Drones in the African Battlespaces
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C/O Futures Book Review
Lisa J. Campbell
22 May 2026
Addressing in their book an increasingly prescient topic, the co-editors of Drones in the African Battlespaces, have a background of research in security policy, defense, and global arms concerns. Wayne Stephen Coetzee, a senior lecturer in Political Science at the International Programme in Politics and Economics at the University West in Sweden, has focused his research on security politics, emphasizing the interactions between public and private security, transnational defense collaborations, foreign and security policy, and the global arms trade. Dries Putter, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Military Science at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, has research encompassing intelligence, counterintelligence, covert action, hybrid warfare, arms control and the defense industry. The book is published as a volume within Springer’s Southern Space Studies series edited by Annette Froehilch which focuses on the Global South. The editors sought, in this present work, to bring clarity and coherence to the complex topic of drones in Africa. Chapter contributors are comprised of a diverse range of mostly African researchers, practitioners, and witnesses to the various conflicts being shaped by drones. Their contributions are in keeping with the editors’ intent to provide an African perspective—distinct from existing work on African security issues, which mostly comes from European and American scholars. By grounding their work in African realities—such as its geopolitical dynamics, non-state actor involvement, ethical considerations, and logistical constraints—the editors aimed to promote a deeper understanding of drones within African battlespaces and advance that field of study.
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