Foreign
By Kennedy Nnamani
GENERAL Stephen J. Townsend, U.S. Army Commander, U.S. Africa Command has said that international organizations, especially the US are working to eliminate insecurity and its threats on the African continent.
Speaking at a special virtual meeting to discuss the 2022 African Chiefs of Defense Conference and the United States and Africa’s shared commitment to security on the continent on February 3, 2022, Townsend noted the four major lines of effort which U.S. Africa Command is focused on: to maintain U.S. strategic relationships, access and influence on the continent and to counter threats that might emanate from Africa such as violent extremist threats.
Others are to prevent or respond to everything ranging from humanitarian assistance such as the Ebola crisis, or a natural disaster such as a major cyclone, or a direct threat to a U.S. embassy or actors’ forces and to partnering with allies.
This meeting, which was an interactive session of questions and answers, also condemned vehemently the ongoing military seizures of power on the continent of Africa.
“These military seizures of power are inconsistent with U.S. democratic values and our professional military ethos. So it’s important, we believe, that our military partners stay out of politics,” he said.
Earlier, the U.S. Africom and the Chiefs of Defense Conference for 2022 with the theme, “Shared Investment for a Shared Future” was held to discuss the security climate of the continent. The conference which witnessed about 36 chiefs of defense or their representatives was aimed at discussing the major challenges that the both actors face.
While commenting on the support the U.S. is providing to the armies engaged in the fight against terrorism, General Townsend noted that the U.S. military works and assists, provides support to both the G5 Sahel Joint Force and, bilaterally, to the nations that comprise it.
“The types of support that we provide include equipment, training, intelligence-sharing, and in some cases airlift and in some cases logistics support and advisory support. We have provided more than $8m in military equipment to Niger in a ceremony this past August to help Niger and Sahel Joint Force partners in the fight against terrorism,” Townsend said.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the progress against violent extremists in Africa, and particularly East Africa and West Africa. In his statement, Townsend expressed that admitted that violent extremism in these two regions continues to expand in both geography and reach and influence, which he attributed to poor governance.
“I think the key to this is that military forces alone cannot defeat violent extremism. The root of violent extremism is insufficient with poor governance and at AFRICOM we say that we like to use a 3D approach where we lead with Diplomacy and Development and follow with Defense efforts. So that 3D approach is what we need to address the problem of violent extremism,” he said.
The commander also admitted the expansion of the terrorist group in some regions, noting that the al-Shabaab, JNIM, ISIS are spreading across the continent.
“I think particularly in Somalia, al-Shabaab is taking advantage of the political leadership there being distracted by a prolonged political crisis, and as they are – as the Somali Government and people are trying to find their way to electing a new parliament and electing a new president. But while that’s going on, the pressure is off al-Shabaab”
“In the Sahel, I think JNIM, which is an arm of al-Qaida, and ISIS groups continue to expand, creeping towards the coastal states. We’ve seen recent attacks in Benin, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire. To me, these attacks show this expansion that I’m concerned about and why military intervention is only part of the solution to this problem. So as long as we don’t have a coherent 3D approach from not just African partners but all of the international partners, to include the U.S., I think the terrorists will continue to take advantage of that and continue their expansion,” he added.
Speaking on the coups crippling democratic growth on the continent and if the Russians and the Chinese are involved, Townsend noted that insufficient governance, lack of good governance, and corruption are the major causes of the military junta. He also stated that there is no clear involvement of China in the game.
However he stated that the Russians cannot be completely vindicated from it.
“We have not seen any involvement by the Chinese in any of these coups. I don’t think they’re doing that, furthering that or promoting those. With Russia, I think it’s a little less clear. I think I have received reports of Russian involvement at least in Sudan in the not too distant past. I don’t think China is behind any of these coups and I don’t really think that Russia is the main animating force behind most of them, but the hand of Russia may be visible in one or two of these,” he admitted.
He expressed the concern of the US with the sovereignty of Morocco and Algeria, noting that the US takes their relationship seriously as both actors are concerned about their sovereignty, integrity of their borders. He also stated that the U.S, in her engagements with both those countries, seek that they find accommodation and find a way to get forward together.
