AFRICA

This section aims to shed light on Africa, where 53 states of the continent are under the auspices of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), implementing the current U.S. policy of using African forces in the U.S. led war against terrorism in the continent. This strategic policy of ‘low-intensity conflicts’ (LICs) involves localizing conflicts to the Third World in applications of U.S. military power, which is cost effective and brings low-intensity effects for people in the U.S.,[1] while still implanting regional and global security measures to advance U.S. international goals. The research largely focuses on the U.S. military activities in Sub-Saharan Africa, including articles that examine special operations and programs directed and carried out by U.S. special forces under a legal authority known as Section 127e. It also tracks some of the ongoing conflicts in the region and the Salafi-Jihadi Movement Weekly Updates by the Institute for the Study of War. Lastly, the materials on individual countries include reports by various humanitarian organizations.

[1] Gerson, Joseph & Birchard, Bruce. The Sun Never Sets: Confronting the Global Network of Foreign U.S. Military Bases. Boston: South End Press; 1991; p.xi

Interactive map: location & number of U.S. military facilities in Africa. © 2023 tiffanychung [map data: David Vine, "Lists of U.S. Military Bases Abroad, 1776-2021," American University Digital Research Archive, 2021].

United States Africa Command (AFRICOM)

Commander Details How U.S. Africa Command Furthers Defense Goals, (Jim Garamone), DoD News
17 March 2022, report on Gen Stephen Townsend discussing AFRICOM missions in Africa: maintaining the U.S. strategic access & influence, counterterrorism, deterring China and Russia, and crisis response.

What to Watch in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2021, What to Watch in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2021, Center for Strategic & International Affairs
12 Jan 2021, commentary on key issues in Sub-Saharan Africa by Yemi Adamolekun, Lina Benabdallah, Will Brown, Maria Burnett, Emilia Columbo, Mvemba Phezo Dizolele,Hilary Matfess, Rafiq Raji, Jon Temin, Laird Treiber, Judd Devermont, Mariell Harris, Kyle Murphy.

U.S. Africa Command Civilian Casualty Assessment Quarterly Report; Third Quarter, 2020
AFRICOM Civilian Casualty Assessment Report

2020 East Africa and North and West Africa Counterterrorism Operations - Lead Inspector General Report to the United States Congress, (Lead Inspector General), DoD, DoS, USAID
Quarterly report on US counterterrorism programs in Africa, 2nd Quarter, 2020

The Offices of Inspector General of the Department of Defense, Department of State, and U.S. Agency for International Development produce a quarterly report describes the activities of the U.S. government in support of the East Africa Counterterrorism Operation and the North and West Africa Counterterrorism Operation and to promote U.S. government policy goals in Africa.

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Mission Media Page, Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
Features images and videos on activities of US military Combined Joint Task Force in the Horn of Africa (Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia).

Pentagon Study Shows Violence Has Skyrocketed in Africa, (Nick Turse), The Intercept
29 July 2019, article about increasing violence rates across Africa.

Washington will sustain military focus on Africa, Oxford Analytica
11 December 2018, news brief on U.S. military strategy on Africa, mainly focusing on counterterrorism.

Behind the Secret U.S. War in Africa, (Wesley Morgan), Politico
02 July 2018, article about U.S. military programs under Section 127e, focusing on reconnaissance and “direct action” raids by joint forces of American and African commandos on militant targets in countries including Somalia, Kenya, Tunisia, Niger, Libya, Cameroon, Mali, and Mauritania.

The U.S. military is conducting secret missions all over Africa, (Nick Turse), VICE News
24 October 2017, article detailing the growing US military presence in Africa and the various training exercises, missions, and activities across the continent.

America’s Proxy Wars in Africa, (Nick Turse), The Nation
13 March 2014, article charting U.S. military interventions in Africa, outlining French and U.S. efforts in a number of operations.

Botswana
Upward Minuteman 2019, (Brendan Stephens), Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
18 February 2019, THEBEPHATSHWA AIR BASE, BOTSWANA, video showing U.S. National Guard and Airmen training with Botswana Defense Forces.

