ADF

Kenya has reaffirmed its commitment to prosecute suspected pirates and other sea criminals amid roiling insecurity sparked by a surge in Somali pirate attacks and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Kenya will prosecute pirates captured by the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) 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. Vice Adm. José M. Núñez, EUNAVFOR operation commander, said reliable prosecutions can have a “huge deterrent effect” on piracy. Somali piracy began resurging in late 2023 after a six-year lull that was attributed…

ADF STAFF The Nigerian Army has inaugurated its long-awaited aviation unit with the addition of two Bell UH-1 “Huey” helicopters. The new air assets will give the Army the ability to evacuate injured Soldiers, conduct reconnaissance and provide aerial support to troops fighting terrorism. In June 2024, Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja inspected the helicopters at the Nigeria Police Air Wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. Lagbaja said the path to establishing the Army Aviation Wing began in 2014. “The journey, as predicted by the initial dreamers, has not been easy but here we are…

UNITED NATIONS In marking the International Day of U.N. Peacekeepers in May 2024, officials pointed to the increasing importance of “nontraditional tools” to help peacekeepers fulfill their duties. These tools are helicopters, engineering instruments, satellite imaging, mine detectors and radio broadcasts. The U.N. regards helicopters as critical because they help peacekeepers reach remote villages, allow rapid response and evacuation during emergencies, deliver essential aid to communities in need, and provide aerial surveillance and reconnaissance. In some instances, weaponized helicopters can deter armed groups. To truly build peace, peacekeeping focuses on people and their needs. The loss and lack of key…

ATMIS The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia trained criminal investigation officers from Hirshabelle State to help them detect and combat financial crimes and disrupt terrorism financing ahead of the mission’s withdrawal from the country. The mission, known as ATMIS, employed its police component to train the officers in theoretical and practical sessions. Officers improved their skills on financial intelligence, detecting money laundering, investigating corruption and fraud, and understanding investigative methods and procedures. “ATMIS recognises the need to build the capacity of our Somali counterparts and provide them with knowledge in the face of the ever-growing trend of financial crimes…

ADF STAFF Intelligence, boosted by surveillance and reconnaissance drones, helped United Nations peacekeepers identify and destroy at least eight militia checkpoints in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This was part of Operation Tiger Paw launched in mid-May 2024. The U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUSCO, said the mission was launched after “meticulous planning” involving DRC troops and local authorities in the Ituri district and residents, defenceWeb reported. Troops from Bangladesh and Nepal were drafted into the MONUSCO detachment for Tiger Paw. The operation was designed to identify and destroy checkpoints for…

ADF STAFF A member of the Libyan Armed Forces looked across the vast desert in Ben Ghilouf, Tunisia, and watched a military helicopter obliterate a ground target. As smoke billowed, he confirmed the target’s destruction by radio and watched the helicopter fly away. The Soldier was one of 8,000 participants from 27 countries who trained during the 20th annual African Lion military exercise hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia between April 20 and May 31, 2024. African Lion seeks to bolster defense capabilities and foster interoperability among participating nations. In Dodji, Senegal, exercises included combined infantry tactics and a medical…

ADF STAFF Armed pirates captured a fishing vessel just outside Sierra Leone’s port in August 2023. Sierra Leonean, Liberian and Ivoirian coast guards came together to catch the pirates and free the crew. As the hijacked boat fled, Sierra Leone’s coast guard handed the pursuit to Liberia. After a brief firefight, Liberian forces seized the vessel, rescued the 23 crew members and arrested two of the 13 pirates. The others escaped on an inflatable boat. Liberia prosecuted the pirates under its antipiracy law, charging them with criminal conspiracy and armed robbery, among other crimes, Liberia Navy Capt. John Willie told…

ADF STAFF For the first time, the Kenya Navy and Kenya Coast Guard Service joined in the European Union’s Operation Atalanta multiagency exercise, Usalama Baharini. The main objective of the May 2024 joint exercise — whose Swahili name translates to “Safety at sea” — was to improve maritime security, cooperation and dialogue on regional peace and security issues. Operation Atalanta, formally European Union Naval Force Somalia, is an ongoing counterpiracy military operation off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean. It is the first naval operation conducted by the EU in support of 2008 U.N. Security Council…

ADF STAFF In the weeks after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, satellite images told the story of a reeling Russian military withdrawing from its once-prized Mediterranean bases. Two Antonov AN-124 cargo planes with their nose cones open prepared to load, as dozens of vehicles lined up on the tarmac at Khmeimim air base, which served as Russia’s Syrian air bridge to Africa for many years. Daily air traffic from Syria to Libya increased significantly, as Russian and ousted Syrian officials scrambled to find refuge for now-homeless Russian naval vessels. In southern Libya, satellite photos show Russian mercenaries building…

ADF STAFF Even as terrorism cases have declined in East Africa in recent years, the region is experiencing a renewed growth in piracy and increasing attacks by cybercriminals. “These are threats that have disrupted lives, weakened economies and tested the resilience of our nations,” Workneh Gebeyehu, executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), recently told members as they launched the organization’s project to counter transnational crime in Kenya. IGAD is pushing for a regional approach to rein in crime that crosses national borders and affects millions of people across the region. The aim of the Regional Cooperation and…