ADF

CLUES This former Roman colony was founded in the first century, during the reign of the Emperor Nerva. The site has a large collection of mosaic pavings, illustrating myths and daily life. At 900 meters above sea level, the site is an example of Roman urban planning adapted for a mountain location. The well-preserved site includes an amphitheater that can accommodate 3,000 people. ANSWER: The Roman ruins of Djémila near Setif, Algeria

For decades, Africa has been host to many of the world’s peacekeeping missions. This has been challenging, but one benefit is that African nations now boast some of the world’s most experienced and well-trained peacekeepers. Year after year, these men and women are setting the standard for how to intervene in crisis zones. In 2013, more than 70,000 African peacekeepers served in African Union and United Nations peacekeeping missions. Nearly three-quarters of African nations –– 39 –– had peacekeepers deployed somewhere on the globe. Among the military leadership in African nations, peacekeeping is typically at the top of resumes, and…

In September 2014, Ugandan authorities discovered an al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in our biggest city, Kampala. Explosives were discovered in the raid, and there is little doubt that this group of terrorists had no other intention but to cause carnage on the streets of the city. It was only four years ago when bombs planted by extremists ripped through two locations as crowds gathered peacefully to watch the football World Cup. Now, almost a year from the barbaric events of the Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, these latest developments show that governments throughout East Africa can never let their guard…

REUTERS Côte d’Ivoire is increasing rice production and processing in hopes of beginning exports in 2018 and generating more than a million jobs. The country, better known as the world’s biggest cocoa producer, is investing about $4 billion on the regional staple food as part of a program to diversify its agricultural sector. The nation’s economy grew 9.8 percent in 2012, but unemployment among its 20 million people remains high, especially among the young. Although the nation currently is a rice importer, Yacouba Dembele, director of the National Rice Development Office, is targeting self-sufficiency within two years. “We want to…

BBC NEWS AT BBC.CO.UK/NEWS Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan formally launched a national electronic identity card in August 2014, which all Nigerians will need by 2019 if they want to vote. Jonathan received the first biometric card, which also can be used to make electronic payments. “The card is not only a means of certifying your identity, but also a personal database repository and payment card, all in your pocket,” Jonathan said at the launch in Abuja. “I have taken keen interest in this project, primarily because of the pervasive impact it can have on every facet of the socio-economic fabric…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE The dunes of Merzouga tower over the small community in southeastern Morocco, where the Berber Ait Atta tribe makes a brisk living from tourism. For years, the formerly nomadic tribesmen have been running hotels and restaurants in Merzouga, a key stop on the Moroccan tourist trail on the edge of a sea of sand dunes. Now they’re turning to the sands themselves to attract visitors. For about 10 minutes, visitors are buried neck deep in the hot sand for therapy said to benefit those who suffer from ailments including rheumatism, lumbago, polyarthritis and some skin disorders. The therapy…

VOICE OF AMERICA In Liberia’s capital, the hit song Ebola in Town has a danceable beat and conveys a serious message about avoiding infection. Three Liberian musicians came up with the song idea in May 2014 after thinking that people weren’t taking the Ebola outbreak seriously enough. The song got people’s attention. Just a few days after they recorded it, Ebola in Town was a nationwide hit. Musician Samuel “Shadow” Morgan says he and his fellow artists didn’t want to produce a typical awareness song. They wanted something people could dance to. “Since everybody wants to dance these days, they…

COL. DANIEL HAMPTON AFRICA CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES Hampton, a senior military advisor at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), has served 29 years with the United States Army as an infantry officer and foreign area officer, including as defense attache to Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. This article has been adapted from a 2014 ACSS Africa Security Brief. It has been edited to fit this format. A state maintains a military to defend its borders, deter aggression, and fight and win wars. These are missions normally associated with conventional forces. Yet, many states are now more likely…

African Nations Participate in Missions On and Off the Continent Africa has been a major contributor and a major recipient of peace operations over the years. In the 21st century alone, more than 50 peace operations have been deployed to African countries, according to Paul D. Williams, an expert in African security issues. More than 10 have been deployed since 2011, including missions conducted by the United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, regional bodies and individual states, such as France in 2013’s Operation Serval in Mali. Some missions aim to make peace. Others seek to keep it. Some missions…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Westgate Shopping Mall was a symbol of Kenya’s growing well-heeled middle class: a vast market crammed with flat-screen televisions, imported wines, and chilled cabinets of cheese and meats. Then, in a burst of grenades and gunfire in September 2013, gunmen prowled food aisles and executed at least 67 people in cold blood, making the Nairobi mall’s Nakumatt supermarket the epicenter of a brutal massacre. The attack, claimed by Somalia’s al-Qaida-linked al-Shabaab, ushered in a tough year for Kenya’s economy. But there are signs that the economy is rebounding. “Three days after the terrorist attack, we had no Nakumatt…