Africa Defense Forum - Africa Defense Forum

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Nigerian airline pilot Ademola Odujinrin, known as “Lola,” has become the first African to fly solo around the world. The 38-year-old left Washington, D.C., in September 2016 aboard a Cirrus SR22, a small,…

VOICE OF AMERICA The Kenyan government says it will open the border with Somalia to boost trade and allow the flow of people between the two countries. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta also pledged to help Somalia fight al-Shabaab…

The Ebola outbreak exposed weak spots in the continent’s health systems. Officials are determined to fix them. ADF STAFF A meningitis outbreak in Nigeria’s northwest showed the progress that has been made since the Ebola crisis and the…

A conversation with Dr. John Nkengasong of the Africa CDC on how to anticipate the next pandemic ADF STAFF Dr. John Nkengasong is a virologist who has spent his life searching for cures to the world’s deadliest diseases. During a…

To Intervene in Crises and Sustain Missions, African Militaries Must Make Logistics a Priority COL. UDUAK UDOAKA/U.S. AIR FORCE A significant development in the post-Cold War period has been African states’ active involvement in…

The African Standby Force Can Deploy in Times of Natural Disasters, Humanitarian Crises ADF STAFF Africa has for years been working toward creating a force that could respond quickly to security crises anywhere on the continent. Known…

ADF STAFF Government officials and citizens packed into the stands of Freedom Square in Owerri, Nigeria, on May 29, 2017, to mark an important date in the country’s recent history. Police officers, Nigerian Army personnel and…

Tracking and Relieving Hunger Can Be a Challenge. The Key for Soldiers? Knowing Their Role By the time the world hears about a famine, it’s probably too late. International aid organizations say early alerts and rapid responses to food…

Africa’s pastoralists and farmers are in conflict. Boko Haram sees an opportunity. ADF STAFF For generations, Fulani herdsmen have roamed North Africa, grazing their animals. In the 60 years of post-colonial Africa, life for the…

The Mosquito-Borne Disease Is a Continental Problem, but a Program is Equipping African Militaries to Fight It ADF STAFF An insidious, debilitating force has attacked tiny Burundi, in Africa’s Great Lakes region. Since the beginning…