Monrovia — The head of the U.S-Africa Command (Africom) – a unit of the U.S. military responsible for operations on the continent – said the U.S. strategy on the continent will remain “partnership-centric” and led by Africans themselves, whether they are “dealing with violent extremism or transnational crimes”.
U.S. Marine Corps General Michael Langley, on a visit to North and East Africa, said his government’s approach, at a time of growing interest from other world powers, will include confronting the challenges of the climate crisis, as well as some of the drivers of instability that bring about conflict and population displacement.
Africom Commander Langley was speaking during an online briefing where he also highlighted the objectives of an ongoing U.S.-led military exercise in Morocco involving 20 countries, which he said is intended to strengthen “collaborative and interoperability-type objectives”.
The general’s trip took him to countries in the Maghreb, including Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, where he spoke of the possibility of violent extremist organizations starting up again. His mission, he said, was to “learn and understand their approach for counter-terrorism”.
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U.S. military operations in Africa – especially in the Sahel – are aimed at stopping the spread of terrorism taking root in the area while collaborating on cross-border operations. Through an annual exercise called Flintlock – American forces help strengthen the abilities of their partners in the region to counter the growing threat while collaborating in cross-border operations.
Langley said he regularly visits with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia to address some of the challenges that the country faces, including in its fight against Al-Shabaab. He said AFRICOM is also paying attention to the transition of the African Union-led force to a civilian program. He expressed hope that Somalia’s relatively “young army” will continue to keep the militant group on the back foot with U.S. support.
When asked about the U.S. troops’ withdrawal from Niger, General Langley said the exercise was completed “without incident”, after the Nigerien government’s request for them to leave. He, however, said the way forward in U.S. relations with the country is yet to be determined: “Whether we’re talking about the new alliance or coalition of Alliance of Sahelian States of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali.”
Recognizing Africa’s growing geo-political significance, many global powers were “scrambling=” to increase ties with the continent. Whether security or economic cooperation, the continent piqued the interest of Russia, China, and the U.S. Analysts said more than a dozen other countries have a military presence of some sort on the continent.
“When we have engaged with our African partners, we don’t give them an ultimatum of who to choose for a security partner,” General Langley said about U.S. dealings with African countries.
He said the U.S. and partner countries are fostering their shared objectives of fighting terrorism: “But then, as you will see, that across the region the Russian Federation had activities in the information space to be able to effect false-type ideologies…”
