United States Defense Secretary Mark Esper said yesterday that the United States would not be removing all its forces from Africa, as he carries out a global troop review meant to free up more resources to address challenges from China’s military.
“We are not going to totally withdraw forces from Africa… I know that is the concern of many folks, but again I would say that no decisions have been made yet, this is a process,” Esper said.
As extremist violence grows across Africa, the United States is considering reducing its military presence on the continent, a move that worries
On Wednesday, Nigeria and other international partners who are working to strengthen the fight in the tumultuous Sahel region expressed worry over reports that the U.S. was considering reducing its military presence on the continent.
Nigeria’s Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed on Wednesday urged the U.S. not to cut back, citing an increase in terrorism in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Cameroon and Chad since the defeat of ISIS in Syria. “So I think what we need now is more support,” Mohammed told the AP. “I’m not talking in terms of physical soldiers, American soldiers. But I think we need more support. Otherwise we will inadvertently be strengthening the hand of the terrorists.”
The timing is especially critical in the Sahel, the vast arid region south of the Sahara Desert, where militants with links to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have carried out increased attacks in the past six months. In Niger and Mali, soldiers have been ambushed and at times overpowered by hundreds of extremist gunmen on motorcycles.
More than 500,000 people have been displaced by violence in Burkina Faso.
The pending decision is part of a worldwide review by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who is looking for ways to tighten the focus on China and Russia. “My aim is to free up time, money and manpower around the globe, where we currently are, so that I can direct it” toward Asia or return forces to the United States to improve combat readiness, Esper said Monday after meeting with French Defense Minister Florence Parly, who traveled to Washington to urge the U.S. not to reduce forces in the Sahel.