ADF

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…

ADF STAFF A few kilometers from the border between Turkey and Syria, at Al-Muksourah base in the Tel Abyad countryside, Turkish military officers supervised a training course meant to prepare its participants for operations in Niger. Hundreds of militants from several armed factions that operate under the banner of the “Syrian National Army” have been recruited in recent months by Turkish intelligence officers and trained by the Turkish military in the parts of north-central and northwest Syria controlled by its neighbor to the north. Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, confirmed that Turkey has sent Syrian…

ADF STAFF A member of the Libyan Armed Forces looked across the vast desert in Ben Ghilouf, Tunisia, and watched a military helicopter obliterate a ground target. As smoke billowed, he confirmed the target’s destruction over a large radio and watched the helicopter fly away. The LAF member was one of 8,000 participants from 27 countries who participated during the 20th annual African Lion military exercise hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia between April 20 and May 31. The aim of exercise African Lion is to bolster defense capabilities and foster interoperability among participating nations. In Dodji, Senegal, exercises…

ADF STAFF When reports surfaced in late April that the Burkinabe Army massacred hundreds of civilians, its military-led government sprang into action. It suspended a host of media outlets, blocked websites, and shut down radio and television broadcasts, while warning international media networks not to report on the story. Burkina Faso’s chilling treatment of journalists is part of a wider trend in the Sahel, as military juntas have suspended or forced the closure of more than a dozen media outlets over the past three years. Observers say the region is becoming an “information desert.” “Restrictions on media freedom and civic…