600 French soldiers to fight terror in Africa as US ponders leaving

“Possible cuts to the US military’s footprint in Africa, where the US has roughly 5,000 troops, are part of the Defense Department’s recent review worldwide,” US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said.

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper leaves after a press briefing at Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., December 20, 2019 (photo credit: REUTERS/YURI GRIPAS)
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper leaves after a press briefing at Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., December 20, 2019
(photo credit: REUTERS/YURI GRIPAS)
The Franco-American alliance is increasingly concerned about terrorist threats from Africa, but it does not agree on how to fight the enemy. France says it will send 600 more troops to fight Islamists in the Sahel, according to French Defense Minister Florence Parly.
Parly has previously critiqued US policy in the Gulf, noting the lack of US response to Iran’s threats in November.
Meanwhile, the US is weighing reduction of forces in Africa. According to an article in Washington-based news publication Foreign Policy on January 28, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper is considering reducing US forces in Africa, while Pentagon and State Department officials are concerned about possible ramifications.
“Possible cuts to the US military’s footprint in Africa, where the US has roughly 5,000 troops, are part of the Defense Department’s recent review worldwide,” Esper said.
In October 2017, an ISIS affiliate killed four US Special Forces soldiers in Niger, revealing the size of a war that largely takes place in the shadows.
France is leading operations along with G5 Sahel Forces from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. There are 4,500 French troops operating in Africa. On January 8, at least 25 local soldiers were reported killed in Niger in a terrorist attack, and in early December last year, 71 Nigerien soldiers were reported killed. On January 22, dozens were reported killed in Burkina Faso.
People are mourning across West Africa due to the depredations of various groups linked to ISIS and other Islamic terrorist forces. The UN calls the attacks unprecedented.
The UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel has said the numbers murdered in 2019 reached 4,000, compared with less than 1,000 in 2016. In Burkina Faso, the numbers have jumped from 80 deaths from terrorism to 1,800.
“The geographic focus of terrorist attacks has shifted eastwards from Mali to Burkina Faso and is increasingly threatening West Africa coastal states,” the UN said.
The US had been increasing its role in Africa over the last decade. But sudden discussions about a shift of forces to Asia or other areas has left many wondering what comes next. The conflicts in the Sahel affect the wider region and can destabilize countries as distant as Somalia, Libya, Senegal or even into the Middle East.
These areas may be sponging up jihadists from around the world soon. US AFRICOM commander Stephen Townsend has warned against any sudden change in support of France or local countries. Even if US forces do shift, it seems they will move from dealing with hot spots like the borders of Mali or Somalia to being based in Djibouti.
The enemy is watching. The US has launched a security review after a January 5 attack on the Manda Bay Kenyan military outpost left three US soldiers dead.
“We were not as prepared there at Manda Bay as we needed to be,” Townsend said according to a report. “Al-Shabab managed to penetrate onto that airfield.”
Six aircraft were destroyed on January 5. Now the attack on Manda Bay may be seen as a warning. The US is concerned about the growing ability of organizations like al-Shabab, ISIS, al-Qaeda and Boko Haram, which stretch across 6,500 km. from the Kenya-Somalia border all the way to Senegal.
Major changes are afoot in Africa across this swath of territory, across borders that are often not well guarded and into ungoverned spaces where jihadist groups thrive.
Some media accounts portray these various conflicts as tribal battles between “herders” and “farmers,” preferring to look at local or economic conditions than at the wider extremist influences that are driving the tactics and strategy of organizations or even inspiring attacks.
The US and France must now decide whether they will continue a holistic strategy or segment the continent into spheres of counterterrorism influence, as the US seeks to move toward confronting the regional influence of large states such as China and to disabuse its counterterrorism strategy.