ADF

A film with a powerful anti-extremist message has been internationally honored. The film Timbuktu was nominated for an American Academy Award and won top honors at France’s César Awards. The film tells the story of northern Mali under the control of jihadists. The ancient caravan town of the title, often a byword for otherworldly remoteness, was seized by armed insurgents who cut a swath through the West African nation for most of 2012. The movie depicts the resistance of the townspeople and their struggle to retain their way of life under the brutal, ultraconservative regime of the insurgents. It shows…

An arts charity based in Kenya has produced its third film, about the lives and relationships of people from different walks of life in Mombasa. Its goal is to shed light on what prompts young people to turn toward extremism. Watatu is a production of Sponsored Arts for Education (SAFE) Kenya, which also produced the acclaimed movies Ndoto Za Elibidi, about the AIDS epidemic, and Ni Sisi, about ethnic violence. The latest movie was filmed entirely in Mombasa, Kenya’s second largest city. The film’s name is Swahili for “three” and focuses on the lives of three men. One is a…

THE CITIZEN, TANZANIA There’s a glimmer of hope at last for Dar es Salaam drivers: The Japanese government has donated $13 million in a bid to reduce the city’s traffic gridlocks. The money will be spent to build overpasses at key road junctions. Minister for Works Dr. John Magufuli said the city was searching for an engineer for the project. “We expect that by mid-June we will have obtained an engineer from among the bidders,” he said. “Our major aim is to end traffic jams in the city.” In the 2014-2015 budget, the Works Ministry will spend $14 million on…

Morocco has agreed to provide military, operational and intelligence support to the United Arab Emirates to help fight terrorism. The announcement came during a visit by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in March 2015. It was one of the 21 bilateral deals expected to be signed during the visit, Agence France-Presse reported. “This action, part of the tradition of successful partnership and strong solidarity between the two brotherly countries, reinforces a historic and multifaceted military and security cooperation with Gulf States,” Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. During his two-day…

SEYCHELLES NEWS AGENCY When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Seychelles in March 2015, the two countries affirmed a partnership regarding maritime security and creating a “blue economy” where the ocean can be used to drive growth. Modi and Seychelles President James Michel signed four bilateral agreements, announced the donation of a surveillance aircraft to the Seychelles, and launched a new radar system. In a ceremony in the mountainous region of Mahé, Modi officially switched on the Coastal Surveillance Radar, describing it as a symbol of the cooperation between the two countries. The Coastal Surveillance Radar project has been…

ADF STAFF The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) inaugurated a new multinational maritime coordination center designed to monitor and prevent illicit activity at sea. The program known as Pilot Zone E will coordinate joint activities among Benin, Niger, Nigeria and Togo, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) reported. It will be headquartered in Cotonou, Benin, and  the collaboration will include patrols, information sharing, training and drills. The center is part of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy and will report to the Regional Maritime Security Coordination Centre of West Africa. Other subregional zones have already been established, including Zone…

The former U.S. Coast Guard cutter Gallatin was transferred to the Nigerian Navy during a ceremony in Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States. The cutter was renamed the NNS Okpabana and commissioned in a ceremony in Nigeria. [Leroy Burnell/post and courier] Nigeria commissioned four warships into service in February 2015, with two more to be commissioned before the end of the year. The vessels were handed over to their commanding officers at a ceremony at the Naval Dockyard at Victoria Island in Lagos. They are the NNS Centenary, NNS Prosperity, NNS Okpabana and NNS Sagbama, according to the News…

DEFENCEWEB Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are flying hundreds of missions over South Africa’s Kruger National Park as part of a yearlong project to gauge their effectiveness in combating rhino poaching. The results so far have been positive. “By the end of the project, we will have a lot of information about the use of available technology in anti-poaching operations and be able to make informed decisions on what is best for our environment,” said Kuseni Dlamini, chairman of the South Africa National Parks (SANParks) board. A South African company, UAV and Drone Solutions (UDS), is flying the UAVs. After the…

VOICE OF AMERICA For the first time in decades, young basketball players in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, are holding tournaments at night thanks to improved security. For years, warlords and terrorist groups denied young Somalis the ability to play sports. At the Wiish Stadium in Mogadishu, enthusiastic fans filled the capital’s basketball court in April 2015 to witness a night sporting event — the first in two decades. Before entry, guards frisked all the supporters to assure attendees, basketball players and officials the game would be secure. Most of these young Somalis, born after the collapse of the government more…

VOICE OF AMERICA At the height of the Ebola crisis in late 2014, social life in Liberia was at a standstill as people tried to avoid contact to keep themselves from catching the deadly virus. But in March 2015, with the infection rate at zero for weeks, social life began returning to normal. Liberians were seen enjoying street food and sharing meals and drinks again. They crammed into public buses and cabs without worry. Popular beaches and nightclubs were again packed, and residents expressed satisfaction that social life had returned, even though the worries have not entirely faded. “I think…