The Zambian and US Armies are holding the twelfth edition of the African Land Forces Summit in Livingstone under the theme Regional Solutions to Transnational Problems. The summit, which runs from 22 to 26 April, “brings together over 40 land force military chiefs from across Africa [and] other European partner nations, along with academic thought leaders and government officials for candid dialogue to discuss and develop cooperative solutions,” Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder said during a briefing this week. Some 500 guests are attending the event. “Africa’s securi ..read more

Heading to Japan to mark a centenary of bilateral relations, the Turkish Navy warship TCG Kinaliada is visiting Somalia as one of the 20 countries on its route. The vessel arrived in Mogadishu on 23 April, where it was welcomed by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. He said the visit was a “sign of the enduring fraternal relations between the two brotherly nations and a new dawn for Somalia’s maritime security”. The TCG Kinaliada’s arrival comes two months after a ten-year cooperation agreement was signed between the two nations. Few details have emerged, but it has been reported that the ..read more

The epicentre of terrorism has shifted out of the Middle East and into the Central Sahel, which now accounts for over half of all deaths from terrorism, according to a new report. The latest Global Terrorism Index 2024 publication by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) found that while the number of terror attacks globally declined 22% last year to 3 350, deaths skyrocketed by 22% to reach 8 352, the highest level since 2017. Although Israel suffered the largest terrorist attack in 2023, it was not the country most impacted by terrorism. Burkina Faso is now ranked first on the Global T ..read more

In the five-year period from the 2019/20 to 2023/24 financial terms, State-owned defence and technology conglomerate Denel saw staff numbers drop by just on 60% from 3 968 to 1 655. The nearly four thousand people employed at Denel and its various business divisions and associated companies in 2019/20 shrunk by 636 the following financial year and then by 670 in 2021/22 (to reach 2 662). Another 655 Denel staffers exited in 2022/23, bringing the human resource component of the Denel Group down to 2 007 that year. Staff complement shrunk by a further 352 in the 2023/24 financial year to 1 655 ..read more

Nigeria recorded its first increase in terrorism in three years in 2023, with total deaths rising by 34% to 524, marking Nigeria’s highest death toll since 2020, driven by a surge in conflict between Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) and Boko Haram. This is according to the latest Global Terrorism Index 2024 published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). The Institute found that if the conflict between ISWA and Boko Haram last year was excluded from its data, terrorism deaths would have declined by 18% in Nigeria last year. Civilians were the most targeted group for the second consec ..read more

Mozambique’s defence minister Cristovao Chume was the main guest at the inaugural India-Mozambique Defence Industrial Interaction, held in Maputo this week. The High Commission of India in Mozambique said the first edition of this event took place between 25 and 26 April, giving an opportunity for government and private defence companies from India to come together with officials from the Ministries of Defence, Mozambican military (FADM) and Mozambican civil security agencies to discuss cooperation in defence production and procurement. The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) was represented by A ..read more

The RED-Tabara armed group, based in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has renewed attacks in Burundi since late 2023. The group – which is an abbreviation of the French Résistance pour un État de Droit au Burundi (Resistance for Rule of Law in Burundi) – is one of a handful of rebel groups seeking to unseat the Burundi government. RED-Tabara attacks, however, are targeting civilians rather than government installations, military bases or strategic infrastructure. This has thrown the group’s motivations into question. RED-Tabara was created in 2015 in the aftermath of a political crisis ..read more

Last year terrorism surged in Niger, with double the terrorism-related fatalities compared to the previous year. This is according to the latest Global Terrorism Index 2024, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). The Institute found that terrorism in Niger rebounded after a decline in 2022. The number of terrorist attacks increased to 61 in 2023, up from 54 in the previous year. Deaths more than doubled, with 468 deaths in 2023 compared to 193 deaths in 2022, indicating a significant escalation in the lethality of attacks. Military personnel accounted for the majority of ter ..read more

It has emerged that Chad’s military is now operating Aksungur unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), adding to the growing list of Turkish-supplied military equipment. Video released on 21 April showed a single Aksungur in Chadian markings taking off from Adji Kossei Air Base at N’Djamena International Airport, and Chadian Air Force personnel being trained in Turkey by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI/TUSAS). TAI describes the Aksungur as being able to carry out day and night Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) and strike missions with electro-optical/infrared and synthetic aperture ..read more

State-owned defence conglomerate Denel has suffered a direct loss of more than R4 million due to fraud and corruption over the last five years, according to the Department of Public Enterprises. Minister Pravin Gordhan, in response to a query by the Democratic Alliance’s Farhat Essack, revealed in a written reply that Denel has directly lost R4 351 614.40 over the last five years, and R596 387 is being recovered through a settlement agreement with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), while R1.6 million is being recovered in accordance with a court order. In September last year the SIU said it ..read more