ADF

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema addressed the 12th African Land Forces Summit in Livingstone, Zambia, on April 24, 2024. The theme of the conference was “Regional Solutions to Transnational Problems.” Hichilema was the first head of state to speak at the summit since its inaugural iteration in 2010. His remarks have been edited for length and clarity. We want to express to this distinguished gathering of commanders how delighted we are that 38-plus African countries would be gathering here in our country in the days we have been here. Let me also express our delight to the choice of the theme,…

ADF STAFF The Tanzania Forest Services Agency is adding drones to the tools it uses to protect dwindling woodland areas, which are under pressure from a variety of sources. “Drone technology is important because it will help us cover a large area and leave the remainder to patrols using vehicles and motorcycles,” said Dos Santos Silayo, the agency’s commissioner for conservation. The agency announced the deployment of four new vehicles and nearly 40 motorcycles to patrol Tanzania’s forests. “We are committed to enhancing the sector by equipping you with the necessary tools and expertise to drive positive outcomes in forest…

DEFENCEWEB Kenya’s Ministry of Defence co-hosted an inaugural workshop on the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military in June 2024. The Netherlands and South Korea co-hosted the two-day event in Nairobi. Delegates and military personnel from more than a dozen countries attended to hear about the opportunities, challenges and risks associated with military applications of AI. The event came about a month after the Stellenbosch University Military Academy in South Africa launched a defense AI research unit as a center of AI excellence. The workshop, the first of its kind in East Africa, was titled Regional Responsible…

ADF STAFF The 13th iteration of the East African Community’s (EAC) regional field training exercise, Ushirikiano Imara 2024, brought together regional partner nations to enhance capabilities among military, police and civilian components to respond to complex security challenges. The Rwanda Defence Forces hosted the event, whose name translates as “building strong relationships,” in June 2024. Land-based training took place at and around the Rwanda Military Academy in Gako. Rwanda hosted a maritime element in Rubavu district. EAC member nations Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda took part in the exercise. The theme was “Strengthening security sector integration and harnessing common interests…

ADF STAFF By the time Burkina Faso’s health ministry declared an epidemic of dengue fever on October 18, 2023, there already were thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was the West African country’s deadliest bout with the disease in years. Another dangerous outbreak quickly followed: a deluge of Russian disinformation.  Social media users, including many believed to be backed by the Russian government, began attacking work by Target Malaria, a not-for-profit research organization that fights mosquito-borne illnesses. The group, which is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has worked to…

ADF STAFF Some analysts worried that Somali pirates were staging a comeback when a Maltese-flagged merchant ship, the Ruen, was hijacked off the coast of Somalia in December 2023, marking the first successful attack on such a ship in the region in six years. Increasing piracy in the ensuing months left little doubt that Somali pirates are back and seemingly more capable than ever, launching attacks at great distances from Somalia’s coast.  There were 33 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships by Somali pirates in the first three months of 2024, an increase from 27 incidents over the…

ADF STAFF Maj. Gen. Simon Motswana Barwabatsile is commander of Ground Forces Command and is Joint Force commander for the Botswana Defence Force (BDF). He joined the BDF in March 1989 and rose through the ranks as a commander of armored units. In 2015, he was promoted to brigadier as an armored brigade group commander. He was named major general in September 2023 and assumed his current BDF commands at that time. He served in the 1993 U.S.-led humanitarian operation known as Restore Hope in Somalia, and he served in the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique from February…

As summer gave way to fall in 2021, the Ethiopian government found itself on the back foot against secessionist Tigrayan rebels, who had just captured the towns of Dessie and Kombolcha in the neighboring Amhara State. The strategic victories positioned Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front forces about 400 kilometers north of the capital, Addis Ababa. It also placed the rebels in the forefront of the minds of worried government officials. “Our country is facing a grave danger to its existence, sovereignty and unity,” Minister of Justice Gedion Timothewos said in a November 2021 news conference in Addis Ababa, according to The National…

ADF STAFF  |  Photos by CHIEF PETTY OFFICER ARIF PATANI/U.S. NAVY Participants in exercise Cutlass Express 2024 jump into a swimming pool for diver training in Victoria, Seychelles, on February 29, 2024. Eleven African naval forces participated in the U.S. Africa Command-sponsored exercise that was hosted by  Djibouti, Kenya and Seychelles. The exercise goals are to enhance maritime domain awareness and collaboration, and strengthen the capability of nations to combat piracy, illicit trafficking, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The first week involved classroom sessions on how to deter sea crimes. The second week focused on tactical combat casualty care,…

ADF STAFF As Russia’s Wagner Group expands its reach across Africa with promises of security and support for authoritarian leaders, nations that invited the mercenaries suffer from increased exploitation, violence and instability.  From Sudan in 2017 to Burkina Faso in January 2024, the group’s formula is simple: It targets precarious authoritarian regimes, promises to protect their sovereignty, then begins a lucrative exploitation campaign that even the Russian government has admitted smacks of colonialism. “The narrative that Russia is pushing is that Western states remain fundamentally colonial in their attitude,” Jack Watling, land warfare expert at the Royal United Services Institute…