West Africa

ADF STAFF July 26 marked one year since Niger’s military overthrew the country’s democratically elected government. At the time, junta leaders promised to improve security and the economy, issues Nigeriens continue to struggle with today.…

ADF STAFF It’s supposed to be simple. A doctor prescribes medicine — an antibiotic for an infection or perhaps an antimalarial — and a trusted pharmacist dispenses the drug to the patient. The patient trusts the product and takes it as…

ADF STAFF A report analyzing the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali concludes that it was handicapped from the start by its narrow capabilities and the Malian government’s expectations. Researchers produced the report after a…

ADF STAFF Once among the world’s hotspots for piracy and trafficking, the Gulf of Guinea still presents a security challenge for the Economic Community of West African States. The West African regional bloc, also known as ECOWAS, includes…

ADF STAFF On Christmas Day in 2023, fighters commonly called “bandits” killed more than 115 people in northern Nigeria. The bandits destroyed more than 220 homes in about 10 communities. They killed more than 400 people in Plateau State…

ADF STAFF The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared its first public health emergency on August 13 as mpox, a virus commonly known as “monkeypox,” spread into several countries that never had reported cases. A…

ADF STAFF Violent extremism from the Sahel has been spreading closer to Ghana’s northern border over the last five years. Mataru Mumuni Muqthar, executive director of the West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism (WACCE) in Accra, said…

ADF STAFF Security threats have grown steadily since Niger’s military seized control of the government in July 2023. While multiple terrorist groups have increased their attacks in the west, rebels and bandits in the east now threaten the…

ADF STAFF Terrorists in Benin’s W National Park have killed at least seven Beninese security forces and five rangers working with a nonprofit organization. No terror group claimed responsibility for the July 28 attack near Benin’s…

ADF STAFF In a region facing terrorism, coups and transnational organized crime, leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have long sought to build a standby force to bolster security. Member nations’ defense and…