A glance at Africa’s major intelligence agencies

In the African regions, North Africa has the longest tradition of intelligence. In Egipt, The General Intelligence Service (GIS) is the main agency and one of the oldest and most influential services on the continent. Responsible for both internal and external intelligence. Among the most sensitive dossiers it has handled are the mediation between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the control of the borders with Libya and Sudan and the Rafah crossing and the fight against jihadist groups in the Sinai Peninsula. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi owes his rise to power and the repression of the Muslim Brotherhood to their loyalty.

The low-intensity conflict between Morocco and Algeria is managed for Rabat by the Département de la Documentation et de la Sécurité Extérieure (DDSE) and for Algiers by the Direction Générale de la Sûreté Nationale (DSGN). While the Moroccan services are recognized for their willingness to cooperate with international intelligence communities, especially in the fight against groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS in North Africa, the Algerian ones are known to be among the most hermetic, centralized and ruthless.
In East Africa, the leadership is held by the Kenyan National Intelligence Service (NIS). With a modus operandi inherited from the British Special Branch (SB), the agency has so far proven fundamental in stemming the incursions of cells of the Somali group al-Shabaab.

The Flag of Ethiopia. 123rf – The Logo of NISS

The National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) is the intelligence agency of the federal government of Ethiopia responsible for “gathering information of national interest”. The NISS depends on the Ministry of Peace. The Tanzania Intelligence and Security Service is the national intelligence and security agency of Tanzania. The Agency works closely with other national and international intelligence agencies and security bodies for “the promotion and maintenance of peace, security and protection within and beyond the borders of Tanzania.”
The Eritrean National Security Office or NSO is the intelligence agency of Eritrea. The agency reports directly to the Office of the President. In 2021, the Council of the European Union imposed sanctions against the NSO for being responsible for “arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances of persons and torture by its agents” in Eritrea. The NSO has a tight grip on the Eritrean diaspora in Europe and North America.The Internal Security Organization (ISO) is the Uganda government’s counterintelligence agency responsible for providing national security intelligence to Uganda’s policymakers. In recent years, it has been notable for its activities against internal dissidents.

In West Africa, the primacy on the cyber front belongs to the Ghanaian Cyber Security Authority (CSA). The agency is under the Ministry of Communications. Instead, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) is Ghana’s domestic intelligence agency. The BNI is an integral part of the National Security Council, which oversees matters of counterintelligence and internal security in Ghana. The BNI has the power to interrogate and detain people suspected of subversion without trial for an indefinite period, for reasons of the national security of the Republic of Ghana.
As regards the fight against regional security, Nigeria’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA) must be recognized.
In the Great Lakes region, the National Intelligence and Security Agency is a Rwandan security and intelligence agency (NISS). It was created in 1994 by the Republic of Rwanda following the Rwandan genocide. It is the most sophisticated weapon in the hands of President Kagame.The NISS is present in Eastern Africa, Belgium and the United States
The Agence Nationale de Renseignements (ANR) is the government intelligence agency of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The agency’s role is to ensure the “internal and external security” of the state. The agency has been heavily criticized by several organizations for its failure to respect human rights.

Flag of South Africa. 123rf – The Logo of SSA

In Southern Africa, the SSA (State Security Agency) of South Africa is recognized as the most advanced intelligence agency in Africa in terms of technology and availability of economic resources. It is delegated to national security, economic espionage and the protection of strategic infrastructure. It can conduct operations outside its territory, this includes Europe, the Middle East and North America. In recent years, the SSA has focused its attention on two main areas: The activities of Al-Qaeda and similar groups abroad about the security of South Africa and the activities of illegal South African mercenaries, especially in Africa and Iraq.Controlling dissidents with the use of violence and entering the economic sphere is the case of the CIO (Central Intelligence Organization), the national intelligence agency of Zimbabwe.
The CIO controls Terrestrial Holdings, a network of companies active in various sectors: from the hemp trade to the exploitation of solar energy, from coal extraction on 50,000 hectares of land near Lake Kariba to tourism. (Open Photo: 123rf)
(R.B.)