ADF

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE After 30 years of turmoil for the postal service in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), letter carriers clad in canary-yellow shirts have finally returned to the streets of the capital. Anifa Kayumba, head of Kinshasa’s sorting office, recalls “dark times” during her 33 years on the job when dispirited workers would routinely go without pay. Customers lost all confidence in the service “because [most] of the packages were pilfered or lost,” said Elisabeth Lengema, a postal worker with 26 years of experience. At that time, employees came to work only to “rummage through” the parcels, taking…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Wall paintings, colorful facades and flowery alleys are brightening up the centuries-old Tangiers medina as residents bring new life to the neglected streets of the Moroccan port city. Standing on a hill overlooking the port and the Strait of Gibraltar — one of the world’s most strategically vital waterways — the old city of Tangiers has few green spaces. But residents of 13 neighborhoods have launched a campaign to spruce it up. “The initiative came from the residents, without any intervention from political parties or associations,” said Rafih al-Kanfaoui, 33, of the city’s Ibn Battouta neighborhood. “The neighborhood…

The Effects of Libya’s Lawlessness are Felt Throughout the Region and the World The year 2017 began the same way 2016 ended, with staggering numbers of African migrants boarding flimsy boats in Libya in an attempt to escape to Europe. In the first 25 days of January, 246 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean. Of the 181,000 migrants who crossed the region in 2016, almost 90 percent began the journey in Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration. The United Nations reports that more than 5,000 drowned that year. The core of the problem is Libya’s lawlessness, which began after…

Special Units in West Africa Bring Together Agencies to Share Information and Resources ADF STAFF Africa stands as a transit point in a global drug trafficking network that funnels cocaine and other drugs into Europe. The drugs come into West Africa, usually from Brazil, and land in one of several nations, such as Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria. From there, the product is moved via air, land and sea toward its final destination. A major drug shipment intercepted in Mali in 2016 followed this trend. The investigation began in May 2016 when Mali’s Central Office for Narcotic Drugs (OCS…

A Continental Operation Backed by Interpol Results in 4,500 Arrests in Two Days ADF STAFF It was a dragnet operation on a continental level. Over the course of 48 hours, 1,500 police officers fanned out across 22 countries and made 4,500 arrests. Some of the crimes they discovered were small: In Eritrea, officials stopped a man at an airport with a fake passport. Some were serious: Tanzanian officials charged nine people with possessing 1.2 metric tons of ivory. Some of the crimes revealed global links and professional organization: During a cargo check of a flight arriving in Sudan, authorities found 88,000…

A Conversation with Asan Kasingye, Uganda’s Director of Interpol Asan Kasingye is Uganda’s director of Interpol and International Relations. He also serves as assistant inspector general for the Ugandan Police Force. He spoke to ADF by phone about Operation Usalama and his country’s efforts to fight transnational crime. After this interview was conducted, Kasingye accepted a new role as police spokesman. His remarks have been edited to fit this format. ADF: During Usalama III, your officers impounded more than 1,000 kilograms of narcotics. How big of a problem are drugs in Uganda and East Africa as a whole? KASINGYE: I think one…

ADF STAFF Each October, as the South African spring gives way to summer, the sky in Cape Town becomes a kaleidoscope of colors. A surprising mix of creatures — both real and imaginary — joins the birds in taking flight. Fish fly by, as do raccoons, cats, squids, tigers and whales. Sometimes, a dragon appears, its serpentine body swaying to and fro. Each is tethered to a string and climbs and swoops with the caprices of the city’s seasonal breezes. People come from all over the world to participate in the annual Cape Town International Kite Festival. The 22nd annual…

Clashes in Kenya Reveal the Need to Control Illegal Weapons ADF STAFF Cattle rustling is not new to northwest Kenya. For generations, it has been a way of life in this rugged part of the world. Young men of the Turkana and Pokot tribes, who live side by side in the semiarid region, are taught that protecting livestock and, in some cases, taking it by force from their neighbors, is necessary to survive. But in recent years this practice has grown deadlier. Firearms have replaced the traditional arrows and spears. Water, always scarce, has dried up. Herders have grown desperate.…

Asian countries that have allowed the sale of ivory and rhino horn are feeling the heat. ADF STAFF China, the world’s largest market for ivory, has announced that it plans to ban all ivory trade by the end of 2017, a move aimed to discourage elephant poaching. An estimated 70 percent of illegal ivory goes to China, where a pair of ivory chopsticks sells for $1,000 and a skillfully carved tusk can sell for about the cost of a new Ferrari. For years, China, along with other countries in Asia, has been under worldwide pressure to stop the ivory trade.…

ADF STAFF The Balule Nature Reserve is a protected area in Limpopo Province, South Africa, and is part of the Greater Kruger National Park. The reserve has a group of guardian angels who are like no other — the Black Mambas. The Mambas, named after a fast-moving, venomous snake, roam the reserve looking for poachers. The all-female team of 36 rangers was founded in 2013. The group, formally known as the Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit, acts as an environmental monitor. Members patrol the entire 400 square kilometers of the reserve. The unarmed Mambas go on foot patrols and observations, conduct…