ADF

ADF STAFF Tension already was bubbling in the Horn of Africa in late August when two desert-camouflaged Egyptian military cargo planes landed in the Somali capital of Mogadishu with weapons, ammunition and about 300 special forces commandos. Dressed in full combat gear, the Soldiers stood in formation on the tarmac as an Egyptian official explained that these were the first of thousands of troops to come, mandated by a recently signed security agreement to equip and train Somali army units and help protect key government facilities and officials. Egypt’s pledge to send thousands of Soldiers to Somalia is the latest…

ADF STAFF Militiamen waved their weapons in the air and chanted triumphantly over the lifeless bodies of five young men, all brothers, at the Kassab displacement camp near Kutumin Kassab, in western Sudan. Described by a local farmer as hard-working, the Suleiman brothers included a 14-year-old student, two tailors and one cattle herder. They were members of the Zaghawa ethnic group, not involved in the country’s ongoing civil war and staying with their mother when the attack occurred. “I saw a young man, about 16 years old, force the door of their house and enter, with a number of soldiers…

ADF STAFF Increasing violence in Togo by extremists has stoked fears that neighboring Ghana might be the next coastal West African country in the terrorist groups’ crosshairs. The Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) militant coalition claimed responsibility for a July 20 attack on Togolese Army forces in Kpankankandi, near the border with Burkina Faso. More than 1,000 fighters attacked a Togolese Army barracks, killing at least 12 Soldiers, destroying one armored vehicle, and making off with two motorcycles, dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition, according to Nigeria-based security analyst Zagazola Makama. About 70 kilometers to the west,…

ADF STAFF Long after a battle to control Tripoli erupted in 2019, Libya’s rival factions have continued to rely on foreign fighters. Analysts say that although these fighters aren’t highly visible, their continued presence delays the country’s reconciliation and unification. Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, the Libyan National Army leader based in Benghazi, relies on Russian paramilitary forces for support and protection. Haftar is committed to seizing Tripoli, where the country’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) is based. Turkey supports and protects the GNA, and has also has deployed Syrian fighters around the national capital. “Both sides have paid…

ADF STAFF Militaries can no longer assume they dominate the skies. Extremist groups are increasingly using drones to conduct surveillance, guide mortar attacks, and deploy as miniature, airborne weapons platforms. The widespread availability of consumer-grade drones — helicopter-style and fixed-wing machines — is leveling the playing field between terrorist groups and better-funded, better-equipped military forces, according to experts. “Airborne capability allows [extremists] to have a better view of the battle space and their operating environments,” Barbara Morais Figueiredo with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research recently told Voice of America (VOA). “It also provides them with a new way…

ADF STAFF Somali security forces intercepted a shipment of suicide drones being secretly transported across the Puntland region, possibly to be deployed against military and peacekeeping forces in the nation’s south. The five devices, which were hidden in speakers, were commercial drones modified to carry explosives. Puntland Security Forces officials said they believe the drones came from Houthi rebels in Yemen, smuggled through Puntland’s Gulf of Aden port at Bosaso. Authorities believe the drones were destined for al-Shabaab terrorists. The discovery was a reminder of terror groups’ desire to acquire weaponized drones. It also appeared to confirm concerns among some…

ADF STAFF The 2024 African Senior Enlisted Conference in Lilongwe, Malawi, brought noncommissioned officers from across the continent for four days of sharing best practices, networking, and professional development. “NCOs are the backbone of the military all over the world,” Warrant Officer Sally Mussa of the Malawi Defence Force told the gathering. “We have cultures that prevent Senior Enlisted Officers from being empowered, and we need to change those cultures. We need to develop a deliberate strategy to develop our NCOs.” According to the organizers, the September 9 to 13 conference brought together military leaders from 29 nations to nurture…

ADF STAFF The African Union has authorized more than 25 peace support operations across the continent over the past 20-plus years, but few have included community-oriented policing (COP) to counter extremism. Meressa Dessu, a senior researcher at the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS), recently wrote that it is time for that to change as violent extremism spreads across the continent. The hallmarks of COP — problem solving, partnership, service delivery, empowerment and accountability — help police officers build trust through sustained engagement with residents, community groups, business owners and others. Community policing has succeeded globally in preventing crime, reducing…

ADF STAFF The recent lifting of the United Nations’ 11-year-old arms embargo on the Central African Republic has been praised as a diplomatic victory but has also raised concerns for its potential to worsen insecurity across the region. “The Central African security problem cannot be solved simply by importing arms,” the editors of Corbeau News Centrafrique wrote recently. Corruption, a lack of discipline within the Central African Armed Forces, and the government’s continued dependence on Russian mercenaries remain major obstacles to peace, according to the Corbeau editors. President Faustin-Archange Touadéra invited Russia’s Africa Corps, then the private military corporation known…

ADF STAFF United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed was among the many speakers who delivered stark assessments on extremist violence in Africa at a counterterrorism summit earlier this year in Abuja, Nigeria. “The situation in Africa, particularly in the Sahel, is dire with some of the most violent terrorist groups operating in the Sahel; the region is now accounting for almost half of all deaths from terrorism globally,” she said. Citing data from the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism in Algeria, African Union Chairperson Mousa Mahamat highlighted some sobering numbers — an average of eight incidents…