ADF

Somalia has unveiled a national strategy designed to counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the weapon of choice for terror group al-Shabaab. The effort has been in the works since 2023, when experts conducted a baseline assessment of the country’s C-IED capabilities. The strategy, announced at a September 2025 event in Mogadishu, provides a framework for adding more explosive ordnance disposal units to the Somali National Army and improving interagency collaboration. “This is a historic milestone for our country. Never before have we had a unified, nationally owned framework to address the IED threat,” said Awes Hagi Yusuf Ahmed, Somalia’s national…

Nigeria announced plans to open an Armed Forces Museum that it says will honor its military heritage by preserving the past and promoting scholarship to guide its future.  Gen. Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s then-chief of defense staff, described the project as a landmark initiative and said it would open in 2026 on 10 acres in Abuja. “It will serve not only as a repository of military artifacts and service records but also as a hub for education, tourism and economic opportunities,” Musa said. The museum is expected to create jobs for veterans and civilians and will feature multilingual, immersive education programs…

The Mauritanian defense minister and his Czech counterpart have signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in military training, defense technologies, and special forces and peacekeeping training. It includes provisions for sharing Czech expertise when needed and mutual visits, according to intelligence website Groupe ADIT. The deal also enables intelligence sharing and counterterrorism and cybersecurity cooperation. The countries will collaborate on protection against chemical, radiological, nuclear and cyber threats, ADIT reported. The pact solidifies Czechia’s commitment to training Mauritania’s armed forces for two years. The collaboration, supported by NATO, builds on a growing relationship that Czech President Petr Pavel initiated…

France joined the South African Navy’s annual force preparation exercise, Red Lion, which concluded in late August 2025. The Navy conducted the three-week program across multiple sites nationwide. It put naval crews, vessels and support units through a series of drills designed to sharpen their abilities in diverse scenarios from maritime combat to disaster response, Military Africa reported. The exercise involved military personnel and civilian agencies. The operation emphasized practical simulations that mirrored real-world challenges such as civil unrest and natural disasters affecting public safety and security. It included simulated media interactions to handle public communications during crises, briefings on…

To secure Africa’s longest coastline, Somalia has signed a 10-year partnership with Turkey for maritime security and law enforcement. Somalia loses $300 million a year to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing along its 3,300-kilometer coastline on the northern Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, according to the Enhancing Africa’s Response to Transnational Organized Crime (ENACT) project. Somalia has been plagued with terrorism, piracy, weak governance, political instability and ineffective law enforcement. Most illegal fishing in Somalia is carried out by foreign fishing vessels. A Mogadishu-based researcher told ENACT that some foreign vessel operators illegally obtain fishing licenses, making it impossible…

Amina of Zazzau was born a princess, raised in wealth and privilege. But her mother and grandfather saw to it that she also was trained as a warrior. Today she is remembered as one of West Africa’s great military leaders. The princess was born about 1533 in Zazzau, one of seven original states of the Hausa Kingdom, in what is now Nigeria. Even in her early years, her grandfather recognized her intelligence and bearing. He trained her along with his soldiers, and she accompanied him to state meetings. Her mother gave her responsibility for a section of the capital city,…

CLUES The Ibadites created five fortified cities in the 10th century. The architecture was designed for community living while respecting family structures. A mosque, whose minaret functions as a watchtower, dominates each miniature walled citadel. Houses here are built around the mosques in concentric circles. ANSWER  M’Zab Valley, Algeria

The recent attack on a Malian Army base near the community of Aguelhok was the latest example of insurgent groups in the country using armed drones against government and paramilitary forces. The attack by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) in early April targeted a military base near the community used by the Malian Army (FAMa) and fighters working for Russia’s Africa Corps. The attack was the latest in a series of FLA assaults on regional military bases. In late March, the group attacked a joint FAMa-Africa Corps base in nearby Anéfis. A few days before, they launched their first attack…

Yusuf was 5 years old on the night that Islamic State group terrorists on motorcycles raided his village and took him to raise as one of their own. By the time he was 10, he had fought against the Nigerian Army and the rival terrorist group known as Boko Haram. After five years of combat with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the 15-year-old had been hardened to the sight of death and destruction. He explained how young children are indoctrinated into combat: “You want to wear the uniform,” he told British newspaper The Times for a March 13…

Secret meetings, fake documents, smear campaigns and paid local influencers. These were some of the tools that Russian agents used to conduct covert influence operations in Southern Africa during election campaigns between 2019 and 2025, seeking to manipulate political outcomes and keep pro-Moscow governments in power. A network referred to as “The Company” ran operations that targeted Madagascar, Namibia and South Africa, according to The Continent, a pan-African digital newspaper based in South Africa. “Russian operatives engineered narrative-change campaigns across Africa, paid for media coverage and drafted policies for governments,” The Continent wrote in its February 14 edition. “We have…