South Africa

ADF STAFF With the launch of its Gaindesat-1A satellite in August, Senegal joined the growing list of African nations establishing a presence in space. Senegalese engineers and technicians designed Gaindesat-1A in collaboration with…

ADF STAFF South Africa’s Navy, once the continent’s most powerful, is now struggling after years of financial belt-tightening forced it to forego needed maintenance and recruitment. The Navy’s recorded sea hours have dropped by more than…

ADF STAFF China has built and supported African political party training schools since the 1960s. But in recent years, it has shifted its approach on the continent to directly training party and government officials. “We should explore…

ADF STAFF The Miombo Woodlands covers parts of eight African countries, stretching from Burundi to Angola to southern Mozambique. Yet most of the logging that goes on in the woodlands benefits a single country: China. Unlike the…

ADF STAFF As global outrage grew over its invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Russia in 2023 began ramping up its efforts to change the narrative. Seeking to influence public opinion, the Kremlin expanded its information warfare operations…

ADF STAFF South Africa’s Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) organization is developing an artificial intelligence tool designed to monitor social media posts and flag those suspected of inciting violence. Insights into Incitement, shortened to…

ADF STAFF Cyberattackers are using a new, low-cost weapon to disrupt internet access to media sites across Africa — one that is difficult to defend against and rapidly proliferating. The method of attack, called a distributed…

ADF STAFF Ernest Fornah, 32, is among Sierra Leone’s growing number of kush addicts. He smokes the drug four times a day and often can be found sitting with other users on streets and alleyways in Freetown, the capital. “These drugs are…

ADF STAFF Sea crimes are a constant threat to coastal countries. Pirate attacks are increasing off the coast of Somalia. The Gulf of Guinea remains the world’s epicenter of illegal fishing. Other crimes, including oil theft, drug…

ADF STAFF A deadly attack by M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that killed two South African Soldiers is raising questions about whether the Southern African Development Community peacekeeping force (SAMIDRC)…