ADF

As cybercriminals target African businesses and government institutions, the CyberSafe Foundation is set to launch Resilio Africa, a three-year project designed to reduce the risk of cyberattacks in communities. The project, supported by Google, aims to make communities and local institutions stronger and safer in the digital space. Resilio Africa will help 200 critical community institutions (CCIs) by giving them free technical tools, cybersecurity assessments, threat intelligence and incident-response support. The program is expected to protect more than 2 million people and secure more than 15 million public records in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. It is one of the…

The Nigerian Army is launching an ambitious plan to overhaul its training and its operational and administrative frameworks. The plan was announced by Lt. Gen. W. Shaibu, chief of Army staff, during his annual conference in Lagos in December 2025. It is meant to improve professionalism, combat readiness and adaptability.  Shaibu said training must be mission-oriented and produce operational effectiveness and battlefield success. The reforms will include a comprehensive review of curricula across all Nigerian Army training institutions. “You play a critical role in shaping the competence, mindset and resilience of our officers and Soldiers,” Shaibu told attendees at Division…

When flash floods and landslides struck western Kenya, Kenya Defence Forces personnel were part of a multiagency team conducting search and rescue operations. The November 2025 operation in Chesongoch focused on rescuing survivors, recovering the bodies of victims and offering emergency medical assistance. Rain on November 1 left the region inaccessible by road. Mudslides destroyed an estimated 1,000 homes and killed more than 30 people. First responders included the Kenya Air Force’s Rapid Response Unit teams, the Kenya Red Cross, Eldoret Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital staff, the National Police Service, and local volunteers. During the first two days of…

In a first-of-its-kind event, the Senegalese Armed Forces held a competition for 20 ground force units in eight physical challenges. The Guelwaar Challenge included competitions in endurance running, an obstacle course, tactical shooting, combat first aid, orienteering, tactics and swimming.  Organizers created the event, whose Wolof name translates to “the noble one,” to raise standards of excellence and physical fitness among the rank and file. “Sport occupies a key place in the armed forces in general and in the Army in particular in the operational preparation of units,” Gen. Simon Ndour, chief of Army staff, said during the opening ceremonies…

The United Nations secretary-general has called for action to prioritize peacekeeping in Africa, including promoting the African Union’s “Silencing the Guns” initiative. Secretary-General António Guterres made the recommendation at U.N. Headquarters in New York after the ninth conference between the global body and the AU. “Cooperation between our organizations has never been stronger — or more necessary,” Guterres said at a news briefing alongside the chairperson of the AU Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf. “Our world is in turmoil, rocked by deadly conflicts, widening inequalities, climate chaos and runaway technologies. The impacts are felt deeply on the African continent.” Guterres said…

An Algerian official has pledged her country’s continued commitment to Africa’s fight against terrorism, saying extremists are a threat to the continent’s way of life. Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Salma Bakhta Mansouri said Algeria is making an active contribution to advance peace, stability and sustainable development in Africa. Mansouri spoke in December 2025 in Algiers at an expert consultative workshop on the draft Strategic Plan of Action on Countering Terrorism.  She said, “terrorism is no longer a temporary phenomenon or confined to specific geographical areas, but has evolved into a cross-border threat, adaptable and fueled…

A Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) delegation has met with raepresentatives of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force to discuss military cooperation between the two nations. The two sides met in late 2025 to discuss capacity development through training partnerships, the Kenya Ministry of Defence reported. They also discussed defense policy and planning, personnel welfare, terms and conditions of military service, and joint career progression courses. The two teams addressed the Kenya-Eswatini Defence Cooperation Agreement Draft, which proposes further collaboration in peace support operations, research and development, military health services, border security management, cybersecurity, and other aspects of defense. They described the…

Nigeria and Saudi Arabia hope a landmark memorandum of understanding will deepen defense and military cooperation between the two countries. The agreement, signed December 9, 2025, in Abuja, comes as Nigeria confronts multiple security threats and seeks stronger international support to rebuild its defense capabilities. Nigerian officials called the memorandum “a significant milestone,” noting that it includes cooperation in training, joint exercises, intelligence sharing, technical support, logistics and other mutually agreed upon defense engagements. The agreement will run for five years, with a renewal option. Either party can terminate it with three months’ notice. The agreement includes capacity building and…

A campaign of airstrikes in Somalia forced al-Shabaab to limit group communications and shift away from large gatherings of top leaders. In northwest Nigeria, an airstrike against Lakurawa terrorist camps forced fighters to flee to the north. Local sources told researcher Viktor Marsai that many of the terrorists were shocked at being targeted and had previously felt safe from airstrikes. “Neither example demonstrates a full defeat of terrorist groups, but these cases demonstrate how airstrikes can weaken groups’ coherence and operational capacities — at least for a time,” he wrote for The Soufan Center in an August 4 brief. Air…

East African nations are joining forces against piracy and other sea crimes that threaten maritime resources and shipping routes. Countries adhering to the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) have signed onto a proposal calling for a regional task force to tackle piracy and other crimes in the Gulf of Aden and Western Indian Ocean. The DCoC was adopted in 2009 to support regional and national capacity to counter attacks on ships transiting the region. The plan was revealed on August 17, the same day that eight armed Somali pirates boarded the Cameroon-flagged MV Lutuf, which had armed guards, about 4 nautical…