Commenting on the non-involvement of the U.S in countries with values that do not align with the U.S, specifically about Mali and Burkina Faso, two key countries in the ongoing fight against extremism in the Sahel and the practical implications this may have for the U.S. military, the U.S army General noted that the American government holds on to its law which is a suspension of U.S. security assistance to such countries.
He also addressed the moves by Mali to bring in mercenary force to secure the country, disclosing that the Malian junta continues to publicly deny bringing Russian mercenaries.
“We have observed the Malian junta bring Russian mercenaries into their country. They’ve invited them. They continue to deny this in public. But my information is pretty clear that they have brought in Wagner.
“I think they are a bad presence and they are not going to contribute to stability and security in Mali in the long run,” he said.
He clarified that the U.S. Government is still evaluating what has recently happened in Burkina Faso and will probably want to judge what African neighbors say about it before the U.S. makes its determinations.
Reacting to the question on the current and future risk that the U.S. Army sees in the development of the Islamist insurgency in northern Mozambique and if the Army plans any further intervention or cooperation in Cabo Delgado, Townsend noted that the expansion of ISIS in Africa, specifically ISIS in Central Africa, into northern Mozambique, Cabo Delgado stalling the exploration and extraction of energy resources deposit in the region, which is the largest energy deposits in Africa, if not in the world.
“And there is a consortium of international energy companies there trying to productively extract the energy resource, and it was – stood to benefit the people, the government and the people of Mozambique to a tremendous degree. It’s a life-changing resource for the people of Mozambique. And now all of that is at risk because of the rise of ISIS-Mozambique.
“So that is a near- and long-term impact of ISIS-Mozambique, not to mention the potential spread of ISIS-Mozambique into Tanzania and further south into Mozambique,” he noted.
He, however, assured that the United States over the last two years has made note of this ISIS-Mozambique expansion and have rendered support to this effect.
“We have provided deployments, small deployments to train counterterrorism forces with Mozambique. But more importantly, other partners have stepped up. We have seen an African organization led by the Southern African Development Corporation, SADC. SADC has deployed forces from all the neighbors of Mozambique, and including Rwanda, have deployed to Mozambique. And they have very effectively pushed the ISIS-Mozambique out of the populated areas of Cabo Delgado,” he said.
While addressing the relation between the USA and Russia on the Wagner issues, the U.S Army General cleared that the U.S is not worried about Russia “stealing their show”. He stated that it was not a U.S. show in Mali noting that the U.S was supporting the Malian Government and forces and international partners in a modest way.
He clarified that Wagner is not a uniformed military force like NATO, other recognized international forces.
“Wagner is not the same as an organized, uniformed military force. They are mercenaries. And so their mission is not the same. They are there for their own personal interests. Many of the challenges that I discussed today will only be solved if multiple countries work together and we have a consistent, open dialogue and we have whole-of-government approaches with our African partners in the lead. In the end, this has to be done by the African partners.
Speaking on the preparedness of the U.S to offer concrete support for countries like Ghana plagued with security threats the commander echoed that the command has been offering more concrete support to Ghana over the past year and will continue to do so.
“Just in the last year, we have sent training teams. We have sent advisory teams, and we have incorporated them increasingly into exercises. And we are researching and trying to provide for some of their equipment needs because Ghana is very important historically to the United States. So we have seen the same thing, and the United States has committed concrete support to Ghana,” he said.
Meanwhile, the military expert has preferred not to use the term ‘bandits’ to describe these insecurity actors.
“I think the term of “bandits” is the wrong term. That makes it sound like a criminal problem. And my assessment is what is expanding and causing the majority of the problem are terrorists. We’ve seen ISIS and al-Qaida affiliates expanding in West Africa from Mali into Burkina Faso, and now we’re starting to see attacks in the neighbors of Ghana, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire,” said.
General Townsend called on all African countries to work together to achieve the goal of maintaining peace and security on the continent.
“Many of the challenges that I discussed today will only be solved if multiple countries work together and we have a consistent, open dialogue and we have whole-of-government approaches with our African partners in the lead. In the end, this has to be done by the African partners,” he added.
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Tags: AFRICOM Kennedy Nnamani Stephen J. Townsend U.S. Army
