Africa Defense Forum - Africa Defense Forum

ADF STAFF In recent years, the uses for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, have multiplied across Africa. Drones have been used to fertilize crops, monitor wildlife and deliver medicine to hard-to-reach places.…

ADF STAFF Emmanuel Essien has been missing since July 2019. Essien, a 28-year-old Ghanaian fisheries observer, was working on board the Chinese trawler Meng Xin 15 when he captured video of the crew engaging in saiko, a practice in…

ADF STAFF Extremist groups in the Sahel are eyeing gold mines as a way to pay for weapons, vehicles and other equipment required to launch deadly attacks. Burkina Faso, the fastest-growing gold producer on the continent, has found…

ADF STAFF With brightly colored graffiti on the outside and music blaring inside, Kenya’s predominant form of transportation — Matatu minibus taxis — are iconic and ubiquitous. Climb aboard and you’ll see a snapshot of how COVID-19 is…

ADF STAFF South African researchers have identified what they describe as the most mutated COVID-19 variant discovered since the pandemic began. The variant, identified as C.1.2, has not yet received a Greek letter designation from the…

ADF STAFF An examination of households across Africa has found that more than half the continent’s 1.3 billion residents lack the conditions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their homes. The analysis by researchers at the…

ADF STAFF Rigid lockdowns might not be the best initial response to a pandemic in economically struggling countries, a South African scholar argues. To slow the spread of COVID-19 and future pandemics, African policymakers and…

ADF STAFF The telehealth industry was expanding across the globe before COVID-19 became a household term, but the pandemic has revealed its potential. In East Africa, historically an underserved region for health care, COVID-19 has…

ADF STAFF It was 2 a.m. on Saturday, June 5, 2021, when the calm of night in the village of Solhan, Burkina Faso, was interrupted by the sound of motorcycles, then gunshots. Terrorists opened fire on residents of the gold-mining…

ADF STAFF As Mozambique’s neighbors in Southern Africa join its four-year fight against insurgents in the Cabo Delgado region, observers are celebrating early gains while warning of the potential for a prolonged and costly engagement.…