Africa Defense Forum
ADF is a professional military magazine published quarterly by U.S. Africa Command to provide an international forum for African security professionals. ADF covers topics such as counter terrorism strategies, security and defense operations, transnational crime, and all other issues affecting peace, stability, and good governance on the African continent.

Defending the Digital Gates

ADF STAFF The cranes that unload containers from ships at two of South Africa’s busiest ports slowed nearly to a halt in July 2021. Trucks waited in line for 14 hours or more to pick up cargo. Ships were forced to anchor outside the…

Collaboration in a Borderless War

Dr. Jabu Mtsweni is manager of the Information and Cyber Security Research Centre at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria, South Africa. Mtsweni spoke to ADF about the types of cyber threats African…

The Forgotten Cape

ADF STAFF Photos by: AFP/GETTY IMAGES As young men prowled the streets of Mocímboa da Praia with machetes and AK-47s on October 5, 2017, some townspeople peered through windows in fear, recording the defiant march on their cellphones.…

Silencing Dissent

ADF STAFF Photos by: AFP/GETTY IMAGES fter Twitter deleted a post by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in 2021, Nigeria shut down access to the country’s most popular social media site for seven months. “The loss was humongous,”…

Perfecting Preparations For Battle

ADF STAFF Those committed to defending their nations know they also must be prepared to help those who serve alongside them. When battlefield casualties occur, quick action can be the difference between life and death. In November 2021,…

Land Mines Haunt Zimbabwe 40 Years After War

BY CYRIL ZENDA Talakufa Mudzikiti thought that the 1979 cease-fire ending Zimbabwe’s 15-year war would make it safe to search for his family’s lost cattle. It would end up being a costly adventure that he now regrets. As he wandered…

How to Capture a State

ADF STAFF Small clouds of red dust rose from the Russian mercenaries’ truck as they rode into the heart of Bambari, promising food to the hungry. In the sweltering heat, dozens lined up along an earthen road in the Central African…