Jihadism and coups in West Africa’s Sahel region: a complex relationship - defenceWeb

The political instability and insecurity in some Sahelian states in West Africa has led to the capture of political power by their military in recent times. Chad, Burkina Faso and Mali have all experienced coups. One thing these cases have in...

Nigeria and Indonesia cement defence ties - defenceWeb

Following a meeting between the Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria Usra Harahap and the executive vice-chairman of Nigeria’s National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mohammed Sani Haruna, both countries accepted a draft...

African human trafficking fugitive nabbed in joint operation - defenceWeb

Kenyan police arrested a man sought in connection with human trafficking since 2017 in a joint operation with Dutch authorities and Interpol. 53-year-old John Habeta was taken into custody at Schiphol International airport in Amsterdam on 25...

Legislation holding the drone industry back in South Africa - defenceWeb

Restrictive UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) or drone regulations in South Africa are holding the industry back, with major reforms needed, especially in the security sector. This was the consensus from speakers at the first Security Drone Conference...

Number of jailed journalists reached global high in 2021, at least 24 killed for their coverage - CPJ report - defenceWeb

The number of journalists worldwide who are behind bars reached a global high in 2021, according to a new report from the nonprofit Committee to Protect Journalists, which says that 293 reporters were imprisoned as of 1 December this year. At...

Two soldiers killed in Islamist militant attack in northern Benin, army says - defenceWeb

Two soldiers were killed and several more wounded when Islamist militants attacked a border security post in northern Benin on Wednesday night, the army said. The raid in Porga region was the second in Benin this week. Islamist militants attacked...

More than 600 migrants reach Italy by sea from north Africa - defenceWeb

More than 600 migrants, many of them Egyptians, arrived in southern Italy over the past 24 hours, officials said on Sunday, defying stormy winter seas in search of a better life in Europe. Italy has seen a sharp increase in boat migrants in recent...

Mali has not asked any group to negotiate with Islamist militants - defenceWeb

The Malian government on Thursday said it had not officially asked any organisation to negotiate with Islamist insurgents on its behalf. This week, a spokesperson for the ministry of religious affairs said it had asked the High Islamic Council...

Africa urged to wake up to growing state surveillance threat - defenceWeb

African governments are using new technology and laws to increase surveillance of opposition figures, researchers warned on Thursday, calling for restrictions on the sale of tracking tools and tougher privacy protections. Existing laws have...

Further decline in reported piracy incidents - defenceWeb

Piracy incidents in the first nine months of 2021 are the lowest reported in 17 years with, at the other end of the scale, 51 crew kidnapped, eight taken hostage and one killed. The latest piracy report from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB)...

Nigeria extends phone blackout as crackdown on banditry spreads - defenceWeb

Nigerian authorities imposed a communications blackout on Monday in several parts of Sokoto state as a crackdown against armed kidnappers in the country’s northwest region spreads. Gangs of armed men seeking lucrative ransom payments, known...

Protection of whistleblowers key to fighting corruption - defenceWeb

Special Investigating Unit (SIU) head, Advocate Andy Mothibi, says whistleblowers remain an important aspect to combatting corruption. He was speaking during the first webinar in a five-part series, which will explore the importance of...

Chinese smart tech fraught with risk - defenceWeb

Chinese technology firms have been peddling “safe city” and “smart city” packages of technology in Africa for years. Suites of interconnected products and services include surveillance equipment, communications tools and digital municipal...

Nigeria expects to lift Twitter ban by end of year, minister says - defenceWeb

Nigeria expects to lift its ban on Twitter before the end of the year, Information Minister Lai Mohammed told Reuters on Thursday, adding that the government was awaiting a response on three final requests made of the social media platform. The...

Malware attacks in Africa are increasing, reaching 85 million in 6 months - Kaspersky - defenceWeb

Malware is rife across Africa, with various countries exhibiting strong growth in all malware types in the first half of 2021. This is a 5% increase in the region, as cybercriminals and hackers continue to focus on African countries considering...

Profits and poppy: Afghanistan's illegal drug trade a boon for Taliban - defenceWeb

The United States spent more than $8 billion over 15 years on efforts to deprive the Taliban of their profits from Afghanistan’s opium and heroin trade, from poppy eradication to airstrikes and raids on suspected labs. That strategy failed. As the...

Amnesty International reports hundred plus Nigeria deaths - defenceWeb

Security forces killed at least 115 people in south-east Nigeria this year and arbitrarily arrested or tortured scores of others in response to violence from separatists agitating for autonomy, Amnesty International said. A Nigerian presidency...

Taliban assassinations of Afghan pilots 'worrisome,' US government watchdog says - defenceWeb

Taliban assassinations of Afghan pilots detailed by Reuters this month mark another “worrisome development” for the Afghan Air Force as it reels from a surge in fighting, a US government watchdog said in a report released on Thursday. At least...