Western Area Peninsula National Park, home to endangered species such as duiker antelope and pangolins, and the waters burst with sardines, barracuda and grouper, according to a report by The Guardian in the United Kingdom. The vague details of the deal upset local fishermen, who catch 70% of the fish for the domestic market, and enraged conservationists who say no…

ADF STAFF Across Africa, countries have eagerly adopted Chinese technology to build communications networks and monitor public spaces. However, the spread of China’s artificial intelligence (AI) systems might pose a risk to nations’ national security and sovereignty. In 2017, for example, African Union officials discovered that sensitive data from servers in their new Chinese-built headquarters was being routed in the middle of the night from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to servers in Shanghai, China. The data dumps had taken place every night from the time the headquarters opened in 2012, prompting accusations of spying. China has deployed technological improvements along with…

ADF STAFF Despite efforts by coastal African nations to curb illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, one of every four fish still is being caught illegally as the continent’s stocks plummet. Illegal marine trade costs the West Africa region almost $1.95 billion across the fish value chain and $593 million a year in household income. The best ways to tackle IUU fishing include improving international cooperation and information sharing, implementing existing port controls, and using inexpensive vessel-tracking technology, according to a research paper commissioned last year by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. A May 2020 incident…

ADF STAFF Lt. Gen. Dennis Gyllensporre of Sweden, force commander of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), assumed command October 2, 2018. Gyllensporre spoke to ADF recently from Mali. His remarks have been edited to fit this format. ADF: What was the state of MINUSMA with regard to mission effectiveness and civilian safety when you assumed the role of force commander? GYLLENSPORRE: At that time, the mission had one strategic priority from the Security Council. And that was to support the implementation of the peace accord in the North. At the same time, we saw a…

ADF STAFF A skiff carrying up to 10 armed pirates approached a Sea Shepherd Global vessel off the coast of Benin. When the skiff got to within about 100 meters of the Bob Barker, the pirates got a surprise. The Sea Shepherd boat was carrying armed members of the Beninese Navy, who were patrolling in search of illegal fishing vessels. “The armed Benin Navy Sailors on board Bob Barker fired 10 warning shots,” Peter Hammarstedt, Sea Shepherd’s director of campaigns, told ADF in an email. “The pirates then retreated.” The November 2020 incident highlighted a trend in an area long…

ADF STAFF The Kenya Air Force (KAF) recently became the first African country to take ownership of the C-145A Skytruck aircraft for use in rapid response, aerial patrols and military interventions. The KAF received the first of three aircraft in a ceremony April 20 at Moi Air Force Base in Nairobi. KAF commander Maj. Gen. Francis Ogolla presided over the transfer. “It is a great day today as we introduce the C-145 Skytruck aircraft,” Ogolla said during the transfer ceremony. “This aircraft will not be in the service for display, but to enhance the capability of our air support to…

ADF STAFF When the extremist group Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in the remote town of Chibok, Nigeria, in 2014, it horrified the world. International headlines catalyzed into a huge campaign by celebrities, politicians, governments and rights groups across television, newspapers and social media. In 2016 and 2017, more than 100 girls were freed, but at least 100 of the remaining girls are still thought to be captive. But Boko Haram’s kidnapping strategy has gained it notoriety, adherents and, in some cases, ransom payments. “The group was relatively unknown before their kidnap of the Chibok girls,” Nigerian researcher Hakeem Onapajo…