ADF

NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has acquired new helicopters and is reactivating old aircraft to better combat security challenges in the country. Chief of Air Staff Sadiq Abubakar announced the acquisitions at the inauguration of the newly built Air Force Secondary School and Airmen Transit Accommodation in Lagos State. The Air Force has taken delivery of the first of 12 Mi-35 helicopters that will be crucial to defeating Boko Haram, he said. “This has contributed immensely toward equipping the service to conduct counterinsurgency operations and also contend with other emerging security challenges across the country,” Abubakar…

INTER PRESS SERVICE With a new international treaty, an increasing number of African countries are committing to phasing out mercury, a significant health and environmental hazard. Research has shown that maternal exposure to mercury from contaminated fish can cause learning disabilities in babies. When inhaled, mercury vapor can affect the central nervous system, impair mental capacity and, depending on levels of exposure, be fatal. “Despite the danger that mercury poses, it is still widely used, especially in Africa, and this is of great concern,” said Olubunmi Olusanya of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Environment. “While Africa does not manufacture mercury-added products,…

THE WORLD BANK Shirley Kamara, an expectant mother, smiled as she received medical care at C.H. Rennie Hospital in Kakata, 68 kilometers north of Monrovia, Liberia. “Our hospital is far better now since the Ebola outbreak,” she said. “We are encouraging our people to come here because everything is getting better.” C.H. Rennie Hospital in Liberia’s Margibi County was one of the facilities hardest hit during the Ebola outbreak that began in 2014; 14 of its health workers died. But, as a result of international attention, health-care services have since improved, said Dr. Asinya Magnus. “Ebola revolutionized health services in…

THE WORLD BANK In Tanzania, the 3,600 residents of the village of Gidewari once lived a life of striking irony, trekking more than 8 kilometers each day for water, despite living next to a lake. Lake Gidewari contains saltwater, and thus its water is unfit to drink. “My first chore very early each day was to go and fetch just one 20-liter jerrycan of water from Dareda Catholic Church, which is a 5-kilometer walk, and then walk back home,” said Rosalie Margwe, a wife and mother of three. “The water there was also not clean, but we had no option.” For…

UNESCO In July 2017, the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee added three new cultural sites in Angola, Eritrea and South Africa. The prestigious “world heritage site” designation means the areas are “considered to be of outstanding value to humanity” and are given protections from development or destruction. The newly added sites are: Mbanza Kongo, the former kingdom of Kongo in Angola The town of Mbanza Kongo, located on a plateau at an altitude of 570 meters, was the political and spiritual capital of the kingdom of Kongo, one of the largest states in Southern Africa…

VOICE OF AMERICA When farmers in northern Burkina Faso speak about the direction of the wind, they refer to the direction it is blowing in. Burkina Faso’s meteorological agency, however, classifies wind by the direction it comes from. That means that when state forecasters warn of a strong west wind, farmers find an east wind comes gusting along, flattening their faith in forecasts. A new guide aims to solve that problem — and help farmers build better resilience to climate change — by translating the French and English words commonly used in weather forecasts not just into northern Burkina Faso’s…

VOICE OF AMERICA Trade is returning to Cameroon’s border communities more than two years after the start of the regional military offensive against Boko Haram militants. But as security improves, local officials warn that Boko Haram remains a threat. It is now a matter of routine that hundreds of buyers and sellers assemble at the Ngule market near Achigachia as police and a few Soldiers stand guard. The town straddles the Cameroon-Nigeria border, which officially reopened in January 2017. At the market, traders sell cotton, sorghum and millet destined for Nigeria. Food items and dresses from Nigeria are also for…

ADF STAFF In the course of more than 3,000 years, 170 pharaohs ruled Egypt. Of those, the greatest military leader was Thutmose III, the sixth pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. Thutmose inherited the throne when his father died, but he was too young to rule. His stepmother was named pharaoh, and he was named co-regent. He did not become the ruler until her death. His “true” rule was from 1457 B.C. until 1425 B.C. Even for a pharaoh, he was a man of ambition. During his reign, Thutmose led at least 17 military campaigns without losing a battle. He is…

According to legend, this site is the capital of a kingdom ruled by the Queen of Sheba. This important trading center was built between 1100 and 1450. The site was home to the Shona people and at one time had 10,000 inhabitants. Part of the site’s name means “house of stone” in the Shona language. ANSWER: Great Zimbabwe National Monument.

U.S. Africa Command Staff In a crisis, speed is essential. Whether it is a natural disaster, a disease outbreak or a conflict, security professionals know that if they can reach a problem in its early stages, they have a better chance of controlling it. Unfortunately, disasters don’t always happen in places that allow for an easy response. Some of Africa’s deadliest crises, including the Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016, have begun in countries with limited resources and in remote regions that are difficult to access. Being prepared for these types of crises requires planning on a national, regional and continental level.…