ADF

An ethnic militia that was recruited, trained and armed by Russia’s Wagner Group PMC has turned against the government of Central African Republic’s President Faustin-Archange Touadéra. Fighting between the Azandé Ani Kpi Gbè (AAKG) militia and the Central African Armed Forces (FACA), backed by Russian mercenaries, has flared in the remote southeastern Haut-Mbomou prefecture since the country’s December 28, 2025 presidential election. That day, the AAKG seized Bambouti, 3 kilometers from the border with South Sudan. “The choice of this date was no coincidence,” researcher Fulbert Ngodji told Radio France Internationale (RFI) for a January 12 article. “By attacking symbols…

Several ships left a port in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between Lithuania and Poland, in August 2024 and sailed off on a mission called “The Great African Expedition.” Launched by Russia’s Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo), it was touted as a scientific expedition ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin to map depleted fish stocks alongside African researchers. Analysts, however, say the expedition is part of Russia’s broader strategy of influence and resource capture. The Kremlin does not want simply to count fish; it wants to catch them in African exclusive economic zones (EEZs). This is important to Moscow, as it…

Islamic State group and al-Qaida terrorists have been tapping social media technology for more than a decade to recruit and spread propaganda to a global audience. Now they and other groups are leveraging new tools that can supercharge messaging and possibly help perpetrate attacks. Artificial intelligence lets terrorists churn out slickly produced propaganda that proliferates across various platforms while requiring few people and limited resources. Voice-cloning technology, video and photo manipulation, and generative text capability all help terrorists distort reality and bend it toward new meaning, replacing the tedious tasks of typing long screeds and producing videos from scratch. AI…

The Armed Forces of Gabon, including members of the Gendarmerie Tactical Unit, the 1st Gabonese Parachute Regiment and the Republican Guard Special Intervention Section, wrapped up several weeks of Joint Combined Exchange Training in Libreville in late June 2025. Gabonese Soldiers worked with personnel from the U.S. Army 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) to strengthen tactical proficiency, interoperability and enduring partnerships. In one exercise, Gabonese personnel advanced through smoke cover to simulate a building raid. In another, members of the parachute regiment used a land model to plan movement. “This training has been about interoperability, leadership and trust,” said Deputy…

Just before the sun began its evening retreat in the skies over Lagos, Nigeria, on January 27, 2002, a fire broke out in a city market near Isolo and Onigbongo districts, north of the urban center. The blaze soon grew and spread to the adjacent Ikeja Military Cantonment, the city’s largest such facility. Heat and flames ignited ammunition in the encampment’s weapons storage depot. As bullets popped, some feared yet another military coup was unfolding. Then the explosions started. Bombs and artillery rounds detonated, sending shells and mortars into thousands of homes, raining fire, shrapnel, destruction, and death on thousands…

As Africa’s population continues to grow, cities could see unprecedented levels of insecurity, from within and from outside, according to a 2025 study by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Africa is the world’s fastest-growing region. Researchers say that by 2050 the continent will add 1 billion people, growing to a population of 2.5 billion. “Eighty percent of this population growth will occur in cities,” according to the Africa Center report “Africa’s Unprecedented Urbanization is Shifting the Security Landscape.” Nearly half of Africans — more than 700 million people — already live in urban areas. The continent is projected to…

Recent advances in drone technology are changing the conduct of warfare, but these revolutionary developments are also outpacing the ethics rules that govern their use. Across the globe, the use of armed drones without proper oversight results in the deaths of innocent people. In the war between Russia and Ukraine, short-range drone attacks in Ukraine have killed 395 civilians and injured more than 2,600, according to a June 2025 United Nations report. Ukraine is now “the world’s most advanced drone theater,” accounting for 70% of the battlefield injuries and deaths, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies reported in 2025. Sudan…

The Nigerian Navy marked its 69th anniversary in 2025 by commissioning three patrol ships and three AW109 Trekker helicopters at a ceremony in Apapa, Lagos. The newly commissioned ships are the NNS Shere, the NNS Faro and the NNS Ikogosi. Nigeria acquired two of the Sea Eagle-class vessels from Singapore and one from South Korea. All arrived in Nigeria in December 2024, according to defenceWeb.  The 38-meter vessels are designed to patrol Nigeria’s coastal waters up to the 24-nautical-mile contiguous zone and are capable of extended operations. Their addition is expected to significantly improve the Navy’s presence and rapid response…

South Africa has joined Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Tunisia in deploying advanced technology, such as artificial intelligence and drones, to enhance border security.  South Africa’s technology upgrade includes four quadcopter drones to monitor locations known for illegal crossings. The drones can operate around the clock and use infrared cameras to track people crossing at night. Laser range finders pinpoint the potential border crossers’ location. A 10-day trial of the technology by South Africa’s Border Management Authority resulted in a 61% increase in apprehensions of people crossing the border. Experts believe that AI can help secure porous borders against traffickers, terrorists…

Nigeria’s Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) has built a rifle-armed hexacopter drone to perform surveillance and conduct precise combat strikes.  The drone, which was displayed at the African Air Forces Forum in Lagos, can climb to an altitude of 400 meters and cover 40 kilometers in 40 minutes. The name, “hexacopter,” comes from its six arms, a design that supports an array of features. The drone was made from about 70% local components, including hardware and software, reflecting a goal of self-sufficiency championed by the institute. “This is not just about building drones,” Professor M. Alimony, AFIT’s director of…