Latest Articles about Africa
Al-Qaeda’s Influential Online Strategist: Abu Sa’d al-Amili
Though the writings of online jihadist strategists are readily available, analysts have struggled with what use to make of them due to the secrecy that surrounds these writers. Are jihadists in the field likely to heed their advice? Or are these men keyboard warriors blowing... MORE
Learning by Doing: PLAN Operational Innovations in the Gulf of Aden
Chinese planners were seriously concerned about logistical and operational challenges associated with anti-piracy missions near Somali waters long before the first People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships were deployed in 2008. In particular, trends in PLAN Far Seas logistical support and surface platform deployment demonstrate... MORE
Al-Murabitun: North Africa’s Jihadists Reach into History in Their Battle against European “Crusaders”
At the end of August, the Katibat al-Muslimeen (Veiled Brigade) of Mokhtar Belmokhtar, announced a merger with the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJWA) to create a new jihadist movement, al-Murabitun (The Almoravids). According to its founding statement, the group aims at... MORE
Jihadism and Counterterrorism Policy in Algeria: New Responses to New Challenges
Algeria, a forerunner in the fight against Islamist terrorism due to its decades-long experience with Islamist extremists, is facing new challenges in terms of tactics and strategy. Beyond the spectacular January In Aménas attack, new trends in local terrorism were already in place. The recent... MORE
Libya in Anarchy Two Years After Western Intervention
Two years ago, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s assassination by Western-backed rebels (October 20, 2011) marked the end of all-out civil war and the collapse of the state in Libya. The United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) based their case for military intervention on... MORE
The Relevant Organs: Institutional Factors behind China’s Gulf of Aden Deployment
Numerous institutional factors have driven and incentivized China’s participation in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. Central to executing China’s first instance of protracted Far Seas naval operations has been inter-agency coordination among the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and other military and civil... MORE
A Sketch of Michel Djotodia: In Power at Long Last in the Central African Republic
The president of the Central African Republic (CAR), Michel Djotodia, announced on Friday, September 13 that he had ordered the dissolution of the Séléka Coalition. In a presidential statement broadcast on the state-owned Radio Centrafrique, Djotodia, formerly the leader of the Séléka Coalition, warned that "Any individual or... MORE
Security Forces Sidelined as Salafists Battle Houthi Shiites in Yemen
With Yemen in the midst of a political reconstruction, there are signs that the Zaidi Shiite insurgent group known as the Houthis is taking advantage of the ongoing turmoil to consolidate their de facto rule of the northern province of Sa’ada while making inroads in... MORE
Egypt’s Military Devises Strategy to Move Egypt beyond Political Islamism
Many local media channels in Egypt are constantly broadcasting the banner “Egypt Fighting Terrorism” in what seems to be a media campaign to mobilize the masses to support the military and police in their crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood members. One large poster near the state... MORE
Meeting the Jihad Challenge in Tunisia: The Military and Political Response
Tunisia continues to go through a critical phase—to its economic and social difficulties, it now adds a political crisis. It is in this context that new security challenges have emerged. In a climate already made ??tense by the July 25 assassination of a leading member... MORE