AGADIR, Morocco (AP) — The head of the U.S. military in Africa has vigorously defended the country’s counterterrorism strategy on the continent and pledged to continue it despite a wave of criticism and a drift by African countries toward aid in security matters with Russia.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday during Africa Lion, a war games exercise in Morocco, Gen. Michael Langley blamed the wave of Russian disinformation on anti-American sentiment in volatile regions. He said the military must reaffirm how its long-standing strategy can promote stability throughout the Sahel, the semi-arid region south of the Sahara Desert.
The 6,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Africa face new setbacks as the governments of Chad and Niger – two key regional allies – welcome Russian forces and paramilitaries and pressure them to vacate posts previously identified as crucial for monitoring security challenges.
“There has been a negative sentiment over the last two years towards one of our most valuable allies – France – as you look at all social media and all media at large,” he said. Langley said. “Much of this negative sentiment has been fueled by misinformation and disinformation from the Russian Federation. »
“We must make our speech known,” he added.
More than 11,000 deaths last year in the Sahel were linked to Islamist militant violence, continuing a trajectory that has seen their numbers gradually increase since 2021, according to an African Center for Strategic Studies analysis of reports collected by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.
Since 2020, military officers disillusioned with their governments’ ability to stem violence have toppled democratically elected governments across the region. Subsequently, countries, including Mali, Burkina Faso And Niger began to distance themselves from Western powers and deepen their partnerships with Russia.
In northern Mali last November, soldiers accompanied by mercenaries from the Russian military company Wagner took over the territory which rebels had controlled the region for a decade. The ruling military junta Burkina Faso He ousted French forces last year and turned to Russia and Wagner for security support. And the same in NigerRussian military trainers arrived weeks after junta seized power last year order American troops must withdraw from the country.
Rather than introspect or broadly rethink strategy, Langley said the United States plans to “redouble our efforts and reengage with these countries,” referring to their non-combat work on climate change and poor harvests and the management of tribal conflicts and population displacements.
Langley said the United States would stick to its whole-of-government approach emphasizing good governance and institution-building beyond military power. He insisted that the military supports African countries in whatever way it deems appropriate rather than imposing its ideas. But he argued that military juntas would fail to counter terrorism or ensure long-term stability.
“I don’t want to call out any of these countries, but they are military regimes,” Langley said.
This tenuous border has differentiated the United States from other major powers that are deepening their engagement in Africa. Russia imposes few conditions on countries to which it provides security assistance, whether they are run by military juntas or by democratically elected leaders. China also insists on non-interference in investments or loans to finance mines, ports, highways and railways.
Of the U.S. personnel stationed in Africa, approximately 1,000 are assigned to Niger and 100 to Chad. is leaving. Both countries have played a critical role in military efforts to counter violent extremist organizations in the region, particularly in Niger, which is home to the continent’s largest surveillance drone base.
Langley said U.S. forces were in the process of withdrawing safely and orderly from Niger and planned to determine future security partnerships later. He said the status of U.S. forces in Chad would be discussed once the country finishes establishing a new government based on elections earlier this month.
Langley would not say whether the United States was considering moving its bases elsewhere in Africa, but said its strategy would largely depend on where West African countries focus on their security threats. In countries located along the Atlantic coastLangley said officials were increasingly concerned about violent extremism and wanted to ensure they could monitor developments in dangerous border regions.
“What the United States wants is what countries are asking for,” he said. “We don’t prescribe anything.”
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News Source : apnews.com
