ADF

ADF STAFF The fifth filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam has raised more than the level of the hydropower dam’s sprawling reservoir: It has also raised tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt over control of the Nile River. The most recent filling, which began in July, provoked an outcry from Egyptian officials, who insist that the dam is illegal and poses an existential threat to their country. Egypt gets more than 90% of its freshwater from the Nile. Egyptian authorities say colonial-era treaties from 1929 and 1959 guarantee Egypt and Sudan a specific allotment of Nile river water. They see…

ADF STAFF The number of violent events involving extremist groups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger has nearly doubled since 2021. That is according to a Reuters review of data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data crisis monitoring group, which recorded 224 violent events a month on average since January, up from 128 in 2021. The Institute for Economics and Peace reported that Burkina Faso topped its Global Terrorism Index for the first time this year, with fatalities rising 68% to 1,907 — a quarter of all terrorism-linked deaths worldwide. The military junta in Burkina Faso — and…

ADF STAFF In an effort to recruit new fighters the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is invoking Faza’a, an ancient, pre-Islamic Sudanese tradition. Faza’a allows tribes to call on their members and allies for support against attacks by other tribes or to take revenge for killings. The RSF has exploited Faza’a to recruit teenagers and children to fight on the front lines much as it did 20 years ago in Darfur when it was known as the Janjaweed. Experts say such recruitment can have life-changing consequences for the young victims. “There are psychological and social ramifications on child recruits,” Dr.…

ADF STAFF A string of suicide bombings in northern Nigeria might indicate that extremists are feeling pressure from successful military campaigns, according to observers. The recent bombings in Gwoza, Borno State, were the first suicide attacks in Nigeria in four years. More than 30 people died, and 100 others were injured. The attacks happened after government forces reclaimed territories formerly occupied by the insurgents, particularly in the northeast. “The recent resurgence of suicide bombings in Gwoza, Borno State has once again brought to the forefront the ongoing threat posed by terrorism and extremism in Northern Nigeria,” Alhaji Suleiman Abdul-Azeez, spokesman…

ADF STAFF Ismai’l remembers the day Boko Haram changed his life. Sitting in the shade outside his displaced family’s makeshift shelter in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, he said he turned to drugs to forget. “I began using drugs after Boko Haram assassinated my two brothers in my presence,” Ismai’l, a pseudonym, told African Arguments. “When I take drugs, nothing matters to me anymore. When anxiety arises, drugs alleviate it.” Ismai’l’s situation is hardly unique in Maiduguri, the heartland of Boko Haram’s 15-year-old insurgency in northeast Nigeria. He and other drug users are known as “Marlians,” after British-Nigerian singer…

ADF STAFF Although Somalia is known as home to the extremist group al-Shabaab, another rival terrorist organization is making a name for itself in the Horn of Africa nation: the Islamic State Somalia, or ISSOM. The group is much smaller than al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabaab, but from its base in Puntland’s Bari region, it has come to be known as the East African headquarters of the Islamic State group and a major player in IS financing across the globe. “In Puntland, it generates funds by extorting businesses in the seaport city of Bosasso, as well as by helping export small quantities…

ADF STAFF The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) hosted a five-day workshop in September with the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) that focused on enhancing the capacity of civil-military operations (CMO) amid increasing insecurity in northern Ghana. Military forces use CMO to build trust with civilians and win allies in counterterror efforts. The workshop supported the GAF’s efforts to create a CMO directive that will institutionalize CMO, enhance CMO training and operations, support civil authorities, and improve security and stability. “This symposium represents a vital opportunity to share knowledge and strategies that can address the pressing challenges we…

ADF STAFF Tunisia in early September received four Textron C-208 aircraft from the United States government. Equipped with control, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, the aircraft are used for intelligence missions. The donation, valued at $54 million, includes long-term training and maintenance. The aircraft are equipped for a variety of missions, including border security, counterterrorism operations and disaster response. “The delivery takes place under the Tunisia-U.S. cooperation and in application of the military cooperation program agreed during the 34th session of the Tunisia-U.S. Joint Military Commission held in 2020,” Tunisian Defense Minister Khaled Shili said during a handover ceremony at the El…

ADF STAFF The Saloum River delta in Senegal is a vast region of sun-drenched salt marshes, brackish estuaries and hundreds of islands. Bursting with wildlife and thick, green mangrove forests, it could provide the perfect cover for the kind of smugglers and militant groups that the Armed Forces of Senegal are training to deter. It’s where members of the Senegalese Compagnie Fusilier de Marin Commando (COFUMACO) recently took part in a six-week Riverine and Jungle Warfare Course with their partners, the United States Marines. “This training is very interesting for us,” 1st Lt. Oumar Ndiaye, one of the COFUMACO’s program…

ADF STAFF A new Russian news service is drawing criticism for spreading misleading and harmful information in Africa. The African Initiative is an online platform with deep ties to the notorious Russian mercenary outfit formerly known as the Wagner Group, which now operates on the continent under the control of the Russian Defense Ministry with a rebranded name: the Africa Corps. Artyom Kureev, director-general of the African Initiative, claims his organization aims to become the “information bridge between Russia and Africa.” But experts say its true purpose is to disguise and proliferate disinformation in the hope that it will be…