Africa Defense Forum
ADF is a professional military magazine published quarterly by U.S. Africa Command to provide an international forum for African security professionals. ADF covers topics such as counter terrorism strategies, security and defense operations, transnational crime, and all other issues affecting peace, stability, and good governance on the African continent.

Niger Poised to Transform Its Economy

ADF STAFF The wide, languid Niger River is Africa’s third-longest at 4,200 kilometers. It stretches in a boomerang shape from Guinea up as far north as Timbuktu, Mali, before dipping southward through Niamey, Niger, and ending in the…

Good Money, Bad Outcomes

Charities and Nonprofits Can Be Co-opted to Fund Terrorism, So Vigilance and Monitoring Are Crucial ADF STAFF About 10:30 a.m. Nairobi time on August 7, 1998, a truck loaded with more than 900 kilograms of TNT trundled up to the back…

Radio Networks

Early Warning Systems Help with Alerts, Defections These days, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) can scarcely make a move without it being documented and passed on. Consider these incidents: January 10, 2014 - A 38-year-old LRA…

Cuffing Terror

Africa’s Police Are on the Front Lines of the Fight Against Extremism ADF STAFF Photos by Reuters Fighting terror goes beyond military confrontations and high-profile missions like special forces raids to free hostages. The day-to-day…

Terror Turns Outward

After Setbacks in Somalia, al-Shabaab Militants Stage High-Profile Attacks in Neighboring Countries ADF STAFF As al-Shabaab terrorists stalked through Nairobi’s Westgate Shopping Mall, Faith Wambua and her two children lay still. The…

Mandela Film premieres in South Africa

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE A long-awaited film on the life of anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela premiered in his native South Africa on November 3, 2013, stirring emotional memories of the country’s turbulent history. The film opened a month…

EU Signs Road Grant With Ethiopia

REUTERS The European Union has signed a development grant with Ethiopia worth $287.26 million to help finance road construction and projects targeting maternal health and drought resilience. As of 2014, Ethiopia, Africa’s…

Africa Getting ‘White Space’ Internet

REUTERS At Cape Town’s Elswood Secondary School, even the metal grills welded into its walls did not deter burglars from ripping out the copper cables that delivered Internet service to the students. But Elswood’s pupils were saved by…