ADF

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…

ADF STAFF Gun-wielding pirates in two small boats attacked a Liberian-flagged cargo ship, the Basilisk, as it sailed about 380 nautical miles east of Somalia on May 23. Pirates fled as the Spanish warship Canarias responded. Canarias crew members treated the Basilisk’s captain, who was shot in the arm, according to Ambrey, a maritime risk management firm. The Canarias is attached to the European Union Naval Force Somalia (EUNAVFOR) Operation Atalanta. Less than two weeks earlier, Somali pirates carrying Kalashnikov-style rifles and rocket-propelled grenades attacked the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker, Chrystal Arctic, in the Gulf of Aden. A gunfight ensued,…

ADF STAFF In Africa, the Russian mercenary outfit formerly known as the Wagner Group left a trail of allegations of massacres, executions, torture, rape and theft. Because Russia has partnered with a handful of repressive authoritarian regimes in Central Africa and the Sahel, none of the claims of war crimes and human rights abuses has been fully investigated. “Russia — through Wagner — has contributed to the establishment and consolidation of authoritarian regimes that rely on violence and human rights violations to suppress discontent,” Guinean researcher Ansoumane Samassy Souare concluded in a May 20 article for the Wilson Center think…

ADF STAFF Nearly 15 months of chaos and war in Sudan have primed the country for the potential return of al-Qaida at a time when the terrorist network is seeking to strengthen its bases across the Sahel and launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, experts say. “The risk of al-Qaida gaining ground in Sudan is real and imperils not only the country but also regional and potentially global security,” analyst Maria Zupello wrote recently on Substack. According to Hafed al-Ghwell, a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins Schools of Advanced International Studies, Sudan’s mix of insecurity, economic distress, social…