national security

ADF STAFF Lack of civilian oversight of a country’s security sector can have dire consequences that lead to public mistrust of security forces, a continentwide challenge. Afrobaromoter reported that more than 50% of survey respondents…

ADF STAFF Mali’s ruling junta took power in 2021 proclaiming that it would do what previous leaders had not: put an end to extremist terror in the country. Two years later, the junta has little to show for its efforts and has begun to…

ADF STAFF The tiny Agaléga islands of Mauritius remain untouched by tourism and industry. Its roughly 300 residents mainly live off coconuts and fish, as they have for generations. The pair of islands are about 1,000 kilometers north…

ADF STAFF In his 39-year military career, Gen. Francis Ogolla has risen through the ranks, from pilot to air force commander and vice chief of the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF). On April 28, 2023, Kenyan President William Ruto appointed…

ADF STAFF Smoke billowed above Tripoli in mid-August as rival militias vying for power engaged in two days of fighting that killed at least 55 people and wounded about 160. After months of relative calm in Tripoli, the violence…

ADF STAFF While violent extremists plague its northern neighbors, Côte d’Ivoire has remained free of terrorist attacks for two years, thanks to a combination of military intervention, enhanced security and greater investment in areas along…

ADF STAFF Nigeria has a new president facing old problems. Insecurity has long been atop the list of concerns for Nigerians, who have lived under the specter of increasing violence from extremist groups, bandits, intercommunal fighting…

ADF STAFF South Africa drew international criticism for its recent military exercises with China and Russia, but there was no shortage of critics at home who argued that the drills were too costly and used funds needed elsewhere. The…

ADF STAFF A day after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster over flooding that affected seven of the country’s nine provinces, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) announced it will…

ADF STAFF Until November 2021, Benin had been spared from the kind of extremist violence that has ravaged its neighbor to the north, Burkina Faso. Since then, Arnaud Houenou has witnessed a change in the attitudes of his fellow Beninese.…