Somalia’s recent commissioning of its first-ever female defence cadets is a reflection of a wider development that is progressively bringing more women into command, peacekeeping and reform in national militaries across Africa. Bonface Orucho, bird story agencySomalia has, in the past week, commissioned its first-ever female defence cadets. “It challenges entrenched perceptions of African defence sectors as exclusively male domains,” he said in a call. Somalia’s commissioning of female cadets coincides with the country’s broader security progress. With nearly half of Sierra Leone’s deployed peacekeepers already women, the initiative aims to entrench progress and prepare more women for leadership.