Acclaimed war journalist Al J Venter concludes his two-part feature from Bangui in the Central African Republic where, as insurgency in the area increases, so does the deployment of air assets.
Africa’s ground wars are intensifying at an unprecedented level. So is air support for a variety of counterinsurgency operations that stretch from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean and, increasingly, further towards the south on that troubled continent. The final part of this article looks at specific rotorcraft requirements in the region and the ancillary threats to private pilots working in hostile African zones.
The UK is becoming increasingly involved. The recent deployment of three RAF Chinook helicopters from RAF Odiham, Hampshire, to support French forces fighting in Mali’s Hombori mountains is a significant development. Until fairly recently, the French were thought to have the war against al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) under control; instead, casualties in Mali have mounted significantly during the past year. Other African countries are similarly affected.
The so-called Islamic State – formerly active east of Suez – has opened up a new insurgency front in parts of the Democratic Republic of the …
