Africa Defense Forum - Africa Defense Forum

ADF STAFF The fight against Boko Haram and other extremist groups has taken a mental toll on members of Nigeria’s military. The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental issues is so high among the nation’s…

ADF STAFF Burkina Faso has opened its first pharmaceutical manufacturing plant to make low-cost generic drugs and ensure the uninterrupted availability of common medicines. The $23 million plant was built through a private initiative…

VOICE OF AMERICA Five Southern African countries, which have more than half the continent’s elephants, conducted the first aerial census to determine the elephant population and how to protect it. Light aircraft flew simultaneously…

ADF STAFF Coup attempts were frequent in Africa in the post-independence and Cold War periods.  By comparison, the past 20 or so years have been quiet. From 2011 through 2020, the continent averaged fewer than one completed coup per…

ADF STAFF Senior leaders from land forces across Africa gathered in Côte d’Ivoire in May for the 2023 African Land Forces Summit (ALFS). It was an opportunity to discuss the shared threats they face and the need for cooperation as…

ADF STAFF Addressing violent extremism requires militaries to share what they know and coordinate action with their allies. That was one of the takeaways from the 2023 Directors of Military Intelligence Conference in Luanda, Angola,…

ADF STAFF While Sudan’s rival generals fight to become the country’s chief military power, Russia and its proxy, the Wagner Group, have courted both sides of the conflict to remain in the good graces of whoever comes out on top. The power…

ADF STAFF The Southern African Development Community (SADC) agreed in early May to send troops to eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to help restore peace. There they will work alongside troops already deployed from the East…

ADF STAFF Tuareg community leader Sheikh Mohamed and his family were among the hundreds of Talataye residents who fled their homes after militants affiliated with the Islamic State group attacked in September 2022. It was part of an…

ADF STAFF Sometimes it starts with a violent threat written in graffiti on a school wall. When heavily armed extremists arrive on motorcycles, the terror ensues — teachers are shot, kidnapped, raped. Some are executed in front of the…