Burkina Faso
POPULATIONS AT RISK: Central Sahel, Burkina Faso, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
1 December 2022, page introducing current crisis in Central Sahel and internal displacement of those facing recurrent violence resulted from attacks by armed Islamist groups and counterterrorism operations by national defense and security forces, as well as conflict between ethnic militias and community “self-defense groups.”

Burkina Faso, International Crisis Group
Page with news updates on the country, including Crisis Watch.

Medical helicopter operations during Flintlock 2019, (Anri Baril, Douglas Parker), Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
Video showing mass casualty evacuation exercises during AFRICOM Flintlock 2019.

Djibouti
America’s East Africa Military Hub Sees Spike In Activity As Somalia Withdrawals Continue, (Joseph Trevithick), The Warzone
23 December 2020, article on U.S. military activities at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti

Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Mission Video, (Kristin Savage), Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
16 October 2020, U.S. military Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa Mission Video, Djibouti

Open Source Backgrounder: Djibouti, Foreign Military Bases on the Horn of Africa - Who is There? What are They Up To?, (De Faakto Intelligence Research Observatory), Small Wars Journal
03 Feb 2019, comprehensive list of foreign nations involved in military bases & activities in the Djibouti, Horn of Africa.

China’s Strategy in Djibouti: Mixing Commercial and Military Interests, (Monica Wang), Council on Foreign Relations
13 April 2018, blog post from Asia Unbound on China testing an emerging strategy of using its economic influence to advance its security interests in Africa, starting with building a port and China’s first military base in Djibouti.

China People's Liberation Army Support Base in Djibouti, Wikipedia

Ethiopia
Ethiopia Peace Observatory
Ongoing interactive Ethiopia Peace Observatory dashboard maps the latest data on political violence and demonstration activity across Ethiopia, with armed conflict location & event data including reported fatalities.

Ethiopia and Tigray have agreed to a cessation of hostilities, (Steve Inskeep), NPR Morning Edition
3 November 2022, report on cease-fire agreement between Ethiopia’s government & leaders of Tigray Region.

After Secret US Talks Failed, a Hidden War in Africa Escalates, (Declan Walsh), NYT
8 October 2022, article on escalating conflict in Tigray region, northern Ethiopia between Tigrayan armed forces and Ethiopian & Eritrean armies.

Ethiopia is at war with itself. Here's what you need to know about the conflict, (Eliza Mackintosh), CNN
05 November 2021, article detailing Ethiopia-Tigray conflict.

Justified Accord, U.S. AFRICOM
2019/20 news bulletin on U.S. AFRICOM exercise Justified Accord hosted by Ethiopia.

AFRICOM Commander Meets with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Ethiopian Military Leaders, U.S. AFRICOM
6 Nov 2019, news bulletin on AFRICOM commander meeting Ethiopian PM & military leaders.

Kenya
https://www.army.mil/article/261898, (Capt. Joe Legros), U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa
09 November 2022, article on planners travel to Kenya to shape AFRICOM exercise Justified Accord 23.

U.S., Kenyan Air Forces hone C-145 capabilities, (Victoria Hadden), U.S. AFRICOM
07 June 2021, article on U.S. Air Force Combat Aviation Advisors & Kenyan Air Force (KAF) crews training and completing flying exercises of KAF’s recently-acquired C-145 Combat Coyote.

Libya
Global Conflict Tracker: Instability in Libya, Center for Preventive Action, Council of Foreign Relations
06 January 2023, analysis on the fracture and political instability of Libya, with continued fighting between different armed militant groups, Libyan National Army, and the UN-backed Government of National Accord, dividing the country along political, religious, and tribal lines.

IntelBrief: Libya Slides Back Into Chaos Amid Spiking Oil Prices, The SOUFAN Center
26 April 2022, analysis on Libya’s renewed conflict, uncertainty of political reconciliation, temporary interruptions of its oil exports, and the inability to restore balance of the global oil market disrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Explainer: Libya’s war in 500 words, Al Jazeera
14 November 2020, news article summarizing the Second Libyan Civil War.

The War in Libya, New America & Airwars
September 2012 - 15 March 2020 report tracking air, drone, and artillery strikes, and their resultant civilian and combatant fatalities in the ongoing civil war turned international proxy conflict in Libya.

