The role of the U.S. military in Africa isn’t clear to anyone. And that will only hurt American interests. The U.S. military has been expanding its presence and operations in Africa over the past decade. In doing so, it has obscured the nature of its actions through ambiguous language and outright secrecy. It limits the amount of information available about the objectives of its operations, how those operations are carried out, the facilities it uses, and how it partners with governments in the region. At times, this has involved subverting democratic processes in partner countries, an approach that runs counter to years of diplomatic engagement ostensibly designed to strengthen governance institutions.
Nevertheless, interest in the U.S. military’s activities is on the rise and is set to increase further as incidents like the October 2017 Tongo Tongo ambush in Niger—which left four U.S. soldiers dead—make them more visible. In June, for example, militants from the al-Shabaab extremist group in Somalia ambushed a group of American special operations forces, African Union peacekeepers and Somali government soldiers, killing one American Green Beret.
The U.S. military’s gamble that the public, in both America and across Africa, won’t find out about questionable actions, and won’t have the means to challenge them if they do, is becoming increasingly risky.
Is the U.S. Military in Africa Fighting a Covert War?
The most common reaction to the deaths of four U.S. special operations forces in Niger in October 2017 was surprise that the U.S. had any kind of military presence in the country in the first place. In the wake of the ambush, various media outlets placed it in the context of a broader American “shadow war” carried out in “one of the most remote and chaotic war zones on the planet” despite “little public debate” back home. But for those who track the various military efforts to combat jihadi groups in West Africa’s Sahel region, the presence of U.S. soldiers in the country was no surprise at all.
The U.S. Military’s Complicated and Questionable Role in African Security
The U.S. military presence in Niger and Somalia is part of a broader expansion of its efforts to deter transnational threats and promote regional security and stability in Africa. But it is far from clear that those missions are succeeding. In its efforts to combat extremism, the U.S. has fostered close partnerships with some of the continent’s most repressive authoritarian regimes. Likewise, U.S. attempts to support democratization and aid fragile democracies have at times contributed to further upheaval and abetted extremist groups. Nevertheless, the U.S. military in Africa is expanding its mandate, dogged by the reality that the relationship between combating terrorism, safeguarding national interests and fostering political stability is not always clear.
The Trump Administration Takes a Big Gamble by Ignoring Africa
The expanding footprint of the U.S. military in Africa takes place against the backdrop of heightened strategic competition among external powers on the continent. If history holds, this round of competition could end up as badly for Africa as past ones. But it is also different from previous iterations. In the 19th and 20th century, the external powers involved in Africa were mostly after the same thing: control of territory, the allegiance of friendly regimes or access to raw material. Today the major external actors in Africa have different motives and goals.
The presence of the U.S. military in Africa is all but ignored - until a horrific event occurs, like the ambush in Niger. Learn more about military operations across the continent in the searchable library of World Politics Review (WPR):
Why U.S. security operations in Africa are anything but clear, in The ‘Myths and Lies’ Behind the U.S. Military’s Growing Presence in Africa
How the ambush in Niger highlights the need for a more defined role for the U.S. military in Africa, in Trump Is Distracting From a Necessary Conversation About the U.S. Role in Niger
How the U.S. military in Africa is fighting an impossible battle, in U.S. Military Assistance to Africa Is Growing. But Is It Succeeding?
How competing international interests in Africa could lead to conflict, in Great Power Competition Is Back in Africa. Could the U.S. and Others Collide?
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