Features

CAPT. NOLUKHANYO NDLELENI, LESOTHO DEFENCE FORCE Women are a crucial part of the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF). They make up about 16% of uniformed personnel, and they populate the ranks from junior levels to brigadier. But the women do…

Things did not go as planned. On May 15, 2020, 10 pirates boarded the Chinese-flagged Hailufeng 11, subdued the 18 crew members and turned off its automatic identification system (AIS). The AIS transponder broadcasts the boat’s location,…

ADF STAFF A Malawian court sentenced nine members of the Lin-Zhang wildlife trafficking gang to a total of more than 56 years in prison for dealing in endangered species in Africa. The gang, named for its husband-and-wife leaders, was…

ADF STAFF In The Gambia, rosewood is big business.  China merchants buy it — hundreds of thousands of metric tons over recent years — even though it’s illegal to harvest. Government officials are bribed to look the other way, loggers…

ADF STAFF A visitor to Lusaka, Zambia’s capital city, doesn’t need to go far to see China’s impact.  Passengers arrive at the glass-walled, $100 million Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. They drive past construction crews building…

EDWARD A. DURELL, P.E., SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR, U.S. AFRICA COMMAND Important technological innovations don’t typically come out of the blue. They are made possible by planning and support. At least 25 African countries have…