Libya conflict: French missiles found on pro-Haftar base, BBC News
10 July 2019, report on France admitting the 4 anti-tank missiles belong to French forces previously undertaking intelligence and counter-terrorism missions.

Libyan fighters seize U.S. and Chinese missiles from Haftar's forces, (Staff), Reuters
29 June 2019, article on Libyan forces seizing U.S.-made Javelin anti-tank missiles allegedly belonged to U.A.E, Chinese-made laser-guided artillery shells, and combat drones from Khalifa Halftar forces, referring to previous U.N. reports that the U.A.E and Egypt have been arming Haftar’s Libya National Army (LNA) since 2014.

U.S. Military Pulls Out of Libyan Capital as Rival Militias Battle, (David Kirkpatrick), New York Times
07 April 2019, news article about US military evacuating Tripoli

Unacknowledged Deaths: Civilian Casualties in NATO’s Air Campaign in Libya, Human Rights Watch
13 May 2012, 76-page report documenting 72 civilian deaths, including 20 women and 24 children in the air campaign by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Libya in 2011

Mali
Mali: Events of 2022, Human Rights Watch (HRW) World Report
Report by HRW on political crisis and abuses of civil and political rights, including atrocities by Islamist armed groups and killings of suspects by pro-government forces, and Mali government’s contracting of Russia’s private military company Wagner Group.

Mali Factsheet, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, European Commission
Factsheet on Mali’s complex crisis (since 2012) triggering large-scale population displacements (est. 8.8 million in 2023), socio-political instability, climate shocks and epidemics, and food and nutrition insecurity. Page specifies Mali’s humanitarian needs and some key Facts & Figures.

Global Conflict Tracker: Instability in Mali, Center for Preventive Action, Council of Foreign Relations
12 May 2022, analysis on Mali’s current complex crisis involving many armed groups, with a historical backdrop of Tuareg and Arab separatist groups rebelling against the government after Mali’s independence from France in 1960.

Tracking the Arrival of Russia’s Wagner Group in Mali, (Jared Thompson, Catrina Doxsee, Joseph S. Bermudez Jr.), Center for Strategic International Studies
02 February 2022, analysis on the arrival & activities of the Wagner Group in Mali since December 2021—a Russian private military company (PMC) linked to the Kremlin, Ministry of Defense (particularly the Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU), and Federal Security Service (FSB).

Mapping Armed Groups in Mali and the Sahel, (Andrew Lebovich), European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
Project mapping jihadist & non-jihadist groups, major foreign military presence, EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions, and the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) as of May 2019.

In Mali and Africa, the U.S. Fights a Hidden War, (Nick Turse), The Intercept
20 November 2015, article discussing the State Department’s confidential list of nearly 50 terrorist organizations in Africa and the U.S. efforts in launching a counterterrorism program in this continent after 9/11.

Mauritania
Operation Juniper Shield, formerly Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara (OEF-TS), Wikipedia
Article on this military operation as part of the Congress-approved Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative program and related training programs.

Flintlock 20, (Sidney Sale), Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
26 February 2020, video of simulated raid exercise during Flintlock 2020.

Fear reigns in Africa’s Sahel amid US military drawdown plan, (Fred Muvuniy), DW
20 February 2020, article on the annual U.S. led military training exercise Flintlock being underway in Mauritania, as France & Germany pushing for more EU involvement.

Flintlock20 Atar Air Base Casualty Evacuation, (Brycen Guerrero), Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
16 February 2020, video showing Casualty Evacuation exercise during Flintlock 2020.

Mozambique
South African military deploys troops to Pemba, northern Mozambique, (Rédaction Africanews), AfricaNews
5 August 2021, news article on Southern African Development Community (SADC) ground & naval forces deployed to Pemba and Cabo Delgado in Mozambique to help fight terrorists who have killed about 2 800 people in cold blood and displaced over 800 000 more.

U.S. Government Provides Military Training to Mozambican Marines, (US Embassy Maputo), US Embassy in Mozambique
15 March 2021, press release on US & Mozambique launch of Joint Combined Exchange Training program (SOCAFRICA JCET).

