West Africa

ADF STAFF Brando Brayend Tewuh, a 29-year-old Indonesian crew member aboard a Chinese fishing vessel, was so tired of being beaten and starved that he and three other crew members jumped from the trawler off the coast of Somalia in…

ADF STAFF A new study identifies West Africa as one of the world’s most affected regions by labor abuse on vessels involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Conducted by the Stanford University Center for Ocean…

ADF STAFF Cabo Verdean police intercepted a boat in early April suspected to be involved with international drug trafficking. The Brazilian boat contained more than 5 tons of cocaine. The operation, which included help from the United…

ADF STAFF Fear of famine in Africa is rising due to the ripple effects of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and a drought across the continent. After Russia invaded Ukraine, many countries have seen food prices surge. The United…

ADF STAFF With piracy increasing in the waters off West Africa, Nigeria launched its Deep Blue Project, a multipronged approach to confronting crime in the Gulf of Guinea. The $195 million effort brings together a mix of ships,…

ADF STAFF Since Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries arrived in Mali, civilians have been increasingly caught in their crosshairs. After hundreds of Wagner Group fighters deployed in Mali purportedly as “trainers” and “advisors” in…

ADF STAFF The scene has played out repeatedly across the Sahel in recent years: A group of military officers take to the airwaves to announce that the nation’s president has been deposed and a new leader installed while crowds fill…

ADF STAFF At a training facility in Jacqueville, Côte d’Ivoire, Soldiers with Ghana’s Special Forces Unit leaned a metal ladder against an earthen wall as they practiced assaulting a village held by insurgents. One Soldier began climbing…

ADF STAFF The news that a junta had overthrown Burkinabe President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, the only democratically elected head of state in the country’s history, had a familiar ring to it. It was the fourth successful military…

ADF STAFF As a crowd of more than 1,000 people gathered in Ouagadougou’s national square after the announcement of a military coup, there was an unusual sight: Russian flags being waved in celebration. West Africa’s third coup in…