ADF

ADF STAFF The Topaz, a Seychelles Coast Guard vessel, abruptly altered its direction in January when it was alerted to a Somali pirate attack on a Sri Lankan fishing trawler just outside the Seychelles exclusive economic zone. The Seychellois ship encountered the pirates near Denis Island, in northeastern Seychelles, where the pirates opened fire. The Coast Guard crew aboard the Topaz had never been shot at, but members of Seychelles Special Forces also were on board. The pirates surrendered after several minutes and were arrested by the Indian Navy, which also pursued them. “We approached the boat with caution and discovered…

ADF STAFF During a visit to Tanzania in 2023, Paul Nantulya couldn’t help but notice StarTimes television satellite dishes being installed atop homes and businesses throughout the country. He also noted the prevalence of Huawei and ZTE broadband equipment. An expert on Chinese foreign policy, Nantulya struck up a conversation with someone about the StarTimes platform and the dominance of Chinese digital communications infrastructure in his country. “I asked if he was aware that this is a Chinese service, and he said he didn’t know that,” Nantulya said during an April 25 interview with the China-Global South Project. The man…

ADF STAFF The United States and Niger are continuing negotiations for the withdrawal of approximately 1,000 U.S. troops located at two air bases in the Sahelian nation. After announcing at the end of April the intention to withdraw all military personnel, U.S. negotiators continue to work with Niger’s National Council for Safeguarding the Homeland (CNSP) to define future bilateral security cooperation plans and activities. On April 25, U.S. Ambassador to Niger Kathleen FitzGibbon and Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman, Director of Strategy, Engagement and Programs for U.S. Africa Command, met with CNSP officials in Niamey to discuss “an orderly and responsible…

ADF STAFF In August 2023, armed pirates took control of a fishing vessel just outside Sierra Leone’s port. The attack set off a quick response that brought together Sierra Leonean, Liberian and Ivoirian coast guards determined to catch the pirates and free the crew. As the hijacked boat fled Sierra Leone toward Liberia’s territorial waters, Sierra Leone’s coast guard handed the pursuit to Liberia, which dispatched two patrol boats to intercept the vessel as it got closer to shore. After a brief firefight, Liberian forces seized the vessel, rescued the 23 crew members and arrested two of the 13 pirates.…

ADF STAFF Fishermen near Benguela, Angola, pulled their artisanal canoes from the sun-splashed surf as fish sellers walked along the beach with baskets on their heads. Neither the canoes nor the baskets were brimming with fish. “It is the Chinese trawlers that have caused the fish to go far away,” local fisherman Jose Caterca told Voice of America (VOA). “So, it’s more difficult for us.” Caterca is one of about 50,000 artisanal canoe operators in Angola, where about 100,000 people work in the fisheries sector. Tito Catumbela owns several artisanal fishing boats and is a member of the local Ondjalay…

ADF STAFF Happy Delight Abajongawo was the first in her family to join the Ghana Armed Forces when she enlisted in the navy 15 years ago. She would like to see more follow her lead. “We need more women in the military,” Petty Officer Abajongawo, a clerk, recently told ADF. “We should encourage females to join because it’s better to be in the military than to be at home not working. Being in the military, you are taking care of yourself and getting more opportunities.” The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) enlisted its first female member in 1958. Since then, women…

ADF STAFF Extremists linked to the Islamic State group (IS) in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province are notorious for raiding and torching entire towns, beheading civilians and attacking security forces. However, IS-linked groups are pushing to change their image in an effort to win public support and recruit new fighters, analysts say. Notably, they have increased “da’wah” activities in the provincial districts of Chiure, Macomia, Meluco, Mocímboa da Praia, Nangade and Quissanga, which 300 rebel fighters reportedly captured in March. Da’wah is an Arabic term that roughly means proselytizing. As Caleb Weiss noted in the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Long…

ADF STAFF Armed conflict has returned to the northern Ethiopian town of Alamata with the most serious fighting since the end of the Tigray war in 2022. The town and surrounding woreda, or district, are within one of two territories disputed by the Tigray and Amhara regions — contested lands that have been a tinderbox of ethnic discontent for decades. More than 50,000 people, primarily Amhara, have been forced to flee their homes in the Alamata woreda, as Tigrayan and Amhara militants clashed sporadically in February, March and April. “The humanitarian situation is dire, with thousands of women and children…

ADF STAFF More than 100 Burkinabe soldiers on motorbikes, in pickup trucks and at least two armored cars entered the village of Nondin in the country’s northern Yatenga province between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. on February 25. The soldiers systematically ordered people out of their homes and told them to show their identity cards. They are accused of then opening fire on villagers they had rounded up into groups. By the time they left, 44 civilians, including 20 children, were dead, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. About an hour later, the soldiers entered the nearby village…

ADF STAFF Turkey’s growing presence in Africa is undeniable, and it’s by design. With its eyes on expanding influence, Turkey has significantly increased its engagement on the continent in recent years. Turkish trade is booming, as its exports to Africa have nearly doubled in less than a decade. The number of Turkish embassies on the continent has risen from 12 in 2005 to 44 today. Geopolitical Intelligence Services’ African affairs expert Teresa Nogueira Pinto says Turkey’s multifaceted investments are paying off, especially in the security sector. “Already an important presence in North Africa and the Horn of Africa, Ankara has…