Mozambique: “What I saw is death”: War crimes in Mozambique’s forgotten cape, Amnesty International
2 March 2021, detailed report on insurgency in Cabo Delgado, the northern Mozambique region suffering decades of under-investment, government negligence, crushing poverty , and raging insurgency of an armed group locally known as Al-Shabaab (unrelated to Al-Shabaab in Somalia) attacked the northern port town of Mocímboa da Praia in October 2017, causing widespread destruction, mass displacement and death, and untenable humanitarian conditions for those who have fled.

Niger
Niger Air Base 201, Wikipedia

Air Base 201, Airman Magazine, Youtube
22 April 2020, video about Nigerien Air Base 201.

Air Force botched building its new air base in Africa, (Kyle Rempfer), AirForceTimes
2 April 2020, news article about Nigerien Air Base 201 construction shortcomings in security standards.

US loses drone over Niger, (Shawn Snow, Diana Stancy Correll), MilitaryTimes
2 March 2020, news report on US military losing an MQ-1 drone after its crash near Agadez, the site of a new sprawling joint Niger and U.S. air base known as Nigerien Air Base 201 for conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.

Just How Closely Are US and French Forces Cooperating in Niger?,(Joseph Trevithick), Warzone
29 June 2019, news article on the US and French military relationship in Niger.

(Creative Commons video attribution: GLOBE TV - PBS Niger Drone Base 201)
PBS Niger Drone Base 201, (Mike Cerre), GLOBE TV
1 May 2019, PBS video featured correpondent Mike Cerre reporting from Agadez, Niger, about US military construction of a remote drone base in Niger, a country in Sub-Sahara Africa, to stop the flow of terrorist from North Africa.

Flintlock 2018 Ouallam Raid, (Jeremiah Runser), Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (Dvids)
16 April 2018, video showing Flintlock 2018 US AFRICOM exercises in Niger

Nigeria
Global Conflict Tracker: Violent Extremism in the Sahel, Center for Preventive Action, Council of Foreign Relations
3 March 2023, report detailing the rise of extremist armed groups in the Sahel countries due to the confluence of weak and illegitimate governance, economic decline, and the worsening effects of climate change since independence in 1960s. It focuses on Boko Haram and their control over northeastern Nigeria & parts of Niger in the region consistently ranked high on the Fragile State Index, particularly Chad, Mali, and Nigeria.

POPULATION AT RISK: Nigeria, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
28 February 2023, analysis & timeline of Nigeria’s current crisis, with attacks by armed bandit groups and continued violence by Boko Haram & the Islamic State in West Africa, leave civilians in Nigeria at risk of mass atrocity crimes.

CRISIS WATCH: Nigeria, International Crisis Group
February 2023, reports and crisis watch on Nigeria’s multiple security challenges: resilient Boko Haram Islamist insurgency in the north east, long-running discontent and militancy in the Niger Delta, increasing violence between herders and farming communities spreading from the central belt southward, and separatist Biafra agitation in the Igbo south east.

Nigeria: Mid-year Update, (Clionadh Raleigh, Elham Kazemi), Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
2022, mid-year report on multiple persisting security threats around the country, with summary & infographic of militia and Islamic violent events against civilians in the north and center & separatists in the south.

U.S. Army Special Forces conclude training with Nigeria Navy Special Boat Service, (US Embassy in Nigeria), US AFRICOM
13 July 2021, news bulletin on the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service & US Army Special Forces completing training.

Nigeria urges U.S. to move Africa Command headquarters to continent, Reuters
27 April 2021, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari requesting AFRICOM move its headquarters to Africa during a virtual meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to better tackle growing armed violence & security challenges in West and Central Africa, Gulf of Guinea, Lake Chad region and the Sahel.

Senegal
Africa needs to learn to feed itself, says Senegal president, (Bate Felix), Reuters
25 January 2023, news report on Africa’s severe food crisis, with more than one in five Africans – a record 278 million people – facing hunger, as leaders presenting their national priorities on food security to development banks and other international partners including the United States, the European Union and Britain.

United States Provides $12 Million In Development Assistance In Senegal Amid Global Food Security Crisis, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
27 July 2022, USAID press release on the additional funding provided to Senegal, as part of the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future.

Senegal: Events of 2021, HRW
2022, Report of serious human rights abuses in Senegal over 2021: arbitrary arrests of opposition figures, use of excessive force by security forces, restrictive civic space, rape, and others.

