ADF

ADF STAFF Tuareg rebels in northern Mali recently announced the formation of a new coalition to fight the junta-led government for control of the territory known as Azawad. The new alliance, known as the Permanent Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA), is led by Bilal Ag Acherif, a key figure in the 12-year-old rebellion. Originally led by Tuareg fighters, the rebellion has drawn support from groups loyal to al-Qaida, leading to acts of terrorism. Acherif maintains that his group is separate from al-Qaida. In forming the CSP-DPA, rebel leaders denounced terrorism, while calling on supporters…

ADF STAFF The Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2023 recorded the largest increase in military spending globally as local and international forces worked to secure the country’s conflict-ridden eastern areas. South Sudan reported the world’s second-highest increase. The DRC’s military spending increased by 105% to $794 million, according to the Trends in World Military Expenditure 2023 report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The report noted that the DRC’s increased spending also “coincided with growing tensions with Rwanda” and “a government move to strengthen the DRC’s armed forces after it demanded the early withdrawal of a large-scale…

ADF STAFF Joint security forces in northern Mozambique continued their seek-and-destroy operations against Islamic State-Mozambique (ISM) after the terror group launched another foray into the Nampula Province in April. “Insurgents crossed the Lurio river by boat into Nampula and attacked the villages of Nasua and Manica in Erati district on April 25,” the conflict observation website Cabo Ligado reported. “IS claimed to have burned homes, churches and schools and to have killed one civilian in Nasua. “The next day, insurgents clashed with security forces around the village of Mithoca, according to IS. Police in Nampula confirmed that insurgents had attacked…

ADF STAFF Senegalese authorities in mid-April seized more than a metric ton of cocaine concealed in packets and stashed in bags in a truck near the Mali border. Valued at $146 million, it was the country’s largest inland seizure of cocaine. In November 2023, the Senegalese Navy intercepted three tons of cocaine from a ship off the coast. These seizures highlight an ongoing trend of drugs, including cannabis and pharmaceutical opioids, that are increasingly trafficked to West Africa and the Sahel. A new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows that drug trafficking in these…

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…