ADF

ADF STAFF As children prepared to return to school in Cameroon, a wave of violence swept through the Northwest and Southwest regions, sparking fears of a worsening conflict. The surge in fighting began in August, when separatists from the Anglophone region warned the government not to reopen schools, as scheduled, in September. What followed has been a series of bombings, kidnappings and attacks, including rape. On September 19, a bomb blast at a market in Bamenda killed one and injured six, including a baby. Separatists said the violence was intended to enforce a lockdown in the Northwest regional capital. “The…

ADF STAFF China has built and supported African political party training schools since the 1960s. But in recent years, it has shifted its approach on the continent to directly training party and government officials. “We should explore the building of a new type of party-to-party relations,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses its Central Party School to train the top leaders of its ruling one-party system of government. In Africa, China is building and using political party schools to export an authoritarian model and ideology on the continent, according to Paul Nantulya, a researcher…

ADF STAFF The Gambia is increasing its efforts to battle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which has plagued West Africa for decades. In August, Gambian authorities and representatives from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization discussed efforts to implement the Port State Measures Agreement, form a technical working group to tackle IUU fishing and develop a national strategy to address the scourge. The agreement aims to prevent IUU fishing by adopting and implementing effective measures that promote the long-term conservation and sustainable use of marine life. In February, The Gambia’s Department of Fisheries hosted a nine-day course aimed…

ADF STAFF As Niger tries to address a cratering economy and constant terror attacks, its ruling junta is turning to a new ally with a dangerous request. Iran has been working secretly on a deal with Niger’s ruling junta to buy 300 metric tons of uranium ore worth more than $56 million. According to analysts, the uranium could be funneled into Iran’s ongoing effort to develop a nuclear weapon. In exchange for the “yellowcake” uranium ore, Iran has promised the Nigerien junta economic aid, agricultural assistance and weapons, including drones and surface-to-air missiles, according to observers. The deal has been…

ADF STAFF The Kenya Defense Forces has begun receiving helicopters and other military equipment from the United States as it faces ongoing terror threats and participates in regional and international peacekeeping missions. In July, Kenya received two of eight UH-1 “Huey” helicopters. Known as a utility military aircraft, Hueys are designed and produced by the U.S. aerospace company Bell Helicopter. Six more Hueys and eight MD500 light military helicopters are scheduled to arrive between late 2024 and mid-2025. Besides increasing Kenya’s capacity to provide regional peacekeeping support and participate in security operations, the helicopters will be used in air assaults,…

ADF STAFF Troop morale was high when the Multinational Joint Task Force launched Operation Lake Sanity 2 on April 23 and immediately began making headway against the violent extremist organizations that have terrorized the region for years. A video released by the Nigerian Army in May showed as much with troops in Borno State chanting, dancing and marching with their rifles held aloft after a successful mission that led to the surrender of 47 people associated with Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). When Lake Sanity 2 concluded in early August, the task force, also known…

ADF STAFF Mali’s military junta has repeatedly pledged to restore security to the country after using the terror threat as justification for coups in 2020 and 2021. Instead, the violence has gotten worse. Last year, Mali recorded a 38% increase in violence targeting civilians, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED). Deadly clashes between security forces, terror groups and Tuareg rebels have continued this year. In August, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), the main terror group operating in Mali, launched a widespread offensive in central, western and northern Mali. This followed a fierce July battle during which JNIM…

ADF STAFF A time-worn military adage says: “Amateurs talk strategy; professionals talk logistics.” Experienced leaders know that without solid logistics, any military plan is destined to fail. That philosophy was at the heart of the 2024 West African Logistics Conference held recently in Douala, Cameroon. The Cameroonian Armed Forces and U.S. Africa Command sponsored the two-day event. The region’s second annual logistics conference brought together more than 60 West African and U.S military logistics leaders to address the challenges they face in support of military missions, whether they are to counter extremists and transnational criminals or to address humanitarian crises.…

ADF STAFF Al-Shabaab, the terrorist group that continues to launch deadly attacks against Somali civilians, Soldiers and international peacekeepers, has reached its 18th anniversary. The group’s long lifespan is significant as an estimated 25% to 74% of terror groups worldwide do not last more than one year, according to the United States’ National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. However, some terror groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State in Africa have survived for many years, and Al-Shabaab continues to thrive despite efforts by the Somali National Army, African Union forces and local clan militias.…

ADF STAFF A series of undercover “Operation Jackal” investigations have dealt a blow to Nigeria’s notorious Black Axe criminal networks. But authorities warn that the group’s global reach and technological sophistication means much work remains. Interpol took part in operations targeting Black Axe and other West African organized crime groups across five continents. Police arrested 300 people, seized $3 million and blocked 720 bank accounts, Interpol said in July. In one investigation, Canadian authorities said they had busted a money-laundering scheme linked to Black Axe worth more than $5 billion. “They are very organized and very structured,” Tomonobu Kaya, a…