Author: James Okafor
James Okafor
James Okafor is a defence and security analyst with over 14 years of experience covering sub-Saharan Africa's military affairs, peacekeeping operations, and defence procurement. A former strategic communications consultant for regional security bodies, he has reported from conflict zones across the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes region. His analysis has been cited by think tanks including the African Centre for the Study of the United States (ACSUS) and various NATO-affiliated research institutions. James holds an MA in International Security Studies from the University of Pretoria and a BA in Political Science from the University of Lagos. He specialises in drone warfare, naval modernisation, arms trade dynamics, and the growing role of private military contractors on the African continent.
A wave of military pacts between Moscow and several African capitals has failed to stem the expansion of violent extremism across the continent, according to security…
A wave of high-ranking defections within the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has significantly altered the tactical dynamics of Sudan’s ongoing civil war, providing the Sudanese…
The escalating military conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is being structurally sustained by a highly…
Morocco’s Benslimane industrial zone east of Casablanca is becoming a major hub for drone manufacturing, including homegrown technology and Türkiye’s Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles. In…
Transnational organized crime syndicates from Latin America are rapidly expanding their operational footprint in Africa, pivoting from traditional transit logistics to direct, domestic synthetic drug manufacturing.…
A highly coordinated, multi-month intelligence and surveillance operation conducted jointly by Nigerian and United States security frameworks culminated in the successful neutralization of a top-tier Islamic…
A newly revived traditional civilian militia has suffered its deadliest tactical defeat since its re-emergence, highlighting the severe equipment asymmetries defining the counter-insurgency landscape in northern…
Rival military commands from eastern and western Libya have executed unprecedented joint training maneuvers alongside international special forces during the Flintlock 2026 defense exercise. This iteration…
Three Mexican nationals were among nine people arrested by Nigerian authorities on May 20 at the largest industrial-scale methamphetamine laboratory ever discovered in the country.…
Illegal Chinese miners in Mali have increasingly come under attack from Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a powerful coalition of Sahelian terrorist groups affiliated with al-Qaida.…