US military defends strategy for Africa in light of coups

Agadir, Morocco — The head of the U.S. military in Africa vigorously defended the country’s counterterrorism strategy on the continent and vowed to press it despite a wave of criticism and a trend among African nations to seek security help from Russia.

In an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday at Africa Lion, a war exercise in Morocco, Gen. Michael Langley blamed a wave of Russian disinformation for anti-U.S. sentiment in volatile regions. He said the military needs to reaffirm how its long-standing strategy can promote stability across the Sahel, the semi-arid region south of the Sahara desert.

The 6,000 US troops stationed in Africa face new setbacks as the governments of Chad and Niger – two key regional allies – embrace Russian forces and paramilitaries and pressure them to abandon posts previously identified as critical to monitoring security challenges.

“There has been negative sentiment over the last two years against one of our most valued allies – France – as you look at all social media and all mass media outlets,” Langley said. “Much of this negative sentiment has been fueled by disinformation and disinformation from the Russian Federation.”

“We need to get our narrative out,” he added.

More than 11,000 deaths last year in the Sahel were linked to militant Islamist violence, continuing a trajectory that has seen them gradually increase since 2021, according to an analysis by the African Center for Strategic Studies of reports collected by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

Since 2020, military officers disillusioned with their government’s record in curbing violence have toppled democratically elected governments across the region. Following this, countries including Mali, Burkina Faso It is Niger they began to distance themselves from Western powers and deepen partnerships with Russia.

In northern Mali last November, soldiers accompanied by mercenaries from Russian military contractor Wagner retook territory that the rebels have controlled for the past decade. The military junta that governs Burkina Faso expelled French forces last year and turned to Russia and Wagner for security support. And in the same way in NigerRussian military trainers arrived weeks after the junta took power last year ordered US troops withdraw from the country.

Rather than deep reflection or a broad rethink of strategy, Langley said the United States plans to “double down and re-engage with these countries,” referring to its non-combatant work on addressing climate change and the crop failure and the management of tribal conflicts and displacement.

Langley said the United States would maintain its whole-of-government approach, emphasizing good governance and building institutions beyond military power. He insisted that the military support African countries in any way they see fit, rather than imposing their ideas. But he argued that military Juntas would not combat terrorism or guarantee long-term stability.

“I don’t want to criticize any of these countries, but these are military regimes,” Langley said.

This fine line differentiated the United States from other Great Powers, deepening its involvement in Africa. Russia imposes few stipulations on countries to which it provides security assistance, regardless of whether they are governed by military junta or democratically elected leaders. China also emphasizes non-interference in making investments or loans to finance mines, ports, highways and railways.

Of the U.S. personnel stationed throughout Africa, about 1,000 deployed to Niger and 100 to Chad are in the process of starting. Both countries have been an integral part of military efforts to combat violent extremist organizations across the region, especially in Niger, which is home to the continent’s largest surveillance drone base.

Langley said U.S. forces were in the midst of a safe and orderly withdrawal from Niger and planned to determine future security partnerships later. He said the status of U.S. forces in Chad will be discussed once the country finishes establishing a new government based on elections earlier this month.

Langley declined to say whether the United States plans to relocate bases elsewhere in Africa, but said its strategy would largely depend on guidance from West African countries on their security threats. In countries along the Atlantic coastLangley said authorities are increasingly concerned about violent extremism and want to ensure they can oversee developments in dangerous border regions.

“What the US wants is what countries are asking for,” he said. “We are not prescribing anything.”