GLOBAL CRISIS COUNTRY BRIEF - Senegal: Impacts of the Ukraine and global crises on poverty and food security, (Xinshen Diao, Paul Dorosh, Josee Randriamamonjy, Jenny Smart, and James Thurlow), International Food Policy Research Institute
2022, study on rising prices of global food, fuel, and fertilizer driven by the ongoing war in Ukraine, sanctions imposed on Russia, and other factors such as export bans; and the impacts on Senegal’s economy & population.

Flintlock, US AFRICOM
2022, news bulletin on Flintlock training exercises hosted in Senegal with partners from across Africa.

Flintlock 2018 training (b-roll), (Kulani Lakanaria), Dvids
2018, video showing U.S. & Senegalese forces training during Flintlock 2018.

Somalia
Somalia Complex Crisis, ACAPS
23 February 2023, overview & latest developments of Somalia’s current crisis, with analysis on its humanitarian situations & access, and recommendation for key priorities.

U.S. Forces In Somalia: Incident Reports, Airwars
15 February 2023, ongoing updates with detailed summary & data of AFRICOM airstrike and outcomes in Somalia.

We can’t be fatigued about people dying’: U.S. calls for more aid to Somalia, (Nick Schifrin, Teresa Cebrian Aranda, Dan Sagalyn), PBS News Hour
1 February 2023, video & transcript of Nick Schifrin reporting on Somalia’s urgent crisis & his interview with U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield about her trip to Mogadishu as the Horn of Africa faces one of the world’s most acute humanitarian crises, caused primarily by local and international conflict, climate change, and COVID.

Crisis in Somalia: Catastrophic hunger amid drought and conflict, Emergency Watchlist 2023, International Rescue Committee
13 December 2022, report on Somalia at the top of IRC’s emergency watchlist for its current catastrophic food crisis resulted from a devastating drought coupled with the effects of three decades of conflict.

U.S. Africa Command releases video from Jan. 1 airstrike to disrupt al-Shabaab, U.S. Africa Command, Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (Dvids)
1 January 2021, video showing a Somalia Federal Gov & U.S. air strike on an al-Shabaab compound in the vicinity of Qunyo Barrow, Somalia.

AC-130W Stinger II conducts live fire exercise in Somalia, Joint Task Force, Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
16 December 2020, video showing U.S. military live fire exercises in the country.

Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. target al-Shabaab explosives makers, U.S. AFRICOM, Dvids
10 December 2020, video showing a U.S. precision air strike targeting a known al-Shabaab explosives network leader near Jilib, with initial assessments of 8 terrorists killed and 2 wounded.

Somalia: Inadequate US Airstrike Investigations, Human Rights Watch
2020, report on lack of oversight in U.S. airstrikes, especially in dealing with civilian deaths

Why US diplomatic muscle could achieve more in Somalia than drone strikes, (Paul Williams), The Conversation
24 September 2020, news article reflecting on US diplomatic and military actions in Somalia, detailing costs and events.

Somalia Force Posture Announcement, U.S. Department of Defense
4 December 2020, news release announcing US DoD and AFRICOM leaving Somalia by early 2021.

Stabilisation 2.0? Insights from the Somali and African Union operations in Lower Shabelle, (Paul Williams), Wavell Room
3 December 2019, article on the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) & challenges in bringing peace to Somalia in the face of al-Shabaab.

PENTAGON DOCUMENT SHOWS U.S. KNEW OF “CREDIBLE” REPORTS OF CIVILIAN CASUALTIES AFTER ITS ATTACKS IN SOMALIA, (Nick Turse), The Intercept
10 July 2019, news article on civilian deaths in U.S. AFRICOM airstrikes.

Transitioning to National Forces in Somalia: More Than an Exit for AMISOM, (Fiona Blyth), International Peace Institute
22 April 2019, issue brief on the Somalian Transition Plan.

London Somalia Conference 2017: security pact, U.K. Gov
11 May 2017, policy paper endorsing Somalia’s new National Security Architecture.

US confirms al-Shabab leader Ahmed Godane killed, BBC
5 September 2014, news article on U.S. confirming its attack & killing of al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane and his profile.