ADF

ADF STAFF Lawlessness and terror have plagued Somalia for years. Although an African Union peacekeeping force has improved matters in the East African nation, violence is still a threat. In late October 2017, militants attacked the Hotel Naso Hablod in the Hamarweyne district of Mogadishu, killing 29 people during a 12-hour siege. At least 12 of those killed were police officers. Earlier that month, children in T-shirts and shorts played in the water near the ruins of a building in the same district, underscoring the dichotomy of life in Somalia: Children play. Adults buy goods in city markets. Somalis have…

Operation Lafiya Dole Puts Enduring Peace Within Reach for Northeast Nigeria ADF STAFF The military operation was as important symbolically as it was strategically. On December 22, 2016, Nigeria’s Armed Forces advanced on “Camp Zairo,” a base deep in the Sambisa Forest that had served as Boko Haram’s nerve center. The assault began in the early morning with an aerial bombardment. Alpha Jets, F-7 supersonic jets and Mi-35 combat helicopters pounded the camp. After the bombing, ground troops backed by close air support advanced with little resistance and, during a mop-up operation, arrested 1,240 suspected Boko Haram fighters and family…

Military force alone won’t eliminate Boko Haram; the country must address the problems that led to the group’s creation. DR. HUSSEIN SOLOMON Since the insurgency started in 2009, the extremist group Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands and forced 2.6 million people from their homes. The group is the single biggest threat to peace and security in Nigeria. But Nigeria’s military and civilian leaders agree that stopping Boko Haram will require more than just bullets and bombs. “You can never solve any of these problems with military solutions,” said Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, Nigeria’s former chief of defense staff.…

Air Power is a Critical Tool in Stopping Boko Haram ADF STAFF On Friday, September 1, 2017, Boko Haram extremists took a break from their warfare to observe a holiday. Hundreds of the fighters gathered under trees in the Sambisa Forest in Borno State, northeast Nigeria. Nigerian surveillance spotted them. The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) dispatched fighter jets. An Alpha Jet began the attack with bombs, “neutralizing” hundreds of the fighters, said a report published in Nigeria’s Daily Post. A second jet followed with a bomb attack, and a third fighter used rockets to strafe fleeing insurgents. “After the attacks,…

A Study of Boko Haram’s Public Communications Can Offer Hints About Its Strategy ADF STAFF In July 2011, the Nigerian government unveiled plans to make telecommunications companies dedicate toll-free phone lines so civilians could report Boko Haram activity. Months later, insurgent spokesman Abu Qaqa threatened to attack service providers and Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) offices. “We have realized that the mobile phone operators and the NCC have been assisting security agencies in tracking and arresting our members by bugging their lines and enabling the security agents to locate the position of our members,” Qaqa announced, according to a 2013 article by Freedom Onuoha on the E-International…

BBC NEWS AT BBC.CO.UK/NEWS Somalia of the early 1970s was a country with style. In Mogadishu, men wore afros and flared pants, while women sported stylish dresses with their heads uncovered. The city’s architecture was proof of its centuries of cross-cultural trade. Now Somalis around the world can relive these rich memories of Mogadishu through an archive of more than 10,000 tapes uncovered in 2016 by Vik Sohonie in Hargeisa, capital of the self-declared republic of Somaliland. The rich and varied recordings feature funk, rock, jazz and Bollywood influences. The tapes harken back to a time of relative economic and…

BBC NEWS AT BBC.CO.UK/NEWS The president of African athletics says the continent will bid to host the 2025 World Championships. Africa has never staged the biennial track and field event, which started in 1983, despite being home to many world champions. Confederation of African Athletics President Hamad Kalkaba Malboum said he believes a bid is set to come from one of six African nations. “We are talking with Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco — those countries have the facilities,” said Malboum of Cameroon. “People said that Africa could not host the World Cup in football, but we did…

BRAND SOUTH AFRICA Nigerian artist Peju Alatise won the South African 2017 FNB Art Prize, one of the most coveted art awards on the continent. Her work focuses on the experiences of contemporary African women. Alatise’s early paintings, later sculptures and current installations were showcased in September 2017 at the annual First National Bank Joburg Art Fair. The fair, one of South Africa’s leading art events, featured more than 60 exhibitions across five categories, including traditional and modern art. Artists and cultural organizations from 11 countries participated. Born in 1975 in Lagos, Nigeria, Alatise studied architecture before being inspired by…

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The United Nations Security Council has backed reforms to reduce inefficiencies, corruption and abuse in far-flung peacekeeping operations. Although many peacekeeping missions have been hailed as successful — Sierra Leone most recently — others have been criticized for sexual abuse violations and corruption, especially in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are 16 U.N. peacekeeping operations underway, with more than 100,000 personnel, at an annual cost of nearly $8 billion. The U.N. has said that, adjusted for inflation, the cost to member states has decreased by 17 percent in the past…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE The French Navy conducted a series of 10-day regional exercises named African NEMO (Navy’s Exercise for Maritime Operations) from the Dixmude aircraft carrier. The goal is to prepare more than 20 West African countries to step up their battle against maritime crime. “We went from tactical training of teams boarding the boats to lifesaving at sea, to how to make the centers put into place by the Yaounde process work,” said Dixmude Capt. Jean Porcher. The Yaounde process was adopted in 2013 as a code of conduct by West and Central African nations to share intelligence and coordinate…