ADF

CLUES At 3,415 meters above sea level, this is the highest summit in the Sahara region. The summit has three volcanic craters, two of which overlap. The largest crater is about 19 kilometers wide and more than 1,200 meters deep. There are no historical records of an eruption at this volcano. ANSWER: Emi Koussi, in northern Chad’s Tibesti Mountains

U.S. Africa Command Staff A weak point anywhere can create problems everywhere. This is the lesson of Libya. Since 2011, the North African nation has become a haven for extremists, a thoroughfare for drugs and a launching point for migrants. Some of the profits from these crimes ended up in the hands of ISIS, which “taxes” contraband and human trafficking. Weapons looted from Libya’s depots have spread across the Sahel and fueled conflict. The exploitation of the poor by human traffickers and international crime syndicates contributes to instability, corruption and lawlessness. As Libya tries to restore order, it offers a…

Allow me to commend the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, ECOWAS member states and Mauritania, and the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for their constructive collaboration that led to the development of two complementary programs. This is a clear indication that there continues to be a close coordination and collaboration between the U.N. and the ECOWAS in the definition of strategic objectives, as well as programming, to assist member states in the fight against illicit trafficking and organized crime. Throughout the development of the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan 2016-2020, member states have renewed their commitment…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE South African Michelle Nkamankeng, 7, has become one of the youngest published authors on the continent with a short novel she wrote largely in secret, Waiting for the Waves. Michelle wrote of Titi, a little girl fascinated by the ocean and its huge waves, which Amazon.com bills as “an epic tale” recounting “the inner struggle of love and fear.” “My brother and sisters knew because they always came in my room,” Michelle said. “They are like, ‘What are you doing?’ I told them not to tell Mummy and Daddy. I wanted it to be a surprise.” Her mother,…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE After 30 years of turmoil for the postal service in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), letter carriers clad in canary-yellow shirts have finally returned to the streets of the capital. Anifa Kayumba, head of Kinshasa’s sorting office, recalls “dark times” during her 33 years on the job when dispirited workers would routinely go without pay. Customers lost all confidence in the service “because [most] of the packages were pilfered or lost,” said Elisabeth Lengema, a postal worker with 26 years of experience. At that time, employees came to work only to “rummage through” the parcels, taking…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Wall paintings, colorful facades and flowery alleys are brightening up the centuries-old Tangiers medina as residents bring new life to the neglected streets of the Moroccan port city. Standing on a hill overlooking the port and the Strait of Gibraltar — one of the world’s most strategically vital waterways — the old city of Tangiers has few green spaces. But residents of 13 neighborhoods have launched a campaign to spruce it up. “The initiative came from the residents, without any intervention from political parties or associations,” said Rafih al-Kanfaoui, 33, of the city’s Ibn Battouta neighborhood. “The neighborhood…

The Effects of Libya’s Lawlessness are Felt Throughout the Region and the World The year 2017 began the same way 2016 ended, with staggering numbers of African migrants boarding flimsy boats in Libya in an attempt to escape to Europe. In the first 25 days of January, 246 migrants drowned in the Mediterranean. Of the 181,000 migrants who crossed the region in 2016, almost 90 percent began the journey in Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration. The United Nations reports that more than 5,000 drowned that year. The core of the problem is Libya’s lawlessness, which began after…

Special Units in West Africa Bring Together Agencies to Share Information and Resources ADF STAFF Africa stands as a transit point in a global drug trafficking network that funnels cocaine and other drugs into Europe. The drugs come into West Africa, usually from Brazil, and land in one of several nations, such as Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria. From there, the product is moved via air, land and sea toward its final destination. A major drug shipment intercepted in Mali in 2016 followed this trend. The investigation began in May 2016 when Mali’s Central Office for Narcotic Drugs (OCS…

A Continental Operation Backed by Interpol Results in 4,500 Arrests in Two Days ADF STAFF It was a dragnet operation on a continental level. Over the course of 48 hours, 1,500 police officers fanned out across 22 countries and made 4,500 arrests. Some of the crimes they discovered were small: In Eritrea, officials stopped a man at an airport with a fake passport. Some were serious: Tanzanian officials charged nine people with possessing 1.2 metric tons of ivory. Some of the crimes revealed global links and professional organization: During a cargo check of a flight arriving in Sudan, authorities found 88,000…

A Conversation with Asan Kasingye, Uganda’s Director of Interpol Asan Kasingye is Uganda’s director of Interpol and International Relations. He also serves as assistant inspector general for the Ugandan Police Force. He spoke to ADF by phone about Operation Usalama and his country’s efforts to fight transnational crime. After this interview was conducted, Kasingye accepted a new role as police spokesman. His remarks have been edited to fit this format. ADF: During Usalama III, your officers impounded more than 1,000 kilograms of narcotics. How big of a problem are drugs in Uganda and East Africa as a whole? KASINGYE: I think one…