ADF

Sex and Gender-Based Violence Can Hamper Missions and Tarnish Militaries ADF STAFF Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) have been major problems in peacekeeping missions for many years. Missions in Bosnia, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo and others have reported sexual assaults in the past 20 years. These accusations harm the credibility and effectiveness of these missions. Current unrest in the CAR has provided one of the most egregious examples of peacekeepers abusing civilians. According to the International Business Times, an internal United Nations report indicates that peacekeepers abused 10 to 12 boys ages 8…

Mali Emphasizes Human Rights, Protection of Women and Children in Combat Zones LT. COL. AMINATA DIABATÉ Lt. Col. Aminata Diabaté is chief of the International Human Rights Law Section in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Ministry of Defense and Ex-Combatants of Mali. Her work focuses on gender-based violence. Beginning in 2012, Mali endured a crisis in the northern part of the country from which it is still trying to emerge. For the first time, many elements of the Armed Forces and security sector faced complex and difficult situations. These included issues such as human rights law, the…

ADF STAFF The Rif Mountains extend nearly 300 kilometers from Tangier to the Moulouya River valley near Morocco’s Algerian frontier. Nestled within the range is a small city that was hidden for centuries, but now rates as one of the most beautiful places in the world. Chefchaouen’s streets wind to and fro amid a green and tan landscape, but the city of more than 35,000 is most notable for blue homes and buildings in its ancient section, known as the medina. The incongruous hue is said to have roots in the town’s former Jewish population, according to CompleteMorocco.com. The city…

Crisis Management Training Can Help Organize Responses and Save Lives ADF STAFF As the moist kusi monsoon winds blew into Nairobi from the southeast in late April 2016, they brought with them the torrential downpours of Kenya’s rainy season. Kusi winds typically usher in the “long rains,” which stretch from late April through early June. As rain fell for several days, flooding mixed with another of the Kenyan capital’s trouble spots: poorly constructed buildings. On April 29, a six-story apartment building near a river in the city’s poor Huruma neighborhood collapsed, bringing down tons of concrete on unsuspecting residents. Rescuers…

Security professionals need to be more proactive in dealing with reporters, particularly when the news is bad ADF STAFF The relationship between the military and the media is seldom easy, but in certain parts of Africa, the relationship seems particularly strained. Prof. Bizeck Phiri of the University of Zambia said African nations’ path to independence in the 20th century and their post-independence woes are partially to blame for some communications difficulties. “In the 1960s, when most African countries attained independence from their colonial masters, the public trusted the political leaders and those in authority,” he told military leaders at an…

The West African nation seeks to create a comprehensive counterterror strategy Maj. Didier Bamouni Terrorism and violent extremism surged in West Africa after the Malian crisis in 2012. Among Sahelian countries such as Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, Burkina Faso remained relatively safe from terrorism until recently, which may be attributed to its perceived role as a mediator in Mali. Maj. Didier Bamouni is a Burkina Faso Army officer. He has held command and training positions, including chief of operations of a counterterrorism task force. He has a postgraduate degree in defense and conflict studies and is pursuing a master’s degree…

VOICE OF AMERCA Nigeria hosted the second annual Keffi polo tournament in May 2016, with 16 teams participating. The so-called sport of kings, seen by some as an activity with complicated rules and accessible only to the wealthy, does not yet have a large following in Nigeria. Nonetheless, about 3,000 fans turned out to watch the 5th Chukker Polo Club of Kaduna take on the Kano Titans in the semifinals at the Keffi Polo Ranch. The crowd cheered as Argentine player Manuel Crespo scored for Kaduna. Despite what people think, Crespo said, polo is not just for the rich. “You…

THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION Amnesty International has given its top 2016 human rights award to Grammy Award-winning musician Angélique Kidjo and to three African youth activist movements for standing up to injustice. Benin-born Kidjo and groups Y’en a marre from Senegal, le Balai Citoyen from Burkina Faso, and Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo have shown “exceptional courage,” Amnesty said. They “have all proved themselves to be bold advocates for human rights, using their talents to inspire others,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty’s secretary-general. Previous winners of the Ambassador of Conscience Award include South African leader…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s rumba king, Papa Wemba, was posthumously awarded one of his country’s highest honors in May 2016, after he collapsed on stage and died at age 66. At a ceremony in the national Parliament in Kinshasa, where Papa Wemba’s body lay in state, DRC’s President Joseph Kabila made the singer a grand officer of the Order of National Heroes Kabila-Lumumba for “the merits, the loyal and eminent services rendered to the Congolese nation.” Papa Wemba collapsed while performing at a festival in Côte d’Ivoire on April 24, 2016. The flamboyant musician, who led…

REUTERS Senegal and the United States signed a cooperation agreement to ease the deployment of American troops to the West African nation to counter humanitarian crises, natural disasters and terrorist attacks. “Terrorism knows no border, and it’s very important for everyone to cooperate,” James Zumwalt, U.S. ambassador to Senegal, said during a joint news conference in Dakar with Senegalese Foreign Minister Mankeur Ndiaye. About 40 U.S. Department of Defense personnel are stationed in Senegal, according to U.S. Africa Command. The U.S. Embassy in Dakar said that number would not increase under the deal. “This agreement is about access, is about…