ADF

ADF staff A report by the Institute for Security Studies warns that withdrawing peacekeeping missions in Africa could create a significant security gap, leading to more violence and worsening humanitarian conditions. The report, published in October 2023, noted that since the withdrawal of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali began in July 2023, insecurity has surged. “Conflict between militants and the national army has reignited, and militant attacks have increased,” the report said. “Mali’s fragile security situation could regress to 2012 levels when jihadists tried to seize several key towns, including Timbuktu.” For more than 60 years, peacekeeping…

THE UNITED NATIONS The United Nations under-secretary-general of peace operations has underscored the need for stronger, more consistent and unified support from member countries for the organization to achieve its key peacekeeping goals. Growing national divisions, combined with increasingly complex conflicts, pose a formidable challenge to peacekeeping and the maintenance of security, Jean-Pierre Lacroix told ambassadors in the Security Council chamber. “Peacekeeping is not a magic wand to help a country return to stability, but with the support of a unified international community, political processes and peace agreements have been implemented,” Lacroix said. He emphasized that U.N. peacekeeping operations continue…

Defenceweb Four United Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa are working to prevent and stop disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining mission credibility. MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), MINUSCA in the Central African Republic, MINUSMA in Mali and UNMISS in South Sudan are involved in the campaigns. The missions in the DRC and Mali began shutting down in 2023. The initiative is designed to fight back against falsehoods that trigger tensions, violence and death, the world body noted. The U.N. is monitoring how misinformation, disinformation and hate speech can affect health, security and stability, and undermine progress toward…

ADF STAFF Shipowners operating in the Gulf of Guinea received a piracy alert in June 2023 after pirates attacked a Swiss bulk carrier vessel and injured some of its crew off Conakry, Guinea. Four criminals with weapons boarded the ship and stole money from a safe before fleeing, according to TradeWinds, a shipping news source. It was one of the latest piracy incidents recorded in West Africa after years of declining attacks, including 81 in 2020, 34 in 2021 and just three in 2022.  To address piracy, illegal fishing and other sea crimes, Benin, Nigeria and Togo in mid-September 2023…

ADF STAFF Effective communication is key to any successful operation, but it becomes exponentially more difficult when the operation involves multiple countries with a variety of technologies and techniques.  That fact underpinned the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) communications Exercise Dipuisano in Botswana. “Dipuisano” means “discussions” in Sesotho. As African nations work to respond to crises with regionally organized interventions, the ability to seamlessly communicate is more important than ever. Regional economic communities such as SADC are working to improve communications standards, Brig. Gen. Oreeditse Sheriff Tsamaase of the Botswana Defence Force said during the exercise.  The two-week exercise brought…

U.S. NATIONAL GUARD The U.S. Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP) has added new partner nations in Africa in the 30th year of the program. Malawi and Zambia have joined 17 other African nations in the program. Established in 1993, it now involves more than 45% of the world’s countries paired with the National Guard of every U.S. state and territory. The program develops enduring relationships with partner countries and carries out activities to build capacity, improve compatibility, and improve U.S. access and influence. It also increases the readiness of U.S. and partner forces to meet emerging…

ADF STAFF When the United Nations asked its member countries to intervene in the Korean War in 1950, more than 20 nations sent Soldiers to the fight. Two African nations volunteered to send troops: South Africa and Ethiopia. For Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie, the fight was a crucial one because of his nation’s history. When Italy invaded his country in 1935, Selassie had asked the League of Nations to come to Ethiopia’s aid but received no support. So, when the U.N. asked for help in Korea, he was eager to show his commitment to regional forces. His Soldiers, the Kagnew…

CLUES This land is known for its diversity, density and number of endemic plant species. The property is one of the six floral kingdoms of the world.  It is 0.5% of Africa’s land area but is home to nearly 20% of the continent’s flora. There are an estimated 9,000 plant species in the region, of which 1,736 are threatened and 3,087 are of conservation concern. ANSWER  Cape Floral Region Protected Areas, South Africa

ADF STAFF The Maghreb region’s cold war between Algeria and Morocco continues to add new layers of frost. The latest round of provocations began in early March with the opening of an office in Algiers for the Moroccan Republic of the Rif, a separatist organization reportedly funded by Algeria. Algerian journalist Nasser Jabi suggested it was a response to Morocco’s stated support for the independence of the Kabyle people in Algeria, which itself was in response to Algeria’s hosting and funding of the separatist Sahrawi people of Western Sahara. “We are facing a new level of escalation in Algeria-Morocco relations,”…

ADF STAFF The Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) has in the last year gained significant territory from a rival group in Mali, increased religious tax collections known as zakat, and expanded recruitment efforts throughout the Sahel. Analysts with the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project say the ISSP now operates a hub for foreign fighters from North Africa and Europe, which could lead to increased terror attacks in Europe, North Africa, the Sahel and West Africa. “Foreign fighters are more hardened ideologues that ascribe to transnational Salafi-jihadism and are not as interested in the local aims or grievances that motivate…