ADF

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other groups have launched initiatives worth more than $140 million to strengthen trade competitiveness and market access, and improve peace and security, institutional capacity, and trade in services throughout West Africa.  The initiatives support ECOWAS in addressing security and governance challenges by focusing on four elements: improving early conflict detection, security sector reform, electoral support and inclusive peace processes. ECOWAS launched the initiatives, co-funded by the European Union, Germany and Spain, at an event at its headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. It brought together more than 80 senior officials and partners from…

The African Union Peace and Security Council has reaffirmed its commitment to the South Sudan peace process and has called for renewed dialogue. Innocent Shiyo of Tanzania reiterated the collective responsibility of the council and all stakeholders to protect the achievements of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan. He said that although progress has been made, “the comprehensive implementation of the agreement remains hindered by persistent political disagreements and security challenges,” the Daily News of Tanzania reported. South Sudan’s political and security landscape has continued to deteriorate since renewed violence erupted in March 2025,…

The Armed Forces for the Defense of Mozambique is partnered with European trainers to advance military, mechanical and technical expertise in a three-week logistics maintenance program. A mentoring and training team from the French Armed Forces in the Southern Indian Ocean Zone, headquartered on Réunion, worked with the resident European Union Military Assistance Mission in Mozambique to manage the program for Mozambican forces, also known as FADM, defenceWeb reported. The program provided hands-on maintenance training for 30  mechanics at the Maputo military driving school. The EU mission also conducted a transport supply and management program at the school, improving the…

Islamic State militants approached a neighborhood on the outskirts of Mocímboa da Praia in northern Mozambique on January 25, seeking to kill a member of the Maconde local militia. Failing to find him, they abducted his young son. Two days earlier, members of the Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) reportedly terrorized people on and around several small islands just off the coast. They looted, stole a motorboat and kidnapped fishermen, demanding a ransom of 50,000 meticais ($784) each. “My brother was there on the islands night fishing, and he and his colleagues were taken off their boat by the insurgents,” a…

In mid-January, Nigerian troops serving in Operation Hadin Kai raided an Islamic State West Africa Province hideout in the Timbuktu Triangle in Borno State. As the troops advanced on the base, armed drones attacked them. A new report by The Premium Times news outlet suggests that terrorist group, also known as ISWAP, plans to increase its use of armed drones against Nigerian military forces in the northeast. The report appeared as Nigerian troops are increasing pressure on ISWAP across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. On several occasions in January, troops fought with ISWAP forces and cleared abandoned hideouts, according to…

Aerial photos show that a small airport in southeast Libya has become a key transit point for arms and supplies to the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group in Sudan, according to government and intelligence officials. Satellite images show that the airport in Kufrah has been renovated and expanded in the past year, Reuters reported, with a steep increase in cargo flights that coincided with the growth of the Sudanese paramilitary group, also known as the RSF. The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces, known as the SAF, since April 2023. The two sides are fighting over control of…

Allegations of weapons smuggling have set off a new war of words between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The long-simmering dispute threatens to draw in regional powers and plunge the Horn of Africa back into conflict. On January 14, Ethiopian federal police said they intercepted a truck in Woldia carrying 57,000 rounds of ammunition. Ethiopian officials alleged that the ammunition came from Eritrea and was being shipped to the Fano, an ethnically Amhara militia waging war against Ethiopia’s government. In a statement, Ethiopian police said Eritrea had been caught “red handed” trying to arm rebels and destabilize the country. Eritrea’s information minister…

Illegal mining by Chinese companies in Nigeria is undercutting the nation’s economy, degrading the environment and driving residents from their homes in part by exploiting weak regulations and corrupt security forces, according to a new analysis. The report by Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), a Nigerian nongovernmental organization, titled “Silent Conquest: The Chinese Infiltration of Nigeria’s Solid Minerals Sector,” focuses on mining between 2018 and 2025. It pays particular attention to the period since 2022, when Nigeria put more emphasis on mining minerals to diversify an economy dominated by oil and natural gas. Researchers studied mineral-rich states — Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa,…

Since the Sudanese town of El Fasher fell to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on October 26, 2025, the capital of North Darfur has been the site of mass graves and RSF-run detention centers. Locals say kidnappings for ransom are common, as is sexual violence against women and girls held in displacement camps. An investigation by the Sudan Tribune revealed that the RSF has detained most of the city’s male population, sparing only a small number of the elderly, women and children. Sources said key RSF detention sites include student dormitories, government buildings and a mosque. There are also…

Before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Polina Alexandrovna Azarnykh ran a Facebook group helping Arab students go to Moscow to study. Now the former teacher has a much deadlier job — deceiving and coercing Africans into fighting for Russia on the frontlines in Ukraine. “She works to secure volunteers into the Russian army,” journalist Rayan Maarouf told the BBC. “She started a group on Telegram, promoting herself. She publishes updates on how to join the Russian Army. … She has connections in each country through which she recruits people.” The Russian Ministry of Defense has used informal recruiters around the…