ADF

ADF STAFF After years of fighting terrorism in the Sahel, experts say one counterterror tool has been badly neglected: economic development. Job creation and economic growth can address the grievances of people who feel ignored by their governments as well as provide young people with hope for the future, according to Mutaru Mumuni Muqthar, executive director of the Ghana-based West Africa Center for Counter-Extremism. “High levels of youth unemployment, poverty, and limited access to education and economic opportunities can create a sense of hopelessness and frustration,” Muqthar wrote on his group’s website. “Extremist groups may exploit these grievances by offering…

ADF STAFF Kenya has reaffirmed its commitment to help prosecute suspected pirates and other sea criminals amid roiling insecurity sparked by a recent surge in Somali pirate attacks and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Kenya will prosecute pirates captured by the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Operation Atalanta which has in recent months arrested several suspected Somali pirates during operations in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. EUNAVFOR does not have the authority to prosecute or detain suspects for long without formal charges. EUNAVFOR Operation Commander, Vice Adm. José M. Núñez, said a reliable “legal finish” can have a “huge deterrent effect”…

ADF STAFF Somalia and the al-Shabaab terrorist group are fighting a war within a war — a constant battle to prop up and take down websites and social media accounts that disseminate extremist propaganda and disinformation. Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency has stepped up its efforts by creating teams that scour the internet and alert tech companies to remove extremist content. “It was a difficult task when we started; it needed knowledge, skills and a lot of work,” Deputy Information Minister Abdirahman Yusuf al-Adala told Voice of America this year. “We trained people with the necessary skills; special offices…

ADF STAFF Amid the violence and chaos of Sudan’s civil war, 13-year-old Hadeer, her mother and three younger siblings fled their home in Omdurman to a displacement camp in Atbara, about 320 kilometers to the northeast. Hadeer’s aunt and uncle were killed, her cousins fled the country, and her family lost contact with her father. With the war raging, education had become a distant concern. Hadeer never thought she would be able to study again. Using a pseudonym for her safety, Hadeer told Save the Children, an international charity that built a school in her camp, how she dreamed of…

ADF STAFF In more than 15 years of fighting al-Shabaab, Somali leaders have discovered they cannot defeat the terror group by military means alone. Shortly after his election as president in 2022, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud revealed his plan for “total war” against the terrorists: a military offensive coordinated with the multinational African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a simultaneous attack on al-Shabaab’s vast financial network, and a plan to counter the group’s extremist ideology. “The previous policies were militaristic policies … attacking, destroying,” Mohamud said in a speech broadcast nationally in July 2022. “But [the] al-Shabaab problem is more…

ADF STAFF The United Nations has deployed new technology designed to help peacekeepers pass along valuable lessons and key experiences from the field to build a collective understanding of the risks and best practices in countries where they are deployed. First released in 2022, the publicly available Deployment Review Mobile app provides guidance regarding important U.N. peacekeeping duties such as observation and includes online templates for gathering data. However, the primary purpose of the app is to pass along vital operational data in the form of “lessons learned” files that build institutional memory and help future peacekeepers as they rotate…

ADF STAFF As government forces and extremists increasingly use low-cost drones a on battlefields to monitor and attack each other, civilians often are caught in the middle with deadly consequences. The drone technology ranges from off-the-shelf mail-order hobby kits to military-grade machines developed by China, Iran, Turkey and other countries. At least 21 African militaries now use drones, as do extremist groups such as Boko Haram. For governments and civilians, low-cost drones are easily acquired air support and an alternative to manned aircraft, which are expensive and require highly trained pilots. The proliferation of drones has led to a rise…

ADF STAFF The Islamic State group in Somalia’s Puntland region reportedly has gained ground from al-Shabaab, its longtime rival. The IS claims to have taken control of the Al Miskaad mountain range. The groups have vied for control of strategic territory in the Bari district for eight years, according to a new report by the Emirates Policy Center. Al Miskaad’s location in northeast Somalia offers heavily forested cover near a clan with ties to Somali IS leader Abdul Qadir Mumin, which offers protection to the group. It is a remote, sparsely inhabited area with few permanent settlements. “The expansion of ISIS…

ADF STAFF Newly released video shows Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) fighters in Burkina Faso marching with weapons held aloft and lining up on motorcycles. Analysts say the display of force is evidence that the terror group feels secure and is pushing to expand its reach despite the efforts of the country’s military junta. “The photos offer the first public glimpse at JNIM’s training structure inside Burkina Faso, where it, as well as militants from its rival organization Islamic State Sahel Province, control at least 40% of Burkinabe territory,” Bridgeway Foundation analyst Caleb Weiss wrote in Long War Journal. In…

ADF STAFF Retired Brig. Gen. Geraldine Janet George’s long, decorated career began in 2006 and culminated in late April, when the Liberian Senate confirmed her as the nation’s first female defense minister. George, who also is the first Liberian woman to earn the rank of brigadier general, has said she was inspired to serve her country after she saw it destroyed by the 14-year civil war that ended in 2003. “When the civil crisis came and I saw how civilians were treated and how people in this uniform treated civilians, I felt that I could make a difference when I…