The Namibian Army Is Struggling to Keep Its Lights On
Namibia’s small army is in trouble. In February 2018, the army sent at least 1,000 of its soldiers home, with the initial reason given that the government had run out of money to feed them and to pay for the water and electricity for seven military bases. On Feb.... Read more
What’s the Democratic Republic of Congo Doing With These Ukrainian Tanks?
Three years ago, Ukraine announced it would sell 50 of its T-64BV-1 tanks to an unspecified foreign customer, rumored to be the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This became official in 2016 with the delivery of 25 of the tanks to the country, according to information just released by Ukraine... Read more
Why China Built That Military Base in Africa
China’s military made international news in early July 2017 when it announced the opening of its first overseas base in Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa. China asserts the base is simply a logistics hub, poised to protect the country’s interests in the Gulf of Aden... Read more
Does Erik Prince’s Private Air Force Even Make Sense?
You probably remember Blackwater, the notorious U.S. mercenary company that rose to fame — or infamy, as it were — during the Iraq war. You might also remember Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL who founded Blackwater in 1997. Prince had no choice but to sell his company after... Read more
The World’s Poorest Continent Spent an Extra $50 Billion on Weapons Last Year
Originally published on April 16, 2015. Good news, world military spending declined last year. According to several new reports published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, global military spending decreased by 0.4 percent in 2014. Unfortunately, that decrease is due to America’s military spending cuts. Excluding the United... Read more

Peter Dörrie

Africa Correspondent

Journalist specialising in security politics on the African continent.