ADF

ADF STAFF As Russia’s Wagner Group expands its reach across Africa with promises of security and support for authoritarian leaders, nations that invited the mercenaries suffer from increased exploitation, violence and instability.  From Sudan in 2017 to Burkina Faso in January 2024, the group’s formula is simple: It targets precarious authoritarian regimes, promises to protect their sovereignty, then begins a lucrative exploitation campaign that even the Russian government has admitted smacks of colonialism. “The narrative that Russia is pushing is that Western states remain fundamentally colonial in their attitude,” Jack Watling, land warfare expert at the Royal United Services Institute…

ADF STAFF Spring 2023 was a tense time in Senegal. Protesters packed the streets of Dakar and, in a rare move, the Armed Forces deployed in the capital to maintain order. With tires burning, armored cars on street corners and Soldiers manning barricades, one writer described the country as “sitting on a volcano.”  As a presidential election approached, some on both sides of the political debate wanted the military to take a more active stance. Calls grew louder for them to either support the opposition movement or back then-President Macky Sall and his party. In a show of defiance, the…

ADF STAFF A ransomware bug infecting computer systems across Africa is the latest evidence that criminals are using the continent as a testing ground for new attacks. The Medusa virus targets businesses and government agencies, locking users out of the system and threatening to expose sensitive information if a ransom is not paid. It has hit the Kenya Airport Authority, banks in South Africa, and other companies and organizations. The London-based cybersecurity company Performanta studied the attacks and discovered what appears to be a strategy to focus initially on organizations in countries with limited experience in cyber defense, including countries…

ADF STAFF |  Photos by Reuters Recent seizures of illegal drugs in the Sahel indicate that the conflict-riddled region is becoming a busy route for drug trafficking. In 2022, authorities seized 1,466 kilograms of cocaine in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger, compared to an average of 13 kilograms between 2013 and 2020, according to an April 2024 United Nations report.  “Although annual estimates were not available for 2023, 2.3 tons of cocaine had already been seized in Mauritania by June 2023,” the report said. “The region’s geographical location makes it a natural stopover point for the increasing amount of cocaine…

ADF STAFF The Djiboutian Air Force will receive two Cessna Grand Caravan EX turboprop aircraft for special missions such as border patrols after a contract award to Textron Aviation. The contract was placed by U.S. Army Contracting Command, U.S.-based Textron Aviation announced. “The two special missions Cessna Grand Caravan EX aircraft will be intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) equipped to ensure the border sovereignty of the country of Djibouti,” Textron announced, as reported by defenceWeb. The United States has supplied Caravan aircraft to a number of African nations for ISR missions. In March 2022, Textron revealed that it was awarded…

ADF STAFF The Tunisian Air Force is upgrading two of its Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The two planes flew to Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore for upgrades by ST Engineering Defence Aviation Services. The aircraft are being fitted with Honeywell’s Cockpit Display System Retrofit, which is available in three-display and five-display options with large format LCD displays, flight controls, air data and altitude sensors. Improvements also include digital instruments, a multifunctional display, and an array of peripherals such as weather radar, a traffic collision avoidance system and advanced flight controls, defenceWeb reported. The retrofits have been designed…

DEFENCEWEB In a move to improve Nigeria’s air defense capabilities and help uphold regional stability, the country’s military is acquiring 12 AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters. U.S. manufacturer Bell Textron has been awarded a $455 million contract to produce and deliver the aircraft. The U.S. Department of Defense announced the sale in March 2024, adding that the contract includes engineering, program management and logistics support. Work is expected to be completed in July 2028. In April 2022, the U.S. approved the sale of 12 Bell AH-1Zs to Nigeria for $997 million. The proposed deal included 28 T-700 GE 401C engines, 2,000…

ADF STAFF A new surveillance system will give Ghana the most complete picture ever of its maritime domain.  The maritime domain monitoring system includes over-the-horizon radars that will let the Ghana Navy see beyond the 370 kilometers of the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Describing it as a “game changer,” Ghana’s Chief of Naval Staff Rear Adm. Issah Adam Yakubu announced the project during a February 2024 conference at the Naval Headquarters, Burma Camp. In an interview with ADF during the African Maritime Forces Summit in Accra, Yakubu said the system marks a major upgrade that lets the navy track…

THE EAST AFRICAN Security chiefs in East and Southern Africa believe new technology and a shared approach are needed to combat arms smuggling.  Delegates from 26 African countries gathered in Nairobi in March 2024 for a regional preparatory meeting in advance of a United Nations conference on preventing, combating, and eradicating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (SALW).  An attendee called the proliferation of weapons an “existential threat” to the continent’s stability.  “Small and light weapons continue to wreak havoc in communities, fuel conflict, undermine peace and stability, and hinder socioeconomic development in the African continent,” said…

ADF STAFF The Islamic State group (IS) has turned to cryptocurrencies to move money from places such as Somalia and South Africa to fighters elsewhere on the continent. Private donations, known as “sadaqah” in Arabic, make up one of IS’s largest sources of revenue. Although much of this money moves through the informal system known as hawala, some IS supporters use digital currencies such as bitcoin or tether to transfer money quickly while avoiding detection by international agencies seeking to disrupt terror financing. The Counter ISIS Finance Group reports that West Africa, home to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP),…