ADF

DEFENCEWEB A peacekeeping study shows that in 2022, there were more multilateral peace operations conducted than in any year during the previous decade. The report also says that the Russian mercenary Wagner Group has become “a major source of difficulty” because of its ties to the Russian government and its “implication in human rights abuse.” The study, compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, was released in June 2023. As in previous years, the United Nations led the largest number of multilateral peace operations with 20, including special political missions. Regional organizations and alliances conducted an additional 38 operations,…

UNITED NATIONS Since 1948, more than 2 million uniformed and civilian personnel have served in United Nations field missions across the world. Their contributions were highlighted on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, observed on May 29, 2023. “United Nations peacekeepers are the beating heart of our commitment to a more peaceful world,” Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message for the day. He called for continued support for the men and women who help countries transition from war to peace. “They are also critical to the protection of civilians caught up in the chaos of these deadly conflicts,…

ADF STAFF The United Nations has awarded its U.N. Training Recognition certification to the Ghana Army Peace Operations Training School. The school was awarded the certificate after a vigorous assessment of the training materials of the facility and a four-day onsite visit by the U.N. Training Assessment team, the Ghana Peace Journal reported. The school, which is at the Bundase Training Camp near Accra, was established in June 2021 to train troops for peace support operations. Since then it has trained men and women for support operations in the subregion and other parts of the world. Presenting the certificate, Maj.…

ADF STAFF Morocco and Brazil are exploring a defense cooperation agreement that would include research, development, arms purchases and logistical support.  The Brazilian Senate approved the pact in May 2023. The cooperation agreement aligns with Morocco’s strategy of diversifying its security partnerships globally. According to the strategic intelligence company ADIT, Morocco’s military spending amounted to $5 billion, almost 4% of its gross domestic product in 2022. Morocco and Brazil signed an agreement in 2019 to share military technology, which has been viewed as a start in Morocco’s intent to develop its own defense industry and reduce its dependence on foreign-made…

DEFENCEWEB The commander of Zimbabwe’s Air Force traveled to Nigeria to ask his counterpart for technical assistance, including in the operation and maintenance of fighter jets and helicopters. The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) reported that Air Marshal Elson Moyo, commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe, visited NAF’s then-Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, at NAF Headquarters in March 2023. Moyo said he wanted to pursue technical assistance in the areas of research and development, drone technology, and the operation and maintenance of aircraft. The identified areas for collaboration, according to Moyo, are of common interest to Zimbabwe…

DEFENCEWEB An agreement signed in Pretoria, South Africa, promises to strengthen defense cooperation between Portugal and South Africa. Portuguese President Marcelo de Sousa met South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as part of a state visit by the European country’s leader in June 2023. The two leaders also pledged cooperation in the fields of science and innovation, education, and energy. Ramaphosa said Portugal and South Africa “want to learn from each other” as both are involved in peacekeeping.  “In as much as there is a conflict raging in another part of the world, it does not mean we should be deterred…

ADF STAFF According to the oral histories passed down by the griots, or storytellers, the Kingdom of Benin’s greatest king captured his throne by using magic powers a lion gave him for removing a thorn from its paw. Magic features heavily in any telling of the story of Ewuare the Great, but he was a real man with real accomplishments that historians have documented. Ewuare ruled the kingdom, in what is now part of southern Nigeria, from 1440 until 1473. He was the first powerful oba, or king, by virtue of stripping the authority of the uzama, a group of…

ADF STAFF The 2023 ENACT Organized Crime Index for Africa explicitly links armed conflict and a lack of democratic institutions to an increase in organized crime. The report, authored by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) and funded by the European Union, was released in late November. It showed that criminal markets, such as human trafficking and weapons trafficking, have increased around the continent over the past five years. Although there was a modest increase in resilience to crime from 2021 to 2023, the continent still had the lowest resilience levels globally, the report found. “The results are…

ADF STAFF A forensic laboratory in northern Botswana will play a vital role in the effort to disrupt the illegal trade in wildlife, according to the lab’s supporters. “The forensic laboratory will scientifically investigate and prosecute wildlife trafficking crimes through interagency law enforcement support, and this will entail collection, storage and analysis of evidence,” Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi said as he recently broke ground for the facility along with U.S. Ambassador to Botswana Howard Van Vranken. The laboratory is supported by a $2.7 million grant from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. Researchers at…

ADF STAFF The Zambia Ministry of Defence in late October signed a five-year deal with United States company Landlock Natural Paving Inc. to construct 5,000 kilometers of road throughout the country’s 10 provinces. Construction is slated to begin in March or April 2024, depending on weather. Zambian Defence Minister Ambrose Lwiji Lufuma said the technology Landlock uses costs one-sixth of the standard cost per kilometer and produces roads more durable than “gravel roads that easily get washed away.” “Not only do we intend to create jobs, we will ensure that there is skills transfer so that a good number of…