ADF

ADF STAFF Kenyan President William Ruto has asked China for another $1 billion in loans to finish stalled projects even as he faces a moment of reckoning with billions in earlier Chinese loans coming due next year. Kenya currently owes China $6.3 billion, most of it for the construction of the $5.5 billion Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) running from Mombasa to the Rift Valley. The railway was supposed to pay for itself by hauling freight between the coast and landlocked countries such as Uganda. The Chinese-directed feasibility study that underpinned the project claimed the railway would be profitable by moving…

ADF STAFF As part of the fight against drug trafficking, piracy, and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Gulf of Guinea, 19 West African countries joined for Grand African Navy Exercise for Maritime Operations (NEMO) 2023, an annual maritime security event led by the French Navy. The Nigerian Navy helped the French Navy coordinate the exercise that included 27 nations, including 18 on the Gulf of Guinea. The six-day event included 34 vessels and seven aircraft that participated in 60 sea and air scenarios. “It’s an initiative that brings together nations from across the region and beyond, to…

ADF STAFF The vicious cycle of conflict and hunger continues in some of Africa’s war-torn regions. Nowhere was it worse in 2023 than in Burkina Faso, Mali, Somalia and South Sudan. They are the only countries in the world designated as Phase 5, described as catastrophe/famine — the most severe level in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system. Speaking to the United Nations Security Council, U.N. Famine Prevention and Response Coordinator Reena Ghelani emphasized that conflict and insecurity remain key drivers of hunger and famine. “It is a man-made crisis that has been swelling for years,” she said…

ADF STAFF The African Union’s decision to deploy troops to Somalia in 2007 came after the country had endured 16 years of anarchy and other international missions had failed to restore order. In the 16 years since the AU intervened, Somalia has reestablished a government and driven terrorists from many parts of the country. The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), previously known as AMISOM, is one of dozens of African-led peacekeeping missions deployed across the continent over nearly a quarter century. Missions driven by the AU or the continent’s regional economic communities, such as the Economic Community of…

ADF STAFF The changing face of peacekeeping in Africa is on display in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where a seemingly intractable conflict continues to rage in the eastern provinces. The United Nations stabilization mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCO, is one of the U.N.’s largest, most expensive and longest-running missions. After years of frustration, the government requested that MONUSCO expedite its complete withdrawal this year instead of by the end of 2024. With well-founded fears of a security vacuum, the DRC in 2022 called for the deployment of a multilateral force made up of troops from…

ADF STAFF International observers showered Liberia with praise after the West African nation with a grim history of conflict conducted largely peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections on October 10. “Liberians were able to freely exercise their constitutional rights,” head of the African Union observer mission Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said in a statement. “In spite of the heightened political atmosphere, the political environment was generally peaceful with minimal violence during the campaign period.” The calm, orderly affair stood in stark contrast to parts of West Africa and the Sahel where coups have occurred in recent years. More than 250,000 Liberians died in…

ADF STAFF Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s call for direct port access on the Red Sea has Horn of Africa observers concerned about a new conflict in the battle-scarred region. Ethiopia lost direct access to the sea in 1993 when Eritrea gained independence after almost 30 years of war. Direct access to the coast would allow Ethiopia to develop its economy, strengthen its Navy and exert regional influence. “What I wanted to talk to you about today is regarding water; regarding the Red Sea water,” Abiy said in a speech to party officials in mid-October. “We can see that only…

ADF STAFF Political instability, disputes between farmers and herders, unemployment, ethnic divisions, and the rise of extremist organizations are among the factors driving the spread of small arms and light weapons in the Sahel and West Africa. Experts who participated in a webinar titled “Drivers and Impact of Arms Trafficking in West Africa” had various ideas on how to control the proliferation of weapons, but all agreed it starts with improved security. The event was hosted by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in mid-October. The rise of violent extremist groups and other armed groups precipitated the demand for small…

ADF STAFF Kenya’s Chinese-built Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) was supposed to be an economic engine for East Africa, linking the middle of the continent to the port at Mombasa. Instead, the SGR has become a financial burden that consumes an ever-increasing chunk of the nation’s revenue. Although passengers praise the 480-kilometer railway, the SGR’s lifeblood is supposed to be cargo. In that regard it has failed to live up to expectations since it opened in 2017. Construction stopped far short of Uganda when repayment concerns caused Chinese lenders to throttle SGR financing. The railway now ends near Naivasha, more than…

ADF STAFF Just 2,700 kilometers separate northeastern Brazil from the western coast of Africa. Traffickers use this proximity to move cocaine, hashish and heroin through West African ports on to destinations all over the world. Drugs are just part of the picture, however. Africa serves as a destination and a transit point for a host of crimes, from arms smuggling and human trafficking to illegal logging and wildlife crime. Africa’s location makes it an ideal conduit for illicit material moving from Asia or South America to Europe and North America, according to analysts with ENACT, Enhancing Africa’s Response to Transnational…